Julia brought her coffee to the table, along with a serving spoon for the cinnamon rolls. Then, she scooted the casserole Emily’s way. Steam rose above it, carrying the scents of cheddar, maple, and black pepper into the air.
Patrick left the room and returned with two more chairs, squeezing them around the table, and Blair and Sienna came in after him. They took a seat while Patrick made more coffee.
“Patrick, grab them a couple of mugs from the cabinet,” Julia said as she handed out the plates, her attention lingering on Blair.
“I’ll just have water,” Sienna said.
Patrick filled a glass and handed it to Sienna. The lights flickered, and the house groaned from the force of the wind.
“If the power goes out, don’t worry,” he said. “I’m charging the portable power station. I can hook it up to the fridge. It’ll run a few appliances.”
“Ooh, if the power does go out, can I help you?” Winston asked.
“Of course.” Patrick wrinkled his nose good-naturedly at his nephew.
Julia’s attention returned to Blair. “I’m sorry,” she said, leaning on the table. “Are you Blair Andrews?”
Blair paled. “Yes.”
Julia seemed as if she wanted to spout a million questions, but she said, “I thought you looked familiar since the minute you walked in. I follow you on social media.”
Sienna sat up protectively, but didn’t say anything.
Patrick eyed them over his mug of black coffee.
Blair’s smile wobbled awkwardly. “That’s great.”
Julia glanced at Blair’s stomach, but she blinked as if she wanted to cover up her inquisitiveness. She scooted the casserole dish over to her.
Winston wriggled onto his knees, slicing through the moment. “We should play board games. It would be fun with all the people.”
“Thatwouldbe fun,” Blair agreed.
“What’s your favorite board game?” he asked them. “We have lots.”
“I like Monopoly,” Sienna chimed in.
Winston’s head rolled back. “That game is loooong.”
Patrick chuckled. “I made him try to play it once on vacation in the mountains. We were stuck inside during a snowstorm. We had nothing but time, and it was the only board game in the whole condo.”
“It was too confusing,” Winston said.
“How about Candy Land?” Blair offered, seemingly unaffected by Julia’s recognition.
Emily was bursting with excitement for her friend. She’d made it through her first hurdle.
Winston brightened. “I love that one! I have it!”
Emily grinned at him, but then sobered when she noticed the indecipherable thoughts on Sienna’s face. She caught Sienna’s eye, but Sienna shrugged it off, pressed a smile across her face, and took a drink from her glass.
“Maybe we can play it after breakfast, once everyone gets settled,” Julia offered.
Winston gave a little fist pump.
After breakfast, they offered to help Julia clean up, but she’d shooed them away. “Y’all should unpack what you need in case the power goes out. With the windows boarded up, it’ll get pretty dark.”
So they left her, Winston, and Patrick and headed to gather their necessities.
