AllFreeNovel
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Allie: I’m bringing you a lemonade and a blueberry muffin. I can’t wait to meet my niece and nephew! Tell them to hurry it up!
Mellie: Me, too. I’ll swing by after work today and bring you fresh flowers.
Beth: I’m adding Paige to this text thread. Paige, you’re in the official girl gang of Freedom Valley now.
Paige: Hey, guys! Thanks for including me. Beth, want me to bring you some books?
Beth: Yes!!!! I’ll take anything romance. And can you bring me Pancake???
Paige: I’ll head over soon with a few. And yes, I’ll bring Pancake. haha
Mellie: How are things with Preston, Paige? Are you two still having an epic prank war?
Allie: What? I’m here for pranks. What pranks?
Paige: Just keeping Preston on his toes. (Wink emoji)
Beth: I have good prank ideas.
Allie: I can totally see Preston and Paige together. Can you guys see it, too?
Mellie: For sure. He needs someone fun like Paige to loosen him up.
Beth: Enemies to lovers? I think I’m going to write my next romance based on this one. Thanks for the great idea, ladies!
Paige: No! He doesn’t even like me. Trust me. He hates my guts.
Allie: Oh, trust me, he likes you.
Beth: See everyone at 7.
* * *
I put Pancake in his carrier and set him by the door. I’m loaded down with a tote bag full of new romance novels from storage. I hope Beth finds a few she likes.
The door swings open, and Mellie brightens when she sees me standing there. “Come on in. We all just got here,” she says, taking my tote bag from me.
I step inside with Pancake in his carrier. Beth looks over from the couch and beams. “Oh, good. You brought him.”
“I figured you might hunt me down if I didn’t.” I open his carrier, and he scurries over to Beth. He jumps up on her lap, excited to see her, too.
Allie sits next to Beth. “He’s so cool,” she says, petting Pancake. “Who the heck has a pet raccoon? This is amazing.”
“It’s like he’s becoming the official Golden Gable Inn mascot,” Beth says. “We should share him on our social media.”
“Pancake doesn’t mind the paparazzi.” I smile.
“How’s your grandpa?” Mellie asks. “Harry, right?”
“Yes. He has his good days and his bad days. Lately it’s been good, which I’m happy about. Pancake and I go see him just about every day. I’m glad to be living closer to him now.”
“Where were you before?” Allie asks.
“During college, I had a job at a bookstore in New York City, and I worked a lot of odd jobs as well. Bartending, catering, that sort of thing. After college, I traveled around the country working at as many bookstores as I could to get experience, and I’ve been working hard and living out of my van for a few years while I saved up. Just sucks that this set me back. I was so close to getting it up and going.”
Beth looks up from Pancake. “I actually had an idea for the bookstore that I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh, yeah?” I tuck my legs under me and get comfortable.
