1
Kelly Miller sat in the back office looking over the events planned for the year at the bookstore and cafe in Storyville, Colorado, where she and her family lived. She grew up in the smaller building, helping her parents stock shelves and learning how to make coffee in middle school when she worked the counters as a barista. Now she was the event planner, scheduling different authors to come do signings, arranging for book club meet-ups, and any other event she could think of to keep business coming into the store.
She sighed and scrubbed her eyes. It was already dark outside, and she felt like she had been at this for hours. She loved living in Colorado and being near her family, but she always wondered if there was more out there for her. When she began event planning for the bookstore, she had expected it to be more exciting—more challenging. But there was nothing challenging about hosting a book club. The hardest part of her job was convincing big authors to come to their small town.
“Hey, what are you still doing here?”
Kelly looked up at her sister, Michelle, who stood in the doorway. Her blonde curly hair flowed around her, makingher look angelic. As the youngest of her siblings, she worked as a floater in the business, always picking up where she was needed. Deep down, Kelly knew Michelle wanted to be the event coordinator. She was always involved in every bookstore event and took great interest in everything Kelly did. If they were in a bigger town, she would share her job with Michelle, and they could double-team it. But there just weren’t enough events to plan to keep her busy full-time, much less to include another person.
“Just brainstorming,” Kelly said. “Why are you here?”
Michelle shrugged. “Just bored. Thought I’d peruse the books to see if I wanted to read something.”
Kelly laughed under her breath. “Always an avid bookworm.”
Michelle walked into the room and dropped into a seat across from her. “You know me. Can’t sit still.” She tilted her head to the side. “Are you doing all right? You seem… off. Upset maybe?”
Kelly closed the lid of her laptop and leaned back in her seat. “Do you ever feel you aren’t content here?”
“Like at the bookstore or in Storyville?”
“I don’t know. Both, maybe?”
“Not at all. I love being here.”
Kelly sighed. Michelle was a happy-go-lucky person who loved everything and was content no matter the situation. Kelly wished she could have that outlook on life.
“I feel like I need to get away. See if there’s something else out there.”
“Then do it.”
Kelly’s eyebrows raised. “What?”
“Do it. Go. Have fun. I can cover for you while you’re gone.”
A smile pulled at Kelly’s lips. “You just want my job,” she teased.
“I won’t lie and say I don’t.” Michelle giggled.
The two sisters shared a smile, and the thought of leaving turned over in Kelly’s head. “You know what? I think I will.” Kelly pushed the laptop across the desk. “It’s all yours.”
Michelle’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Just like that?”
“There’s no time like the present.”
The loud patterof feet running down the hallway had Miles pulling the comforter over his head. His bedroom door creaked open, and he shifted under the covers, hearing his daughter’s giggle as she “snuck” up on him.
He shifted some more just for show and smiled. Emma loved sneaking up on him in the mornings. It was their routine, and he was usually already awake by the time she came in. So he made it a habit to stay in bed reading until she got up. Then he hid under the covers for her to scare him.
The bed dipped as her little body climbed onto the bed, and he could feel the shift of the mattress as she worked her way up to his pillow. Then she grabbed the comforter and pulled it back.
“Boo!”
He made a frightened face and let out a soft yell. “Oh my gosh! You scared me!”
Her giggles filled the room when he snatched her and tickled her.
“Daddy! Stop!”
