“Nobody is the type,” she says, “until they are. You can’t keep yourself in a box. There’s no reward without the risk.”
She steps closer and takes my hands.
“Love is worth the risk.”
I shake my head. “Spoken like a woman who is married to the best man on the planet.”
She grins. “He really is.” A pause, then she leans toward me. “What if you let yourself believe that maybe it’s all going to work out exactly as it’s supposed to?”
I think about my journal. I crossed off “I don’t knows” and replaced them all with “what ifs.” But was that only symbolic?
“Just think about it, Claire.” She opens the refrigerator and sticks two gallons of milk inside. “You might be pushing to make it work with Duffy because you’re too afraid of your feelings for Miles.”
“That’snotwhat I’m doing.”
That’s exactly what I’m doing.
“Good,” she says. “Because that wouldn’t be fair to him. And it’s really not fair to you.”
John: My lawyer did some digging. He thinks he can get you out of the lease on that bakery.
Claire: Please stop digging, and please stop helping.
John: You’re making a huge mistake.
Claire: It’s mine to make.
John: Seriously. It’s madness.
Oh, and did you come up with anything idea-wise for the account?
Chapter 27
It’s a perfect day for a farmers’ market.
I arrive early with the cutest booth setup inspired by my “Porch Palette” and Zoey’s branding. I have a big banner to hang in the back of my booth, flyers to give out to anyone who so much as glances at my table, and what has turned out to be an absolutely adorable display.
After my conversation with Lennon, I buried myself in baking, but I struggled to divert my attention to the tasks at hand. Her words had landed a little too hard.
I set up the kitchen, arranging canisters of staple ingredients around the workspace and figuring out the best workflow. And trying not to think about the words“Do you want to be in a relationship withhim?”
I turned on my Bluetooth speaker and found my favorite band on Spotify. Their folksy, acoustic, earwormy music drew me in, but the story of how the band formed when two guys sent a Facebook message to a singer in England made me love them even more. I was hoping that if I played their songs on a continuous loop it would drown out the noise in my head.
All it did was make me think of Miles.
Because lyrics about stealing away, and butterflies, and moments in the sun will do that.
I mixed and measured and poured and baked, and somehow I ended up with a nice assortment of cookies, cupcakes, bars, and muffins, all meant to give the general public a sneak peek intowhat they can expect when the storefront is ready, when I open in two weeks.
Looking at it now, I’m still not sure how I got everything done. The last forty-eight hours have been a bit of a blur.
“This. Is. Amazing!” Lennon walks up carrying the cutest little toddler I’ve ever seen in my life, Daniel behind her, pushing a stroller.
“Is this Eve?” I rush to her, anxious to meet the other love of her life. “Good grief, Lennon, she’s beautiful.”
The little girl has Lennon’s big blue eyes and Daniel’s dark hair, only hers is curly. She smiles, and my teeth ache from the sweetness. A few minutes later, I see Zoey walking in our direction. Behind her, Kevin and Ava.
And behind them, Miles.
