I pull the collar of my fleece up to cover my neck. It's definitely getting colder now. Only a few weeks ago, everyone predicted a warm autumn, but as expected, mother nature knows exactly when to turn it all on, and I'm here for it, one hundred percent.
"Here you are, sweetie," Nicki says, handing me a coffee from Roasted.
"You're a lifesaver. I rushed out this morning, so I'm definitely in need of a pick-me-up," I say.
"In that case, I guess you'll want this too." She waves a paper bag I know has a pumpkin spice muffin inside.
"You. Are. The. Best," I squeal.
"Nah, just your regular fairy godsister."
She doesn't go back to her stall, so I'm guessing the muffin is a sweet segue into something I'm not sure I'm going to like.
I raise a brow, and she laughs.
"Soooo..." she starts.
"So..."
"I finished your book last night," she says, giving nothing away.
Despite the cold weather, I suddenly feel my hands sweating as I hold on to the hot coffee cup. I'm not expecting that anything I write is any good, but I really do want Nicki to like it.
"Jeez, Ash, calm down. You look like you're about to faint. Have a piece of the muffin."
"I can't eat now that you sprung that on me. Go on, rip off the bandage in one go. It's not good, is it? I knew it."
A customer approaches my stand and picks some vegetables and a bag of dry haricot beans. I'm so out of sorts I almost forget to charge him for his purchase.
"Ash," Nicki says, putting her hands on my shoulders. "It's beautiful, and I loved every single word. It's not just a love story, Ash. It's the best, most heartfelt love story I've ever read."
I look into her eyes to make sure she's telling the truth, and I see no deception, no tease. She means it.
"Gimme that muffin. God, you scared me half to death, woman," I say, grabbing the bag and inhaling the yummy spicy scent before taking a big bite.
There's something soft and gooey inside, and I realize it has a cream cheese filling.
"Fuck me, this is good," I say with my mouth full of cake.
"You're an animal," she says, and I chase her to give her a kiss full of crumbs and cream cheese on her cheek. "Ew, gross. It's the last time I do something nice for you."
"No, it's not, because you love me," I tease.
"Now stop stalling because I need you to listen to me very carefully."
I roll my eyes, already knowing what she's going to say. We've been having the same conversation since I told her I was writing a book inspired by my parents' love story.
"You need to publish this book. The world needs this story out there," she says.
"Of course," I say, deadpan. "Let me just schedule in an editor, and if you can keep an eye on my stand, I'll go look for a good cover artist right this second."
She hits my arm just as I'm scoffing the last piece of muffin, and I nearly choke.
I look at the dried pinto beans in front of me and consider throwing one at her, but realize I have customers.
"Good morning, how can I help?" I say to the pretty, petite girl with bright pink hair.
"Hi, you have a really pretty stand," she says, smiling wide.
