Page 83 of The Pumpkin Pie Book Nook

Silence stretched for a beat.

Then Meg said, “Okay. I won’t sign anything until after the event. I promise. That gives you until November first.”

Robyn’s lungs unclenched just enough for her to breathe. “Thank you.”

“But Robyn,” Meg added, gentler now, “if we don’t get another buyer by November first… I’m going to sell it to Estevez. I’m sorry.”

Robyn’s hand tightened around the phone. The words landed heavy. They felt final, a door closing despite Robyn sticking her foot in it.

“Okay,” she managed. “Okay.”

They hung up. Robyn set the phone down carefully, because if she didn’t, she might throw it.

She stared at the counter for a second, trying to make her mind catch up. She’d known the shop might sell. She’d prepared for that. She’d even planned her exit—December 1st, like she’d told herself. Enough time to finish the Midnight in Maple Falls event, and then enough time to breathe.

Now she had one week. That’s it.

Her apartment. Her job. Everything suddenly felt like it was sliding out from under her.

The bell above the door jingled again.

Robyn looked up, expecting Emily once again.

Instead, Tyler walked in, with Emma at his side, looking calm and casual as always with his cashmere sweater, dark jeans, hair slightly mussed like he’d run a hand through it on the way over. Emma skipped ahead, already peeling off her coat, eyes lighting up as she headed straight for the children’s section.

Tyler’s gaze found Robyn instantly.

And he misread her expression.

“Hey,” he said carefully, slowing like he wasn’t sure he was welcome. “Sorry. I know we spent all day together yesterday, so if you wanted some⁠—”

“What?” Robyn blinked, brows pulling together. Then she shook her head quickly. “No. I’m happy to see you—both of you.” She nodded toward Emma, who was already humming to herself as she pulled a book from the shelf. Robyn tried for a smile. It probably looked more like a grimace. “It’s just… Estevez was here.”

Tyler’s face tightened. “Ah.”

Robyn nodded. The words scraped on the way out. “He gave me a thirty-day notice to move out.”

Tyler stared at her like she’d spoken a foreign language. “What?”

“That was my exact response,” Robyn said, bitterness leaking in despite her best effort. “I just got off the phone with Meg. I managed to get her to agree to wait until November first before she signs anything.”

Tyler’s jaw clenched. His hands curled at his sides, controlled anger flashing behind his eyes. “He can’t do that,” he said, voice low. “Not like that. Not—” He cut himself off, then tried again. “Robyn, that’s insane.”

Robyn let out a shaky breath. “It is. But it’s real and unless we get a miracle, a new buyer…” Robyn couldn’t finish the sentence.

And they only had until the Halloween event to find them—before Estevez turned their bookstore into a frozen food section with “exposed industrial” lighting.

Tyler stepped closer. “Okay, then we make sure the right buyer walks through that door. Someone who loves books and would let Maple Falls keep its bookstore.”

Robyn swallowed hard, heart thudding. “Yeah.” Her mind was already racing. She’d been happy to let Elsie handle the promotional side until now, too anxious about the event to draw more attention to it. But anxiety was a luxury she could no longer afford. If the right buyer was out there—someone who loved books, who’d walk through these doors and see what she saw—then Robyn needed to find them. And that meant stepping out from behind the counter and into the spotlight she’d been avoiding.

She pulled out her phone before she could talk herself out of it. She’d start tonight. Post about the event, yes, but also about the bookstore itself: its history, the book nook, the pumpkin pie collaboration, Isabel’s story. She’d tag every bookish account, every indie bookstore advocate, every bibliophile influencer she’d ever quietly followed. And somewhere in there, between the autumn aesthetics and the event details, she’d make sure people knew: This bookstore is for sale, and it deserves someone who’ll keep it alive.

It was terrifying. It was also, she realized, exactly the kind of thing Isabel would have done. Isabel would’ve refused to let something she loved disappear without a fight.

Because this wasn’t just about the bookstore anymore. It was about everything that had happened here. The book club. The friendships. The pumpkin pie book nook where strangers became regulars and regulars became family. Tyler. Just his name because there were no words for how much this place had shaped what they’d become. And Emma, too. Emma, who’d pop in after school and curl up on the armchair with Mr. Darcy, reading aloud to him. This was the life Robyn had stumbled into and couldn’t imagine leaving behind.

She had to find a way to keep it. All of it. Because losing the bookstore wouldn’t just mean losing a building. It would mean losing a new version of herself she wasn’t ready to let go. But it was a tall order, and Robyn had no idea if she could pull it off. She only knew she had to try.