The vendor wraps the honey sticks in brownpaper, her eyes darting between the four of us with curiosity. When she hands the package to Leif, her eyes brighten, carrying a kindness that has nothing to do with professional courtesy.
Grady shifts his weight, his cane no longer tapping. “They have decent coffee at the stand by the book vendor. Anyone else need caffeine before we continue?”
“I could go for a cup,” Emily says.
“Make that two,” I add, the words coming easier than I expected.
Leif’s hand finds Quinn, who clutches her honey sticks with gleeful anticipation. “We could use a hot beverage to wash down the sweetness.”
As we move away from the food stalls, our positions have shifted. Emily still walks beside me, but Grady and Leif have closed ranks, forming a protective wall around me that I wasn’t expecting.
As Emily measures her stride to match mine, I risk a peek at her profile, noting the furrow between her brows, the tightness at the corners of her mouth. She’s not angry anymore.
Or not only angry.
A tangle of worry and protectiveness flickers across her face when she thinks no one is watching.
At the coffee stand, Emily and I grab a tablewith Quinn and guard Grady’s grocery bag while he and Leif go to buy coffee.
They return a few minutes later, and Emily rises to take two of the cups, murmuring her thanks.
Her fingers brush mine as she passes the second black coffee to me, though her eyes remain fixed on some middle distance, thoughts churning.
Leif helps Quinn crack open her first honey stick, his large hands surprisingly delicate as he pinches the end. “Slow squeeze. Make it last.”
Quinn’s delighted giggle cuts through the lingering tension, bright as sunshine after rain. “It’s so sweet!”
I take a sip of my coffee and peek at Emily again, only to find her watching me thoughtfully.
When she realizes I caught her, she turns away, her throat working.“Thank you for standing your ground back there.”
The gratitude catches me off guard. “I should be thanking you. All of you.”
“Can’t stand bullies,” Grady mutters, and Leif grunts in agreement.
Grady studies a booth selling handmade journals. “Chloe would love those,” he tells no one in particular. “She’s always collecting notebooks she never fills.”
“Quinn’s the same way.” Leif tickles his youngcharge. “Should we pick one for your Aunt as a surprise?”
In response, the little girl leaps out of her chair and races over to the stand. Leif sets his coffee cup down in a hurry and chases after her.
Grady chuckles. “He has his hands full with her.”
“What’s Blake up to while his niece is distracted today?” Emily asks.
“He, Nathaniel, and Chloe are having a beach date.” Color rushes to Grady’s cheeks. “Supposedly, they’re whale watching.”
Emily hums over the rim of her cup. “Good for them.”
She takes a sip of her coffee while keeping a watchful eye on Quinn’s movement, and wistfulness passes across her face, there and gone so quickly I almost miss it. “Quinn reminds me of my niece at that age. Fearless.”
Did Emily hope for a pup with Auren? Selfishly, I’m glad it never happened. My one meeting with the self-centered, manipulative man made it clear he’d never tolerate anyone else receiving more attention than him, not even his own child.
But I can picture a silver-haired pup running barefoot through Emily’s house, and my chest vibrates with a purr.
Emily’s boot kicks mine under the table. “Stop it.”
My rumble peters out, and heat creeps up my neck, but I can’t shake the image from my mind. If Emily wants pups, I’ll try my best to give them to her.