Another voice from the entrance had Garrett dropping his forehead into his palm.
“I might have forgotten to re-lock the door,” he admitted.
This time, it was Cadence who appeared.
“Hi,” she said, ducking her head sheepishly. “I know I’m early, I just wanted to—oh, okay, Miriam is already here.”
“The early bird gets the worm, honey,” Miriam said, sending Cadence a wink.
“Okay, whatever, I don’t even feel bad anymore,” Cadence said. “I just wanted to see everything before it turned into a mob around here. And, by the way, itisgoing to be a mob. I’ve talked to practically half the town about the opening.”
“I’ve talked to the other half,” Miriam said proudly. “And if they don’t show up, I’m going to go out and crack some heads.”
“Miriam!” Eleanor cried.
“Fine, I’lltalk to them politely,” Miriam said, as though this was some great concession. “With no violence. Ipromise,” she added when Eleanor pinned her with a look.
“But isn’t it nice to know that you have friends who would do random acts of violence for you?” Cadence chimed in brightly.
Eleanor laughed. “I’m honestly not sure. But I am sure that I love you guys and am so happy that you’re going to be here for the big moment.”
In a flash, Eleanor found herself in a hug sandwich, Miriam on one side, Cadence on the other. She let herself be enveloped in the warmth of friendship.
“We love you too,” Cadence said, smooshing her cheek against Eleanor’s.
“Lots and lots,” Miriam added.
Just then, someone else called from the front.
“Hey, Eleanor, I know I—oh, we’re all already hugging,” June said brightly. “Okay, great, let me get in on that!”
She threw herself into the group hug too, wrapping her arms around all three of them with so much enthusiasm that they nearly toppled over. And in Eleanor’s opinion, it was completely, absolutely, undeniably perfect.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Diana nestled the sweet cherry pie on top of a dish towel before tucking it into half of a garment box that she’d cut down into shape to fit her contribution to that night’s potluck, which was being held in honor of the opening of Eleanor’s store.
Diana had, of course, already been over to the bookstore… twice. She’d gone in on her lunch break at the boutique. The shop had been crowded with what seemed like half the town. It had been so bustling, in fact, that Diana hadn’t had more than a few moments to greet Eleanor. She hadn’t wanted to distract her friend from her thriving business, so Diana had bought a stack of books and had gone back to work.
Whichobviouslymeant that she’d had to pop in on her way home from the boutique. Just to say hello to Eleanor, of course. And if she happened to buy another stack of books, well… she liked to read! She’d get to them all, eventually.
And, yes, she’d probably buy more books in the meantime, but she wassupporting a friend. It was allowed.
She wouldn’t buy any more tonight, though. Probably.
Almost definitely.
Maybe.
She would have dinner before browsing, at least.
Diana left her pie to cool just a little bit more as she hurried back to her bedroom to put the finishing touches on her appearance. She was wearing a cute, flirty sundress that she had, of course, gotten through the boutique. It had a ruched bodice and was patterned with blue and white pinstripes. Wearing it made Diana feel kind of like a fashionable milkmaid. She’d been tempted to put her hair into a braid crown before deciding that was abittoo on the nose. Still, the low bun with a few tendrils escaping made her feel pretty and chic. She added in a chunky gold chain necklace to elevate the look, a few colorful beaded bracelets to keep the fun energy going, and a pair of heels. The last one she knew would cause her trouble by the end of the night, but they were just so cute that she couldn’t resist.
She pulled back, assessing herself in the mirror. She did look good. Maybe she should put this combination on display at her store.
But that was a work issue, and tonight was for celebrating. And, if she didn’t hop to it, she was going to be late.
Diana hurried back downstairs and gently tucked the boxed-up pie into a reusable tote bag, since it was just alittletoo hot to carry herself. She grabbed her purse, hurried to the front door, opened it, and…
