Chapter 13
Chapter thirteen
It is quiet at Brew & Bloom during the lull between the breakfast coffee lovers, and the lunch rush. I am behind the counter with my journal, Nettie is finishing her crossword, and Rey just ducked out to drop something at the post office.
The bell jingles. I glance up instinctively, and freeze.
Bookstore boy is standing in the doorway, shoulders dusted with what looks like paint, holding a paper bag in one hand.
‘Hey,’ he whispers with a small, sheepish smile. ‘Didn’t mean to interrupt.’
‘You didn’t.’ I blink. ‘You just surprised me.’
‘Good surprise or coffee-deprived panic?’
‘Too early to tell.’
He steps forward, offering the bag. ‘From my kitchen. Figured the best café in town shouldn’t have to make their own muffins for once.’
Nettie, ever the opportunist, didn't hesitate. She whisked the bag away with a wink. ‘Well played, bookstore boy. I’ll be in the back.’
And just like that, we were alone.
He shifted. ‘I… uh, just wanted to invite you to the reopening officially. This Saturday. At the shop.’
I raise a brow. ‘You tracked me down for that?’
‘Well, technically, I bribed your boss with carbs.’ His voice softens, ‘I’d like it if you came.’
Something in his tone tugs at me. I nod. ‘Okay. I’ll be there.’
He smiles, it’s slow and genuine, starting in his eyes. As he turns to leave, he pauses with one hand on the door. ‘Oh, I'm Lucas, by the way.’
‘Lilah.'
His smile deepens. ‘Nice to officially meet you, Lilah.’
The door clicks shut behind him, but something warm lingers. I watch him disappear down the street.
I think about the tree again, about the slip of paper tied with ribbon, the wish I wasn’t brave enough to speak. Maybe the magic isn’t in the tree at all. Maybe it is in the fact that I’d wanted something and let myself say yes when it finally came.
Rey returns, raising an eyebrow and setting her bag down with a thud. ‘Okay, what did I miss?’
‘Nothing,’ I say too quickly, brushing a hand through my hair.
Rey smirks. ‘You have that face.’
‘What face?’
‘The “I just talked to someone cute, and now I’m re-evaluating my entire outfit and life choices,” face.’
Nettie pokes her head out from the kitchen. ‘Lilah has a date.’
Rolling my eyes, I groan. ‘It wasn’t like that.’
Nettie shakes her head and turns away.
Rey slides behind the counter with a look. ‘It’s never “like that” until it is.’
‘Well,’ I mutter, grabbing a cloth to wipe a non-existent spill. ‘His name’s Lucas. He just invited me to the bookstore opening.’
Rey raises both brows. ‘Ooh, a man with books. We love a literary flirt.’
‘I think he is just being polite,’ I add, feeling my cheeks flush.
‘Sure.’ Rey pours herself a coffee. ‘And I’m just here for the caffeine.’
‘I’ll be right back.’ I walk outside and pull my phone out to type a message to Marley and Tess.
LILAH: Lucas, his name is Lucas.
MARLEY: Bookstore boy has a name!
TESS: Did you see him again?
LILAH: He tracked me down at work just to invite me to the reopening of the bookstore on Saturday.
MARLEY: OMG, yes! I'm in.
TESS: Me too. Get ready at your place, Lils, and walk down?
LILAH: Perf! I have to get back to work chat soon x
The apartment hums with the type of energy that only comes when something new is about to begin.
Sunlight filters through the gauzy curtains, casting soft golden light across the worn floorboards.
Clothes are scattered over my bed: soft knits, floaty dresses, and a pair of boots I haven’t worn since autumn.
The air smells faintly of coffee and peach-scented hairspray.
Marley arrives first, kicking the door open with her hip, arms full of pastries. ‘You can’t emotionally prepare for a bookstore opening on an empty stomach,’ she announces, dropping the bag onto the counter.
‘Marley, babe,’ Rey calls from behind her, ‘why do you always have pastries in your hands?’
‘Baker in a past life,’ Marley replies, already breaking off a piece of scroll.
Tess rolls her eyes, following them in with two bottles of wine. ‘You’ll thank her later when you’re stress-eating your feelings.’
They fill the room with movement, music spilling from Marley’s phone, the quiet clink of mugs, the soft whoosh of the curling iron. For the first time in a long time, my apartment feels alive.
Holding up a dress, Rey grins. ‘This screams, “I read books in fields but also pay my taxes.”’
‘Perfect,’ I say. ‘Very on brand for me.’
Tess is braiding Marley’s hair, while Rey curls hers in the mirror. I stand in front of the wardrobe, fingers hovering over a few options before choosing something simple. A soft floral dress.
As I reach for the hanger, my gaze snags on the corner. The blonde wig—Lola’s wig—siting in the same tote from a few days ago.
