Page 15 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)
Lavender and Honey
Ward shifted his weight from one foot to the other, glancing at his phone for the third time in as many minutes. He stood outside Cinnamon + Sugar. It had closed an hour ago, but he knew Emily worked until six.
He tried to appear casual, leaning against a lamppost with his hands stuffed into his jacket pockets.
His bear paced restlessly inside him. Two days had felt like two years since he ’ d asked Emily to dinner. After showering, Ward had changed his shirt three times before settling on a forest green button-down that his sister Ellie had told him brought out his eyes.
The bell above the bakery door jingled. Ward ’ s heart leaped into his throat as Emily stepped out.
She wore a simple blue dress that hugged her delicious curves, with a lacy crocheted shawl draped over her shoulders.
Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, catching the late afternoon sunlight like spun gold.
“ Hey,” she said, smiling up at him, a hint of shyness in her expression. “ Have you been waiting long?”
Ward shook his head, hoping she couldn ’ t hear how his pulse had quickened at the sight of her. “ Just got here.” The lie came easily, though he ’ d been standing there for fifteen minutes. “ You look…” Ward hesitated, not wanting to come on too strong. “ Really nice.”
Emily ’ s cheeks flushed the cutest shade of pink. “ Thanks. So do you.”
They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other, until Ward cleared his throat. “ Ready to head over to the restaurant?”
As they walked, Emily hugged her shawl closer. Ward fought the urge to drape his arm around her shoulders. Don ’ t come on too strong.
“ I haven ’ t been to Wildcat Springs in years,” she said. “ Not since high school, actually.”
“ Justin ’ s made a few changes to the menu since then,” Ward said. “ Still has amazing barbecue, but he ’ s been experimenting with local ingredients more.”
He itched to place his hand on the small of her back as they crossed the street.
“ I don ’ t remember the Lavender & Lilacs Festival being a thing,” Emily remarked, nodding toward the banners hanging from the lampposts. “ Is it something new?”
Ward nodded. “ Maggie and Aunt Annabeth came up with the idea last year to bring in visitors between the end of steelhead fishing season and the start of summer vacation.”
“ Smart,” Emily said. “ I ’ m sure it ’ ll be fun and good for local businesses.”
A large wreath of dried lavender hung on Wildcat Springs’ front door, surrounding a hand-painted sign advertising the festival.
The rich scent of smoked pork, beef, and chicken hit them as Ward pulled open the door for Emily. The restaurant was busy but not packed, with a mix of locals and a few out-of-towners who ’ d come early for the festival.
The restaurant ’ s trademark Texas memorabilia—vintage Stetson hats, cowboy boots, and antique ranch tools—still adorned the walls, but now Mason jars holding sprigs of lavender and bunches of lilacs stood on every table.
“ Well, look who the cat dragged in!”
Emily giggled as Justin swept her into a bear hug and swung her around.
Ward ’ s bear growled softly at the sight of another male touching her, but he tamped down its ridiculous jealousy. Justin was happily mated to Grandma Elle.
“ And Ward, my man,” Justin said, setting Emily down and giving Ward a firm handshake that turned into a back-slapping hug. “ Good to see you two out and about.” There was a knowing gleam in Justin ’ s aquamarine eyes that made Ward ’ s neck heat and Emily ’ s cheeks go pink again.
“ I used to wait tables here every summer during high school,” Emily explained, glancing at Ward.
“ I remember,” Ward said, then felt heat climb into his face as Emily ’ s eyebrows twitched up inquiringly. “ I mean, I remember seeing you here sometimes.”
She didn ’ t need to know he ’ d only come here on days when he knew she ’ d be working.
“ Emily was one of the best employees I ever had,” Justin said, slinging an arm around Emily’s shoulders. He winked at Ward. “Glad you’re stayin’ put here for a spell, darlin’. We ’ ve missed you around here.”
“ I ’ ve missed you, too, Justin,” Emily said, her gaze traveling around the restaurant with nostalgic fondness.
Justin led them to a cozy booth in the corner.
“ Now, y ’ all are in for a treat tonight,” he proclaimed, handing them menus.
“ I consulted with Chef Daniel over at the Bearpaw Springs Resort to create a special menu for the festival: baby back ribs glazed with my house-made lavender-honey BBQ sauce.” He made a chef ’ s kiss gesture.
“ Served with lilac-pickled red onion slaw and smoked cheddar & chive cornbread with whipped lavender butter.”
Ward ’ s mouth watered at the description, and he saw Emily ’ s eyes widen with interest.
