“No, no,” Rhea replied with a fond smile. “He learned from my best friend, Ayman.”
“She makes it all the time,” Luke said.
“It’s Jiya’s favorite,” Farhan said.
“The Din family lives two houses down, and we all grew up together,” Luke told Emmeline. “The eldest, Basim, is Farhan’s best friend, and he has three younger sisters, who are pretty much like our sisters, too.”
“Not all of them,” Farhan muttered under his breath. Luke gave him a funny look, and Farhan cleared his throat. “Emmeline, do you like pilau?”
“Yes, but I usually make it with mutton instead of chicken,” she said.
“Don’t say that too loud,” Farhan said in a mock-whisper.
“We don’t eat too much mutton in this house,” Luke explained, glancing over at the baby chimeras.
“Oh. Right.” Emmeline bit back a laugh. “That makes sense.”
They continued eating, chatting about different things. Rhea asked Emmeline how her work was going, andEmmeline was a little hesitant at first, because she was Luke’s rival and all, but he didn’t seem worried, so she relaxed as well. They were turning a new leaf, moving forward.
It was a wonderful evening and, after eating, the boys cleaned up while Emmeline kept Rhea and the baby chimeras company in the living room. Then, it was time to go. It was getting late and they all had work the next day.
“Thank you for such a lovely dinner,” Emmeline said, kissing Rhea goodbye.
“Thank you for spending the time with us,” Rhea said. She looked very tired by then, and Farhan came to her side.
“Why don’t we get you to bed?” he said, and she nodded slowly. He gave Emmeline a smile, then the two of them were off. Luke returned with her coat, and she slid it on.
“Can I check in on Sharptooth before going?” she asked.
“‘Course,” he replied. They went out back to the barn. It had begun snowing a little bit, snowflakes making a slow and steady descent. In the barn, Sharptooth was still fast asleep.
“She’ll be okay,” Luke said.
“I’m glad.”
They left, and Emmeline waited a moment before calling Torch. She knew her dragon wouldn’t be far away, and a part of her didn’t want to go just yet. She lingered, and Luke was in no rush to head inside.
The air shimmered with snowflakes, a few sticking to his dark hair, which was a bit messy now, but she liked it. She was so used to seeing him perfectly done-up. It felt intimate to see him like this, like he was only hers to see.
It reminded her of that night all those years ago. Her cheeks grew hot at the memories.
“Thank you for letting me have dinner with your family,” she said. “Your mother and brother are really sweet.”
A fond expression came over Luke’s face. “They’re pretty great,” he replied, voice soft.
“I hope your mom feels better,” she said. “Does she have the flu or something? She looked a bit under the weather.”
Luke blinked, surprised. “You don’t know...” He trailed off as if realizing something. “I never told you...” He paused, swallowing. “She’s sick. She has been for a while, since I was in university.”
Emmeline’s mouth jutted open, shock pouring through her. She hadn’t known. It was such a big thing, and she hadn’t known.
“Is she undergoing treatment or...?” she asked.
He ran a hand through his hair. “There’s not much they can do,” he said, “but she takes medication and has some treatments to help manage the pain.” He looked down at the floor, and her heart ached.
“I’m sorry,” she said. Before she could think better of it, she bridged the space between them and brought a hand to his cheek, lifting his face to meet her eyes. “Luke, I’m sorry.”
He leaned into her touch, comforted, and satisfaction spread through her.
