She reached for the desk drawer, dug around until she found the heavy ink pen.One of Hawk’s from the nights they’d spent developing her business plan.Lilian signed her name in large swooping letters that looked as imposing as they were beautiful.
An invisible weight lifted from her shoulders.The cloudy, cold day outside didn’t feel as imposing.“This is going to be a lot of work.”
“We’re here to help you,” her dad said, handing her a cup of champagne.
She took it, and they clinked the plastic in celebration.
“What are you going to do?”Margo asked, her legs crossed on the old wooden armchair, iced coffee in hand.It was Thanksgiving break and the first time Margo and Alex had time off from school to come visit.Margo’s hair, freshly dyed pink, looked extra colorful when compared to the dreary plain walls and dark carpet of Ten Cents Books.Alex looked cozy in an oversized brown knit sweater.
“I don’t know.”It had been a week since she’d signed the paperwork officially making her the new owner.And she still had no idea what to do.
She’d nearly driven herself insane weighing the pros and cons.Keep Ten Cents Books as it was or transform it into something entirely new.“I’ve put so much work into this place already.”
“Yeah, but if it isn’t making money,” Alex offered quietly.
That was the crux of it.No matter what, she kept coming back to the core problem.It wasn’t the shop.It was the location.
In her heart, she knew what she had to do.
Not for the first time, she found herself wishing she could text Hawk and ask his opinion.The heat of her anger has faded into smoldering ashes.Her heart, though, still ached.
Some mornings she woke with her muscles screaming, as if the sheer weight of the heartbreak had worn her down overnight.Even now, when her friends greeted her with a hot black coffee, she couldn’t help but pine for the days when Hawk had been the one surprising her with the thoughtful treat.
“I think,” she started slowly, “I’m going to say goodbye to Ten Cents Books and bring Bodice and Brawn to the real world.”
It was the first time she’d said the words, but now that they were out, it felt… right.She knew there was no other option for her.Bodice and Brawn had been her baby.And she knew, hadknownsince the moment she’d put the sign above that cottage, that it was bound for success.
Margo gasped, nearly spilling her coffee in the process.“That’s amazing.I was really hoping you would say that!”
“I still have no idea how I’m going to go about it.But I’ve been researching, and I think I have a way forward.”
“Yeah?”Margo leaned over the work desk where Lilian’s laptop sat open with twenty million browser tabs.
She flipped through them, looking for the tab that hosted all her interior design plans.“Well, I love romance novels—you know that.”
Both heads nodded sagely.“Of course.”
“But I think I still want to sell fantasy books.They do well, and it will widen the customer base.Plus, we’ll stay true to the original integrity of our store.One side for romance, the other side for fantasy and… what?”
Margo and Alex were grinning, not at the laptop screen but at her.“Nothing,” Margo said sweetly, “just thinking about what a boss bitch you’ve become.”
“You think?”
“Yeah, you’re in your element.You’re practically glowing,” Alex added.“You’ve really grown the last couple months.”
Glowing?She’d felt anything but since that last day of the faire.But she wouldn’t say no to the compliment.
“Oh, before I forget.”Margo pulled her tote into her lap and began to rummage through it.She pulled out a box the size of a photobook.It was slender and lightweight as she handed it into Lilian’s awaiting hands.
“What is it?”
“A congratulations present,” Margo said.“From all of us at the faire.”
“Congratulations for what?”Lilian gave her a skeptical look.
“For this!”Margo threw her hand toward the shop, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.“And because Bodice and Brawn was nominated for best new addition at the faire this year.”
“What?”Lilian stared at her.“Since when?”