“ Your choice of lavender lemonade or lilac sweet tea,” Justin continued. “ And for dessert—” He paused dramatically. “ It ’ s house-made blueberry-lavender cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.”
“ That sounds amazing,” Emily said.
“ It does,” Ward agreed, his eyes not leaving Emily ’ s face. The soft lighting cast a warm glow on her skin, making her look luminous. “ Two orders?” he asked her.
“ Yes, please!”
“Comin’ right up. Y’all let me know what you think of it.” Justin winked and sauntered back toward the kitchen.
Ward looked across the table at Emily, who was peering around the restaurant with a small smile playing on her lips.
After all those years of watching her from afar, he couldn ’ t believe she was actually here with him.
The booth was intimate, their knees almost touching beneath the table.
His bear, so restless for the past few days, settled down, radiating contentment. Ward hoped the evening would go well enough for there to be a second date—and a third, and a fourth…
Their food arrived quickly.
Ward couldn ’ t take his eyes off Emily as she bit into a rib, a small dab of the lavender-honey sauce clinging to her lower lip. She caught him staring and quickly wiped her mouth with her napkin, her cheeks flushing again.
“ Justin wasn ’ t exaggerating about these ribs,” she said. “ The lavender actually works with the barbecue sauce. I wouldn ’ t have thought of that combination.”
Ward nodded, forcing himself to focus on his dinner rather than the way her lips moved when she spoke.
“ He ’ s always experimenting. Last month it was barbecued duck with chipotle-cherry sauce.
That was good too, but this…” He took another bite and closed his eyes in appreciation. “ This is something else.”
A comfortable silence settled between them as they ate. Ward was surprised at how natural it felt, sitting across from her like this. No awkward pauses or struggling for topics. His bear hummed contentedly inside him.
He enjoyed the sight of Emily licking the sauce off her fingers and felt himself grow hard. Thank the stars, the table hid the bulge in his lap!
When Emily had polished off half the rack of ribs, she sat back and took a long sip of her lemonade. Her expression turned serious. “ I should probably tell you about what happened in Spokane. With Andrew, I mean.” Her voice dropped, barely audible over the restaurant ’ s ambient noise.
Ward ’ s supernaturally sharp ears had no problem hearing her, though. He put down his cornbread and gave her his full attention. “ Only if you want to.”
Emily nodded, her fingers tracing nervous patterns in the condensation on her glass. “ It all started when my mom got sick about two years ago. Lung cancer.” She swallowed hard. “ By the time they caught it, it was already stage four.”
“ I ’ m so sorry,” Ward said, feeling a pang. “ I remember your mom from when we were kids. I always thought she was the nicest teacher at our elementary school.”
A small, sad smile touched Emily ’ s lips.
“ She loved teaching first grade. After Dad died, she worked two jobs for most of my childhood. Moving to Spokane with me got her a better-paying teaching job. Everything was going so well.” She took a deep breath.
“ I ’ d just started working for Andrew ’ s real estate development company when she was diagnosed. ”
Ward kept his expression neutral at the mention of Andrew.
“ He was…” Emily paused, seeming to search for the right words.
“ So charming. So sympathetic. He said all the right things about family being the most important thing. I thought he really understood what I was going through.” She looked away.
“ He made me feel like his moon and stars… for a while, anyway.”
The bear inside Ward bristled with jealousy, but he pushed it down. This wasn ’ t about him.
“ When things got bad with Mom,” Emily continued, “ Andrew arranged for me to have paid time off. He…” Her voice caught. “ He paid all of Mom ’ s hospital bills. Her insurance didn ’ t cover everything, and she was drowning in debt.”
Ward ’ s stomach twisted. No wonder Emily had fallen for Andrew. The guy had swooped in during her most vulnerable time, playing the part of her savior.
“ At first, the chemo seemed to work. Mom was weak and sick from the treatments, but the cancerous spots were shrinking. Then, last November, she took a turn for the worse.” Emily ’ s eyes grew distant.
“ Dr. Avila said she didn ’ t have long and recommended hospice.
Even with all the drugs they gave her, she was still in a lot of pain.
I spent every moment I could with her. Andrew came to the hospital to see us and…
” She took a long pull of her lemonade. “ He proposed to me right there at her bedside. Mom was so happy because he promised to take care of me after she was gone.”
Her eyes shone with tears that quickly overflowed down her cheeks. Ward resisted the urge to reach across the table and wipe them away.
Emily dug in her purse for tissues and blotted them up before blowing her nose.