Page 7 of Promising Her Forever

“Why?”

“Because. I didn’t want to feel more than what I already did.”

“You know it’s okay to fall in love again.”

Two years ago, Daphne lost the love of her life in a hiking accident. And since then, she’s never let herself fall for anyone else. She dates and stuff, but nothing serious. That makes me so sad for her, because she deserves to find another love. And I hope one day she’ll let someone in.

“If you believe in fate, and I know you do, I think you and Fionn will find each other.”

“Why do you always ignore me or change the subject? You deserve to be happy.”

“And so do you. Have I told you how proud I am of you? You’re starting your dream life and I love it for you.”

“Why don’t you join me? I know you’re not happy at the firm. Maybe you can get a job closer to Lake Renegade.”

“I think I’d like that. Do you think you have a job for me?”

“Of course. When do you want to start?”

“When you open? I wanted to tell you before, but I quit before we left for Ireland.”

“Holy shit! Well, let’s start our new adventure. Here’s to Espresso Joy.”

“Espresso Joy.” Daphne smiles at me.

By the time we get to Lake Renegade, it’s after 10 p.m. Most of the shops in town are closed. It’s a good thing Daphne and I decided to pick up some fast food on our way to town. We plan on eating and then sleeping. My apartment is over my new coffee shop and it’s a two bedroom, two bath. It also has a nice little kitchen and living room. It’s definitely big enough for Daphne and me to live in together.

“Today we’ll talk to Caitríona and make sure they’re okay with the two of us living here,” I say to Daphne as we get ready.

“Sounds good. If they’re not, I’ll find a place to rent.”

“I think they’ll be okay about it. They might charge us more. But that’s okay too.”

I’m so damn excited. This is a day I’ve dreamt of for so long and it’s finally here. One more day. Today is inventory and we’re doing a soft opening. Then, tomorrow is our grand opening.

“Are you ready for your grand opening tomorrow?”

“I am. I’m excited and scared. I worry that it won’t do well. But at the same time, I keep telling myself not to be afraid.” I take a deep breath as Daphne chuckles at me.

“Everyone’s going to love your shop. I know you’re going to do so well.” She hugs me. “Are your dad and siblings coming tomorrow?”

“Yeah, they said they’d come down for lunch. I told them they could get lunch at the bakery and the coffee from me.”

“I love how your coffee shop works with the bakery and cafe. It’s like this was all meant to be.” She smiles.

“Well, let’s go look at my new shop.”

We stop at Precious Risings Bakery & Cafe to talk to Caitríona and the others.

“Of course you can both stay in the apartment. It actually makes me feel better knowing you’re not there alone. Lake Renegade is a safe place, but we all still need to look out for each other.” Caitríona smiles at us.

“Thank you so much. I’m not sure what my plans are now. But Riley’s inspired me to want more. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a lawyer. But I want to do more, and while the company I worked for was good, it just wasn’t what I really wanted.”

“I always wonder if I’ll miss being a lawyer. But I figured I can always go back to it if I really want to. But I’m pretty sure I won’t want to.” I chuckle.

“We’re so happy you’re both here with us now. And we’re even more excited to show you your shop. Now remember, you can change anything you want. We put some things in there that we thought you’d like. But don’t feel like you have to keep it just because we did it,” Graínne says to me.

“Thank you so much for everything,” I say as we all pass through the connecting doors from the bakery to my coffee shop.