“But what if my clothes forNewYorkare too warm or too cold for the honeymoon?"
“That’s whyI’mpacking you a bag and bringing it with me whenIfly out.Butyour clothes forNewYorkshould be fine.Notthe business-y stuff.Butthe temperatures.”
“Aha!Soit’s somewhere cold!” she exclaimed as she grabbed the handle of the bookstore door.
I playfully swatted her hand away and opened the door for her.
Aurora sucked in a nervous breath.
“Does it ever get old?”Iasked asIslid my hand across her back.Wehad seen the books already.Acase of both titles had shown up on our doorstep last month.Still, this was surreal.
Aurora shook her head. “Never.”
700SensesofSummerbyAuroraArcherwas on a display table, front and center, along withAurorabyWanderWhitlock.
A matching publishing day had been the brainchild ofAuroraand the editor who had acquired both titles.Eventhough herGreat-AuntJuniperwasn’t around to see her final book published,Aurora’sfamily had been over the moon.
Her phone chimed with an incoming text.Ipeered over her shoulder to see her mom’s smiling selfie as she posed with both books at her local bookstore inColorado.
Two second cousins and an uncle had done the same throughout the day.
CedarIslandwas in a frenzy over it.Therealization thatJuniperWhitlockhad been the prolific legendAuroraArcher, and that myAurorawas famed in her own right, had turned them into local celebrities.
Drew was planning to drive out and get a copy as soon as he got off shift.Erniehad askedAurorato hook him up with copies to keep at theFishn’Fuel.Iwas certain that the mail truck was going to be weighed down likeSanta’ssleigh as it delivered the copies that had been ordered online.
We circled around the table with the books.
Aurora smoothed her fingers over the embossed covers. “Theylook so pretty together.”Shepicked up a copy of each and smiled asItook her picture with them.
We traded, with me holding the books and her being the photographer, so thatIcould join in the celebration.
Her phone chimed asWhitneytexted a smiling selfie with the books from inside her pie shop.
Willow’s smiling selfie text featuring a photo with both books came in next.
Aurora tucked the books in the crook of her arm before grabbing one ofWillow’sthat she didn’t have yet.
“You’re buying those?”Iasked.
Aurora blinked at me likeIwas an idiot. “OfcourseI’mbuying them.It’spublishing day.”
“We have twenty copies sitting in boxes at home.”
She grinned. “Yeah, butIhave to buy them from the bookstore.It’stradition.”
I didn’t argue, just likeIdidn’t argue whenAurora’smom showed up for her first visit, driving a rented box truck withAurora’sthings fromColorado.
I had expected clothes.Somefurniture.Somehousehold items like pots and pans.
Nope.
It was all books and a few sweatshirts.
The addition to the house thatAurorahad initially protested, calling it unnecessary, was actuallyverynecessary.
Our house was ninety percent library, and ten percent living space.
I didn’t mind, though.Ifshe was happy,Iwas happy.
