Leave

"Thanks, Uncle Ed, this was fun." Emma said.

Edward was grinning again, "Yeah it was, wasn't it?"

They ended up hanging out in the bedroom for a couple more minutes, laughing and joking, mostly at Maude's expense. Emma liked her aunt, but she knew Edward might need to vent a little. It seemed like the family had pretty much isolated themselves at the lake house, and it was probably refreshing to have a new set of ears to talk to.

Emma thanked Ed again, suggesting they misbehave again sometime. Ed's grin flashed just a hint of wickedness, and he said, "It would be an honor to misbehave with you, niece."

Emma smiled at her uncle one last time. It felt good to be around Edward and see him like this. His playful smile almost made him seem younger. Emma turned to go, catching a glimpse of an unhappy looking man in one of the old portraits on the wall as she turned. It felt like, for just a second, that it was watching her.

Emma shook it off as guilt for searching through Maude's secret stash without her knowing, then set off down the hall. It felt good to be a little bit mischievous, but now she needed to find a more appropriate way to waste the day.