Epilogue
Ten months later
Summer sunlight pours onto the pale hardwood of the now-familiar space as I take it all in.
Scraps of newspaper are still stuck in places on the large windows that wrap around the front and side of the corner unit.
The glass could use about a bucket worth of Windex, cobwebs are visible in the ceiling corners, most of the light fixtures are missing bulbs, and the floorboards desperately need to be reacquainted with a mop.
I link my fingers under my chin and take a deep, solidifying breath.
It's wonderful.
This is the fourth time I’ve seen the space in person, not to mention the light stalking I’ve done through photos of the online listing, and every time I fall more in love with it. Windows wrap around two sides of the corner building, old enough to have a hint of charm without being stuffy.
By now, Sharon, the realtor, is used to my process.
Once she lets me in, she settles in at one of the wrought iron tables left over from the days when this place was a café to answer emails on her phone while I look around some more, visualizing everything this place could be.
At least having another person here means I’m not talking to myself.
It’s dusty and unloved, with muddy footprints on the floor and a broken window in the back, but I can work with this.
The last owners were going for a cabin vibe.
I imagine the wood walls painted white, with black tables and sleek chairs accenting the space, creating a chic and cozy atmosphere that combines traditional and modern elements.
The twinkle lights in the window will be adorable inside and out, with a neon-pink sign featuring the store’s name—Start Here, With Love—surrounded by mismatched frames in different colors to showcase my own hand-lettering pieces that people can buy.
I have a flash vision of Veronica, Lucy, and their friends laughing over a bottle of rosé as they paint raunchy signs to give each other as gifts.
(I’ll put Lucy’s sister down as a maybe, since she still doesn’t like me much.) The glass dessert case at the counter will be filled with colorful cupcakes; instead of a business partner, I’ll have an employee handling that.
Even though she’s not directly involved, Lyla has been very invested in the success of this shop as a solo venture for me.
Apart from Parker, she’s been my biggest cheerleader, and is already planning to tag along with my parents for the grand opening—despite how many times I’ve tried to reassure her that she does not need to travel with a small baby to be supportive.
Like my relationship with Tabitha and my parents, things are different now—but not for the worse.
We all have a different understanding of each other now, and Lyla and I have a healthy respect for the parts of ourselves that will be forever linked, as much as the separate ones.
We’re not inseparable like we used to be, but we also have so much more to talk about, and I am so grateful to know she’s in my corner, no matter where our paths take us.
It turns out, our friendship hasn’t unraveled at all—it’s just been woven into something brand new, and possibly even stronger.
Everything is … almost perfect.
“Sorry, I’m late!” Parker says as the bells above the door jangle with his arrival, making my head turn. “Did I miss it?”
I shake my head. “I told you I haven’t made a decision yet.”
He sets down the moving box he’s carrying on the flat counter, moving through the space like it’s already mine. “Sharon, would you mind giving us a minute?”
She excuses herself with an amused smile, closing the door softly behind her as she steps onto the sidewalk out front.
“What is it this time?” Parker asks with a knowing smirk.
Steepling my fingers at my chin, I take a slow spin around the space in my tank top and cutoffs, ignoring the mental note that my brain tries to make to get the air conditioning in here sorted out asap. It’s not mine yet. I don’t know if this is the one.
“I’m not sure,” I admit.
“You’ve described what you would do with this place to me fifty times. Trust me, it’s perfect for you.”
He’s right. Even before we found it, it was almost exactly what I had described when I first toyed with the idea of expansion.
Salem Stables is an amazing venue, but without any heat, it’s only available for five or six months of the year.
It’s been the perfect place to start small, but lately I’ve been noticing that something is still missing.
I think it’s the risk factor. It’s hard to put it all on the line when total failure wouldn’t have much of a consequence at the end of the day.
I love Salem Stables, and I love sharing the cabin with Parker—a welcome change that nobody complained about after Jim started spending a ton more time at the house last winter.
But I’m ready to carve out a little more independence, to see if I truly can do this on my own.
I want to build my own brand-new happy place from the ground up.
That doesn’t mean I’m not nervous as hell.
Parker’s been helping me all summer, scouring online listings and driving all over town to check out any space that might work.
Something’s always felt just a little bit off, though.
Even now, with a shop that fits my specifications perfectly.
Today is different, though, because I’m finally able to put my finger on why I haven’t been able to commit.
“I don’t think it’s the space I’m not sure about.
” I turn to face him, letting him bear witness to all my doubts and insecurities.
In the same way, he’s witnessed Start Here, With Love blossom and flourish over the past ten months.
“What if I can’t manage a whole business on my own?
It’s a lot of moving pieces. If I am cursed, maybe my bad luck is waiting until I’m nice and complacent before it strikes again? ”
Parker closes the distance between us and places his calloused hands firmly on my shoulders, amusement playing at his lips. “You can manage it, and you are not cursed. You find problems and face them because you’re capable of solving them. You’ve been that way since I met you.”
I snort. “I was a mess when you met me.”
His smile widens, his chocolate brown eyes watching me fondly as he does what he does best and disagrees with me.
“I promise you, I didn’t see a mess. I saw you putting your life back together after several major setbacks and still making time to help Tabitha with her creative block, throw a party for some woman you’d never met, and help me with my dad.
You went out of your way to solve one impossible problem after another, Sloan, and you didn’t even realize you were doing it. You’re pretty incredible.”
I feel my cheeks turn pink at his praise and lift my hand to touch the dark stubble on his cheek. Things between Parker and his dad are still complicated, but he’s slowly learning to find a balance between being there for him and keeping his boundaries in place when he needs to.
“You’re pretty incredible, too,” I tell him, meaning it.
He smiles. “Can I show you what I brought?” He tips his chin towards the box on the counter.
I eye it suspiciously. “It doesn’t look like champagne, unless that also comes boxed, now?”
A soft chuckle escapes him. “It’s better than champagne. Go take a look.”
Moving to the counter, I reach inside the box and pull out one of a dozen or so mismatched picture frames.
“When did you do this?” I murmur when I find my voice, tracing a finger delicately over my hand lettering inside the frame.
“This is why I was late.” He steps up behind me, peeking over my shoulder.
“I hope it’s okay that I snuck into the loft to steal some of your work.
I had a feeling you might need a little push to see this place as your own.
” He reaches into the box and pulls out a hammer and nail, trading them for the frame I’m holding, then jerks his chin at the wall to the right of the front door, the only one not covered by a massive window.
“What do you think, Princess? Ready to try your luck at something new?”
Grinning, I make my way over to the wall and pick a spot roughly in the middle, not bothering to make sure it’s perfect.
Perfect isn’t the point. With three quick drives of the hammer, the nail is in.
I hold my hand out without looking back, and Parker is right there behind me, passing the frame to set in its new home.
The soft jingle of bells announces her as Sharon pokes her head inside. “So? What do we think?”
I turn my face to meet Parker’s eyes and watch as he waits for my answer, lifting a brow in question.
“I’ll take it.”
THE END