7. Rebel

I watchedEvie as she cooked dinner that evening, stirring and bustling about with a flair that suggested she was an excellent cook. Her father entered the kitchen, rubbing his hands together with anticipation.

"Something smells good," he commented, sniffing the air. "What's cooking?"

"Evie is making us dinner," I replied, glancing over at him in time to see the apprehension on his face. I watched as he walked over to Evie.

"What are you cooking sweetheart?" He asked as Evie turned to smile at him.

"I'm preparing the surprise dinner—the same one I cooked for you and Mom last month. I remember how much you loved it, and it's the least I can do for everyone helping us," she said, rummaging through the spices.

Adam looked distressed before walking over and whispering conspiratorially, "Hide the spices." At first, I couldn't understand, so he whispered again. "Hide the spices." Puzzled but intrigued, I stood up and gestured for him to follow me.

"What are you talking about?" I asked once we were out of earshot.

"I love Evie more than anything, but she can't cook, worth a darn. I don't want her to get her feelings hurt, so I'm asking you to hide the spices. She thinks she's just like her granny, who never had to measure anything, but she is nothing like her granny. Do you understand?" he explained.

"Yes, I get it." I took out my phone and sent a group text to everyone, instructing them to complement Evie's cooking regardless of the taste. I glanced at her Dad, "If the food tastes bad, we'll do what you and your wife do. We'll tell her we love it," I said.

"You are a good man, Rebel Bellmont."

"Sometimes, I surprise everyone. I don't want Evie's feelings to be hurt; she's so happy cooking for us." As we spoke, something caught my eye—a swift movement. I decided to follow Evie"s ferret to see where it was headed. Rounding the corner into the family room, I saw it clamber onto the back of the sofa and then onto the top of Raider's head, who was deep in conversation with Spartan about his last job.

Raider calmly reached up and took the animal from his head, placing it on his lap. "Didn't he scare you?" I asked.

"No, Spartan warned me about the ferret. Otherwise, I might have reacted badly and hurt him. We need to tell everyone about him if he's going to be roaming around, climbing on people," Raider explained.

Raider has always been the most composed man I know. The only exception was when his wife was tragically killed in front of him, prompting him to attack the Taliban men who killed her. He thought it was his last day alive. But we rescued him before they were able to kill him.

"You're right. I'll let everyone know that if they see what they think is a rat, it's actually a ferret, and he's a pet. I'll put him in his carrier. I wonder who keeps letting him out. Maybe he's doing it himself," I walked back to Evie's room and looked around. She had a photo of her sister next to the bed. I placed Snookum in his carrier and watched as he cleverly pushed down the handle with his little foot and opened the door. Smiling and shaking my head, I watched him go back in, and he settled into his bed.

As I stepped out, I bumped into Evie. Instinctively, my hands came up and circled her waist. "I was putting Snookum to bed," I whispered.

"Thank you. I'll just put his food here on the dresser," Evie said, attempting to step around me. My fingers barely moved, but she stopped, and our eyes locked. I leaned in, she stepped closer, and suddenly, Cinder jumped from the bed onto my back.

"Damn, what the hell," she hurriedly picked the cat off my back, where his claws were still stuck, into my shirt.

"Cinder, bad boy. I'm so sorry. Let me check your back," she said, concerned.

"No, it's fine. Besides, you're cooking." I said, noticing her wide-eyed expression.

"Oh, for Pete's sake. I forgot about the food. Can you believe that? I forgot the food. Let's shut this door so they'll stay inside," she suggested.

"Did you know that Snookum can open his carrier?" I asked.

"We call it his bedroom; we won't call it a cage or carrier. He could open it right after I bought it. I was going to wire it shut, but he was so proud of himself I couldn't do it.

I had to change all the door knobs in my house because Cinder was able to jump up and pull the latches down. I kept Kylie's animals at my house until I moved back home. It was too much for my dad; he was already taking care of my mom," she explained.

"I'll keep a close eye on the animals so you won't even notice they're here," she promised. I smiled because I knew we would all definitely notice they were here.

I also learned more about Evie; she was the sweetest person I knew, but she might be a little trouble-prone.

She set the table beautifully as she put the dishes on it. "This food looks delicious, Evie. I bet it tastes great, too," Allison said, filling her plate.

"My parents love it. I guess Dad took his plate to their room to eat with Mom," Evie observed as we all took our first bite.

I plastered a smile on my face. I couldn't hold in the cough that escaped. "It's delicious," I managed, clearing my throat. I looked at the others. Reaper was busy shoveling it in his mouth. Spartan shrugged his shoulder and took another bite. Then he looked at Evie. "This is good. Did your Mom teach you how to cook?"

"No, my granny taught me. She never measured anything, so that's how I learned. Dad made the biscuits," she replied. Upon hearing that, everyone eagerly grabbed a biscuit.

"What do you call this food," Allison inquired. The noodles were undercooked and sticky, the white sauce tasted predominantly of flour, and I couldn't identify the other ingredients. She fried some potatoes, but they were overcooked, and the overwhelming amount of spices made it clear why Adam had suggested hiding them.

"My grandma called it ‘a little bit of everything.' I'm so happy you like it," Evie beamed.

"I love it," Reaper declared, finishing his plate and then taking a large gulp of iced tea. I watched as he reached for the spoon and filled his plate again. He looked at me and gave me a stern look, and I knew what he wanted: he wanted us all to eat what was on our plates and then get another helping.

By the time he subtly kicked us under the table, we were all eating more heartily, and Evie"s smile grew even wider.

"I can cook every night since we are staying here for free," she volunteered.

"Nope, we all take turns in this house, so you'll have to take turns with us," Ghost said.

"That"s probably for the best; I don't know that many recipes," she admitted with a slight frown.

"That's okay; we'll teach you some of our recipes," I offered, smiling.

"That would be wonderful, thank you!" she replied, her smile lighting up the room, making my willingness to brave a second helping well worth it.