The morning light slanted through the windows of Fireside Flavors, catching on chrome countertops and the faint haze of steam rising from the kitchen. The restaurant wasn't open yet, but the scent of cinnamon waffles, butter, and dark roast coffee filled the air.
Maggie was already behind the counter, flipping pancakes with practiced ease while simultaneously checking her phone and eyeing the front door. Norma sat at the corner booth, sipping from a heavy diner mug and tapping her long, lacquered nails against the tabletop in a rhythm that suggested she wasn't used to sitting still for this long.
Madeline walked in from the back, freshly showered, hair tied up, looking more put together than anyone expected from a woman who had knocked someone out with a skillet a week earlier.
"This sm
