I paused in front of Delilah’s Bookstore on the corner, the yellow and white awning grabbing my attention as I checked out the handwritten sign out front with the week’s featured quote. Today’s read: “Life starts all over again when the air gets crisp in fall.” I let out a soft laugh, feeling the truth of it settle deep in my chest.
This fall in Wisteria Creek was different from the others. I felt something in the air, hope, and I made sure to cling to it. More than anything, I just wanted to find my purpose again.
The bell over the door jingled as I stepped intoThe Beanery, the cozy little shop tucked between the hardware store and the florist. I hadn’t been in since I was a teenager, back when iced mochas and bad poetry were my two major addictions. Not much had changed, same old mismatched chairs, the same chalkboard menu, and the same clatter of espresso machines hissing like they were part of some ritual.
I was standing in line, debating between caffeine and a fourth emotional breakdown before noon, when I heard a familiar voice from behind me.
“Well, well. If it isn’t the ghost of high school past.”
I turned around and there he was, Maddox Rees, cocky smile and all, leaning against the counter like he had nowhere else to be. He looked mostly the same. A little broader, scruffier, and with deeper laugh lines around his eyes. His ball cap was backward, and he had that same relaxed, boyish energy that used to get him out of any kind of trouble.
“Maddox,” I said, surprised to hear how genuine my smile was. “I wondered when I’d run into you.”
“Small town,” he said with a shrug. “It was bound to happen. I figured I’d see you in Grey’s bar first, but hey, coffee works too.”
I raised a brow. “You mean you’re not camped out at the bar every night like you used to be?”
“I’ve grown,” he said, placing a hand over his heart. “Now I only show up four nights a week.”
I laughed, and for a second, it felt easy. Like maybe not everything had changed.
“Are you staying long?” he asked, more gently this time.
I hesitated. “Yeah. Longer than I expected. Madison needs help with the baby, and… I guess I needed help too.”
His gaze softened. “I’m glad you came back.”
I nodded, a lump catching in my throat. “Me too.”
We got our drinks, a chai latte for me, something black and bitter for him, and sat at a quiet table by the window.
He didn’t push. He didn’t ask why I really left or how I’d been. He just told me about Greyson’s terrible music taste, Madison’s fierce pregnancy cravings, and how the town gossip mill hadn’t lost a step.
Somewhere between sips and sarcasm, I felt something uncoil in my chest. Maybe it was comfort. Perhaps it wasforgiveness. Or it could be the way Maddox looked at me, like I was still me.
“Tell Greyson hi for me,” he said when we stood to leave. “Though I’m sure I’ll see you at the bar again soon.”
I smiled. “You probably will.”
I stepped out into the golden afternoon, chai warming my hands, I realized that maybe coming home wasn’t just about facing the past.
Maybe it was about finding the people who saw you, even when you thought you were too changed to recognize.
Chapter 12
Greyson
I just poured another beer for one of my regulars when I sensed her presence. I looked up and saw Blair walk through the front door. “Hey, Bee,” I said, a smile spreading across my face. It was unbelievable how this woman could brighten my day just by visiting me at work.
“Hey Grey,” she says, as she slid onto the barstool before me.
Your usual?” I say, chuckling as I pour her a glass of water.
“Yes, please. I am almost done editing my book and have to keep a clear mind. I can’t believe this might happen,” she says, her face reflecting disbelief as she sips her water.
“Believe it, Bee,” I say as I lean across the bar to look into her emerald eyes. “I knew you always had it in you, even when I first met you all those years ago. You always used to carry around a notebook and write all your thoughts and ideas down wherever you went. I‘m so glad you can make them come to life.”
She smiles at me and places her hand over mine. “Thank you for giving me the courage,” she says, and my heart swells.
