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BZZT! BZZT!

I take out my phone and read the incoming message.

LEON: Mayday!!! Our coffee place is closed for a private event.

Oh, shit…

CILLIAN: Who is already there?

LEON: Ellis and Julian. Steven couldn’t come.

I sigh, frustrated.

“What’s wrong?” Alistair asks.

“I was meeting today with my friends to go over the last details of the auction, but the place we always go to is closed.”

“Can’t you meet at your place?”

“And be surrounded by twenty cameras and fifteen security guards recording everything we talk about?” I glare at him. “No, thank you.”

“Fine,” he laughs. “What kind of restaurant do you go to? Maybe I can book you something similar.”

“It’s not a restaurant, it’s a coffee shop.”

“Ha! Then tell your friends to go to this address.” He takes out a card in the shape of an open book from his wallet and passes it to me.

I read it. “What the hell is Chapters and Crumbs?”

— ¤ —

“It’s heaven!” I gasp, completely in love with the magnificent bakery. It’s cozy, incredibly welcoming, and feels as if we stepped through a magical portal right out of New York.

But the best part is the smell.

Oh, dear God, the buttery, cinnamony, and pastry smell!

It’s divine.

“How the hell didn’t we know this place existed?” Leo asks in awe.

“I was thinking the exact same thing,” I agree.

“It’s a hidden gem, mate.”

“Well, not that hidden, Alistair.” I point out, gesturing to the tables, which are all packed with customers.

The bell chimes above the door, and I look behind us and see Julian walking in with my other best friend, Ellis Weber.

Ellis is absolutely adorable.

He is shorter than me, with messy blond curls, an oversized sweater, and the most striking eyes: one amber and the other icy blue.

And even though he looks like a lost college kid, he’s a brilliant genius with two doctorates.

I’m pretty sure he’ll save the world one day.

“Oh, my God, they have cats!” Ellis squeals, bending down to scoop up the white fluff. “Hi baby, you are so cute!”