Gracie:Hey, are you around for a visit this week? Miss you + I have a surprise.
Sofia:Get out of my head, Gracie, I was just about to text you! Can you come to KILN tomorrow at 3? You know I live for a good surprise.
Gracie:I’ll be there!
42GRACIE
I’m no stranger to romance novels. Yes, I may love a zombie horror flick as much as the next girl, but when I’m really in the dumps, I gravitate toward stories with a guaranteed Happily Ever After. This week, I let myself get lost in the latest Margot Bradley rom-com, consuming every page like the hope and laughter they provided would inject helium directly into my heavy heart. I understand that Happily Ever After rarely works out in real life, and it certainly hasn’t for me—yet. But over the last few dark days, I’ve realized HEAs don’t belong exclusively to romantic love.
They can be found in the burgeoning trust between an estranged mother and daughter. Sometimes, they can only be achieved byendinga relationship. But they can also be found in the friendships that carry you through it all, even if you have to face the occasionalI Told You So.
I take a deep breath as I hoist Randy under my arm and grip the bag of doughnuts with my other hand in front of KILN. There might not be room for me, but Sofia did say she’d be willing to cram me in a broom cupboard if I ever wanted to give Grace & Veil another shot. And over the last few days of finalizing the sale of my cottage and making an aggressively detailed five-year plan, I think I’m finally ready to try again.
I push open the door, and Sofia’s waiting for me in the entryway with a smile.
“I brought doughnuts,” I say by way of a greeting, holding up the bag.
Her jaw drops as her eyes catch on the large, bedazzled box beneath my other arm. “Screw the doughnuts, is thatRandy?”
“Hey, these are Knead Doughnuts—if you can’t appreciate them, I’ll just have to eat them all by myself.”
Her eyes slide reluctantly away from Randy to the grease-stained paper bag I’m holding up. “Okay, fine, bring them over here,” she says, walking toward a bright yellow metal bench beneath the community bulletin board. “WithRandy.”
We sit down and I dig into the crinkly bag, handing her the cinnamon brioche doughnut I know she’d happily sell state secrets for.
“Ohmigahh,” she says around the huge bite she takes, eyelids fluttering.
“So now that I’ve got you high on butter and sugar… how’s everything with your mom? Is she still going to that pottery class she liked so much?”
Sofia smiles and gives me the update about her family, putting up with all of my questions until she finally says, “Okay, okay, now you, Gracie. We still haven’t debriefed about the wedding! Don’t think I didn’t see Jude following you around like a lovesick puppy.”
At her words, pain skips across my chest like it’s wearing knives for heels, but I manage to hold it together as I fill her in on everything that’s happened since the wedding.
She grabs my hand when I get to the part I can barely stand to think about, much less admit out loud. That it’s over between Jude and me. “I’m so sorry, Gracie,” she whispers.
I nod, squeezing her hand back. “I fell in love with him, Sof. But in the end, he couldn’t share enough of himself to be in a relationship.” I bite my lip, trying to blink away the tears rising in my eyes. “But even if it didn’t work out, he helped me learn how to be braver. To start protecting my time so that I can show up for the people I love.”
“Gracie—” Sofia says softly, but I shake my head at her placating tone.
“I know I have a habit of hiding from anything that hurts toodeeply. I ran away from my whole life when things fell apart with Calvin. I gave up on my dreams when Grace & Veil stumbled. But I’m done making excuses, and I’m done being scared,” I tell her.
Turning, I hoist Randy and place the glittery box between us. “If you have a broom cupboard available, we’re ready to move in. I’m going to try again, and this time, I’m not going to take you or your support for granted.”
At this point, Sofia’s eyes are just as watery as mine. When she throws her arms around my neck, her half-eaten doughnut crumbling in my hair, I feel like we’ve been two misaligned gears finally locking into place.
“You’llalwayshave a place here,” she says in a choked voice.
“You forgive me for taking so long to listen to you, then?”
“Of course I forgive you. I knew you’d come to your senses eventually.” She lets go of me, her brown eyes swimming. “Grace & Veil shall rise again; more pretty and powerful than ever it was before.”
“I’ll settle for profitable,” I say with a laugh, wiping stray doughnut crumbs from my hair before sobering. “Thank you for always believing in me, Sof.”
“Well, duh. And as it happens, I have a little surprise for you, too.”
“Oh?”
She takes another huge bite of her doughnut and grabs the bag as she stands. “Follow me.”
