Cassidy was lucky. The raccoons hadn’t caused any permanent damage, and it only took her about thirty minutes to fix everything. Thankfully, she’d had the foresight to cover her front window with a heavy drape, saving her hand-painted mural. And she had plenty of extra light clips on hand to replace the ones those little bandits had broken. Even the weather seemed to be on her side—the snowstorm had passed by morning, and Julian and Miles arrived right on time.
“Cass, this is amazing,” her brother-in-law said, pulling her into a tight hug the moment she opened the door to the Cocoa Corner. He was dressed in a bright red sports jacket that matched the frames of his glasses and a pair of slim-fit jeans. Julian followed close behind in black dress pants and matching wool coat. He didn’t say anything at first. He just looked around the shop in quiet awe, his eyes wide.
She hadn’t realized how much his opinion mattered to her until that very moment. She wanted him to see the dream she’d been chasing, to understand why she’d taken such a leap to do this on her own.
“This is amazing, Cass. You’re incredible,” Julian finally said, grinning at her. And just like that, the knot in her stomach loosened.
Julian and Miles took a delighted Muff for a walk through the snow-dusted streets of downtown while Cassidy worked on her display. The pup absolutely loved it of course, and when they got back, the little fluffball curled up on a cushion behind the counter, paws twitching in a dream.
She was adjusting the lights on her window when the bell over the door jingled and Julian stepped back inside after another wander round town. He shivered, his nose red from the cold.
“We went to the most amazing farm shop,” he said, taking his stocking cap off. “It’s right across the street. Have you been in there?”
Before she could answer, Miles barreled in behind him, holding a brown paper bag like it was a precious artifact. “Cass, that place is incredible. It’s got everything. And it’s all local. I mean, look at this!”
He started pulling out goodies like he was doing a show-and-tell.
“Hot honey infused with chili flakes. It smells insane,” he said, holding up a small glass jar with a rustic black-and-gold label. “And look, cranberry orange jam. He makes it in-house. The hot guy behind the counter said it sells out every weekend.”
He reached in again. “Oh! And these. Peppermint-dusted chocolate bark? Handmade. I already had a piece.”
Julian shot him a mock glare. “You opened it without me?”
“I was hungry,” Miles said, unapologetic. “Also? I got this balsam fir soy candle that smells like an actual Christmas tree, and one of those beeswax lip balms with the cinnamon oil. My lips have never felt this hydrated.”
Cassidy wanted to say that she knew all about Liam’s shop. That she’d been in there dozens of times, but that wasn’t true. She’d only stepped foot in there—once. And she hadn’t stayed more than five minutes.
How was that possible?
Her own shop was such a big part of her; surely his was the same. And she still hadn’t apologized to him. But she would. Tonight. She promised herself that no matter what happened, she’d make things right. Maybe he wouldn’t forgive her, but at least everything would be out in the open.
Two hours later, it was showtime.
Outside, Mayor Bloomfield was setting up with his microphone, and Elsie was livestreaming the event.
“Have you seen how many likes and followers we’ve picked up?” Elsie asked Cassidy excitedly.
“No…” Cassidy looked over at the screen. A hundred people were watching, with the number steadily climbing by the second.
She turned the camera onto Cassidy.
Cassidy played along and waved. Miles joined her.
“What page is this?” he asked Elsie once the camera was off of him.
“I’m TheMidwesternGirl—but I’m streaming this one from the Maple Falls town page.”
Miles smiled. “I think I’ve seen some of your content. Pretty sure I’ve commented on a few.”
Elsie tilted her head. “Yeah? What’s your handle?”
“NYCChocolate,” Miles said casually.
Elsie’s jaw dropped. “Wait—you’retheNYCChocolate?”
Miles looked pleased. “You’ve heard of me?”
“You’re like… famous!” she said, wide-eyed. “I love your behind-the-scenes chocolate videos. Everything you post looks amazing.”
