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"He’s not like that," Phoebe protested

Emma knew otherwise

"You’re not upset with uess not"

"If our situations were reversed, you’d have done the sa on in Yakima"

Emma looked out theand noticed that Oliver had walked across the street, presuet an updated weather report "At the ether?" Phoebe asked with an inappropriate aured she’d see this unfortunate situation in a huht "For now, and trust me, I’et along really well He’s a cool guy"

The problem was he knew it Emma didn’t bother to coer before ending the phone call

The waitress refreshed Emma’s coffee and took the e, she read over her notes from the intervieith Earleen Williahts, it was her own mother

Pamela Collins had wanted the very best for her, Emma knew What she could never understand hy heras she had From as early as E affairs, betraying his wife and faet it Her ; Emma wasn’t And she was too smart to be taken in by a man who had all her father’s worst traits--and all his appeal

She couldn’t iine what her ine exactly Her , the same way she’d done with Emma’s father whenever he’d seen fit to bless them with his presence

The café door opened and Oliver returned, his leather jacket splotched with da into the booth He handed her a sheet of paper

"What’s this?" she asked

"The weather report You aren’t going to like it"

E are we trapped here?"

He hesitated as if weighing how ht"

The word echoed in her brain "No!"

"Have you looked outside lately?"

Emma hadn’t She stared out theThick flakes of snow drifted down; already the sidewalks were covered and the sky had grown darker No wonder his coat et She closed her eyes "What are we going to do?" she whispered

Oliver shrugged "It happens, especially this time of year I don’t like it any better than you do, but I try to make the best of it"

"How?"

"I don’t knohat you’re planning, but I’ve already got a line on a poker game I don’t suppose you’d care to join us?"

Chapter Five

The snow fell fast and furious as the afternoon wore on Although E to reimburse her, she broke down and rented aher credit card since she was alht in tarnished arars with three other pilots for a poker game, and she hadn’t seen him since

The motel room was about what you’d expect for 3995 The mattress and pilloere thin and no et comfortable on the bed until she marched down to the office for extra pillohich she propped up to support her back while she used her laptop on the bed Her fingers flew across the keys

Lessons from Fruitcake: Earleen Williams

by Emma Collins

For The Examiner

Earleen Williams of Yakima bakes masterful fruitcakes but she’s the true masterpiece