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But as the kiss slowly ended and I looked up into his face, I couldn’t help but try. Because Leo was right. We weren’t just a summer song. We were a song for every season of life, for every minute of our journey. Because Leo was home, no matter where he was. I wanted to savor that for as long as I could.
“Let’s take the risk. Let’s take the fall,” I said, thinking back to the first time we met.
“Maybe let’s not break an ankle this time, though. That garbage bag on your leg at the beach was a little much,” he teased. I wrapped my arms around him, despite it all, inhaling his cologne and savoring the warmth of him holding me. Resting my head on his shoulder, I knew that no matter what happened, we could make it work. We came from different worlds, but we were of the same heart. And in that moment, it was more than enough.
Epilogue
“Tillie, the line’s even longer now. Your dad says we’re out of cups, so he went to buy some. Dorothy is icing cupcakes like it’s her life’s mission, and your mom is trying to get all the details lined up with security. In short, it’s sort of a disaster,” Grace said, sweating. I’d never seen her so stressed out and rightfully so.
“It’s madness,” a British voice said in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck. “It’s like there’s some famous singer performing here or something.” I grinned and shook my head.
“Humble and hot. Thank goodness,” I said sarcastically. He kissed my cheek and then headed to the corner table where his band was having a quick bite to eat before the performance on the beach.
It had been Leo’s agent’s idea to set up the seaside pop-up concert and have Tillie’s Seaside Brews as the sponsor. With a purchase, customers would get a ticket to the beachfront concert to see Leo Turner perform. It had been a nightmare securing permits and working out the issues in the plan, but between Leo’s lawyers and my dad, it had come to fruition. It was huge for business for me, which was a little frustrating. I still liked to do it all on my own. But I was learning that it was okay to have help.
“It’s going to be fine, Grace. We’ve ordered enough for a small army. Plus, if we sell out every drop here, that won’t be a bad thing.”
She smiled at me then.
“What?” I asked.
“I’ve just never seen you so calm. That bloke is good for you,” she said in her best British accent, which wasn’t super strong. She’d been practicing all spring and summer, but it still wasn’t really working out.
I returned to restocking cups and the bakery cupboard as we got ready to open the door. Leo was laughing with his band but looked over at me frequently, making eye contact. I found myself getting distracted. It was good to have him in town.
The last six months hadn’t been easy as we tried to sort out our groove and make it work. Still, he stuck to his word, staying in his seaside house more often than not. I’d made a couple of trips to London, too, to spend time with his family and see his world. Grace and my family had kept Tillie’s running while I was gone, and it was amazing to know I had people I could count on.
Which was the biggest thing I’d learned since meeting Leo: You didn’t always have to stand on your own two feet.
Still, looking back, I was glad Leo and I took our time apart because I proved to myself I could make the second business a success on my own. I’d pulled through for myself, something I needed to be happy. I’d even managed to pay Leo back the money he’d given me when I broke my ankle, which he tried to turn down. But my stubborn streak is stronger than his any day.
I had to make concessions sometimes. Like when the tabloids picked up on our relationship and started running stories, I let Leo pay for security for me, my family, and the coffee shop. It was a matter of safety, and I was learning it was okay to lean on him sometimes. It was part of the territory of being together.
Our life wasn’t perfect together. Sometimes, I got frustrated because it felt like Tillie’s Seaside Brew’s success was attributed to my boyfriend. But I learned that you have to be okay with a little luck sometimes; it doesn’t take away from your independence, your accomplishments, or who you are on your own. It was hard, too, when Leo was on the road or even when he was at home. Being a popstar comes with its limitations. We couldn’t just go out for a night on the town without being recognized. We always had fans approaching Leo. Sometimes, it was a lot of pressure on both of us. It would never be exactly like it was that first summer when we disappeared and spent the days just being us.
But mostly, it was just good. Because in the moments when we slipped away and revisited our first summer together by going to tiny places where no one cares about a UK popstar or we walked the beach early in the morning, we remembered. We remembered who we were together, alone, away from all the fame, money, and success. We remembered that our story together wasn’t about that at all; it was about the connection we had. It was about how we made each other better. It was about the friendship and sense of fun we had when we were spending time with just each other.
As the doors were about to open and the crowd of excited fans was squealing to enter the coffee shop to see my famous boyfriend perform, I stopped for a moment and just looked at the line of people. A year ago, I would’ve never imagined this would be my life, for better or worse.
But that’s the thing, I guess. We just never quite know where we’re going, do we? We might have a plan, a thought for our life. We might try to chase a dream and fail. We might try to chase love and fail. We might fall in love with the wrong person, or we might fall in love with the right person who makes life complicated. I guess through it all, though, you just have to learn to trust your heart—in business, in your career, and most of all, in love.
So, even in the middle of the chaos, I enjoyed the beauty of my dream while it was alive and well, and I enjoyed the man who stood beside me through it all. There are no guarantees in life, ever. All we can do is do our best to live the life we want, on our terms.
They always say you can’t go home again, but let me add to that advice. If you do return home to your stoic, lawyer father and meddling mother after a bankrupt business and a failed romance and a popstar knocks you down the stairs...be careful. Because you might just find he becomes much more than a summer song... and he might just end up staying for an encore.