For a moment, the room fades. The last time I was at the bookstore for an event, it was in that wig. Carol was alive then, bustling around the shop with her warm laugh and that way she had made the world feel softer.
She’d love tonight, I think. She’d probably tell me to stop hiding, too.
Marley looks up. ‘Are you nervous?’
I shrug, trying to sound casual. ‘It should be fun. It’s strange seeing the shop come back to life. Good strange, though.’
Truth is, I’m not sure nervous is the right word.
There’s a flicker of something else under my ribs, an ache that feels a little like hope.
Maybe it’s the thought of seeing the bookstore open again, maybe it’s Lucas, or maybe it’s just the feeling that life is finally shifting forward.
Whatever it is, it’s sharp and bright. I don’t want to overthink it.
Rey lifts a brow. ‘You mean seeing Lucas again should be fun.’
Tess grins. ‘He did track you down with muffins, Lilah. That’s basically foreplay in Wattlewood Ridge.’
‘He was being polite,’ I protest.
Marley snorts. ‘He was being adorable. There’s a difference.’
My cheeks warm, and I focus a little too hard on tying the ribbon in my hair. ‘You’re all ridiculous.’
‘Ridiculous and right,’ Rey says. ‘Just saying, if he shows up today in rolled sleeves again, I’m taking it as divine intervention.’
‘Please don’t make this a thing,’ I say, but I can’t help the smile that slips through.
Rey watches me for a moment. ‘You seem lighter today. Like you’re ready for something new.’
Her words settle in my chest. ‘Maybe I am.’
For a moment, no one says anything. The playlist hums softly, sunlight dancing over half-finished glasses of orange juice and the pile of discarded hangers. The air feels easy, full of comfort that only comes from when you’re surrounded by people who make you feel safe.
Marley glances outside. ‘Looks like half of Wattlewood Ridge is already heading to Inkwell & Ivy.’
I grab my bag, smoothing the hem of my dress. ‘Guess we better go join them.’
We gather our things, laughter spilling back into the hallway as we head downstairs. Across the street, sunlight glows against the new sign, Inkwell & Ivy. I can’t help thinking, maybe this really is the start of something good.
The bell chimes as we step inside. In my hands I hold a small ivy plant. ‘Why did I even bring this?’
‘Because it’s cute as fuck,’ Rey whispers to me.
The store has been transformed. Fairy lights trace the ceiling beams in soft loops.
Wooden crates displayed curated stacks with handwritten signs like “Read Me Next” and “For the Rainy Days.” It still smells like old books and still holds that hush that asks for reverence.
But it feels warmer now, almost more lived in and loved.
An armchair sits by the fireplace with a knitted throw draped in invitation.
My breath catches when I notice the sign sitting above it, “Carol’s Corner. ”
It is perfect. I think she would have loved it there.
‘Hey,’ a voice emerges from behind the counter.
I turn to find Lucas standing there, sleeves rolled to his elbows, a small smudge of white paint streaked across the front of his shirt.
The sunlight catches on the ink winding down his forearm.
Fine lines shaped like vines curling around what looks like a small clock face, near his wrist. It’s intricate but understated.
A tattoo that feels more like a story than decoration.
He looks a little rumpled like he’s been working since dawn, but his smile is steady.
‘You came.’
‘I did.’ I hold up the plant. ‘Thought the shop deserved something hard to kill.’
He laughs, accepting the pot. ‘Then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve kept this place alive on stubbornness alone.’
‘I brought friends too, Tess, Marley, and Rey.’
He waves and thanks them for coming. They all nod, giving me a knowing look before turning away to wander the store.
His voice is low as he whispers, ‘It’s good to see you again.’ He clears his throat. ‘Officially.’
‘Same.’ I adjust the strap of my bag. ‘It looks amazing, by the way.’
‘Thank you. Just wanted to make the old girl look her best.’ He gestures for me to follow him towards the back wall, where a sign is taped to a reclaimed wood shelf:
“Give a Book, Get a Story Coming Soon: A second-hand section built from your stories - bring in a book, leave a note, take one home.”
‘I’m hoping to start this soon,’ he said. ‘A trade-in section with soul. I don’t want to resell used books. I want people to leave a little piece of themselves behind, and why they loved it. What it meant to them.’ Rubbing the back of his neck he asks, ‘I don’t know. Is that too sentimental?’
‘Honestly?’ I scan the neat display. ‘I think people are just waiting for permission to fall back in love with reading. This gives them a reason.’
Lucas looks at me for a long moment, like my words are worth something. ‘Thank you.’
Before I can reply, the door bursts open and a man with shaggy curls and a tray of brownies, walks in like he owns the air.
‘Okay,’ he declares dramatically. ‘I am here… with brownies.”
Lucas rolls his eyes. ‘Jasper, this is Lilah.’