CHAPTER 1
The alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m., and I'm already awake.
I've always been an early riser. Something about the quiet hours before dawn makes me feel safe. Like the world hasn't woken up enough to judge me yet. I like this time. It’s peaceful, although absolutely zero of my friends are up yet. The only one besides me who gets up early is Emily. She teaches the rise and shine yoga class at the local gym. Lily says we’re nuts and that it’s not natural for a little to get up before the sun. But, as I remind her constantly, not all of us are the same. I like coffee… a lot. Many of the others prefer chocolate milk or lemonade.
I roll out of bed, and grab Mr. Snuggles, my very ancient teddy bear, and give him a quick squeeze before setting him back on my pillow. He's worn and patched and probably ridiculous for a twenty-six-year-old woman to own, but I don't care. He's mine, and he makes me feel better. I’ve had him since I was five. Back when bad things happened and my dad died. My dad was my favorite person in the world. I was his little princess. He died a hero, saving a family from a flooded road. He was a firefighter and the best father a girl could have. His best friend gave me Mr.Snuggles the day they came and told us he’d passed. I’ve never spent a night without him.
The drive to my coffee shop takes exactly twelve minutes at this hour. No traffic. No crowds. Just me, my beat-up Subaru, and the pink-streaked sky promising another beautiful Colorado morning. I unlock the shop at 4:45, flipping on lights as I go. The space isn't big, just enough room for a dozen small tables, a counter with bar seating, and the espresso bar that's my pride and joy. But it's mine. Every carefully chosen paint color, every mismatched vintage chair, every string of fairy lights.
I built this from nothing. A business loan, a lot of sleepless nights, and sheer stubborn determination and I couldn’t be prouder. I’ve not only built a coffee shop that is thriving, but a community of locals who visit me regularly.
The coffee grinder hums to life as I prep for the morning rush. Well, rush is generous. We get busy between 5:30 and 7:30 when the soldiers stop by before PT. Then it quiets down until the lunch crowd.
But these early morning hours are my favorite.
I'm pulling my first espresso shot of the day when my phone buzzes, my friends are never up this early so I’m extra surprised to see they are all awake already.
Madison: Who's awake? I can't sleep and Ty is snoring like a chainsaw
Lily: I'm up. Ethan has early surgery. He says to have Ty schedule a sleep study. He might have sleep apnea and need a machine to help him stop snoring.
Holly: Justin and I are watching the sunrise. He says hi.
Chloe: At the shop. Opening in fifteen.
Emily: Just finished my morning meditation, getting ready for Sunrise Yoga. Chloe, I'll stop by after my first class for a smoothie.
Chloe: Perfect. I'll have it ready.
Madison: Smoothies are disgustingly healthy, you should swap it for a milkshake.
Emily: Nah, too much sugar.
Madison: There is no such thing as too much sugar.
Lily: Does Ty agree with you or…
Madison: What’s not to agree with? It’s facts.
I smile at my phone, warmth spreading through my chest. These women. My found family. The ones who saw me at my messiest and loved me anyway. They’ve helped me through so many rough days and self-doubts. I couldn’t be more grateful to have found them. We connected in a much larger book club and made our own mini chapter… or little chapter if you will.
We started the Naughty Little Girls Book Club two years ago after Madison posted about identifying with the little in one of the books we were reading together. Those of us who felt the same reached out, discovered we all lived within driving distance of each other, and decided to meet up.
Now we're inseparable.
Lily and Ethan are disgustingly happy, Madison and Ty are the cutest and Holly and Justin are planning a Christmas Eve wedding this year.
They have each found their Daddies. Their happily ever afters.
And I'm thrilled for them. Really, I am. Two things can be true at once, right? I can be happy for them but also sad for me?
Sometimes, late at night when I'm curled up with Mr. Snuggles and reading about fictional Daddy Doms who see their Littles for exactly who they are, I wonder if I'll ever find that for myself. I’m not the only little left in our book club who hasn’t found their happily ever after Daddy. Emily, Maya and Amber haven’t either. Sometimes, if I’m feeling especially pathetic, I’ll message one of them because they understand how it feels to still be single.
I shake off the melancholy and focus on work. Muffins go in the oven, today’s special is my grandmother's cinnamon recipe that makes the whole shop smell like heaven. Syrups get refilled. Cups get stacked.
At 5:25, I flip the sign to Open and unlock the door.
Three minutes later, he walks in.
