“I can't believe today's the day,” I tell Skyler.
I'm busy pulling my hair back into a French twist, a bobby pin hanging from my mouth. My makeup is done, thankfully. And I have to say, it looks amazing – thanks to Skyler. She's an absolute whiz when it comes to things like fashion and makeup. She can even make me look presentable, which I'm always thankful for.
My dress is laying on a chair nearby and Skyler is helping me get through the final preparations.
“I just hope I remember how to run things.”
“Hush,” Skyler says, taking the bobby pin from my mouth and putting it where it needs to be. “It's only been two months. You'll remember how to run your bookstore just fine. It's just like riding a bike, hon.”
“It's not just a bookstore now though,” I say, staring at myself in the mirror. “It's so much more than that. I don't even know if I can call it an actual bookstore anymore, to be honest. I mean – what do I call it?”
“You call it Bookworms,” she says and smiles. “And it'll be fantastic. Bigger and better than ever. Hon, this is how you adapt. Evolve. This is how you grow your business and turn it into something amazing.”
If there's a person I can trust to know what it takes to adapt and evolve, it's Skyler. She's made the transition at the Grill look almost flawless and simple. I know it's not, but that's a testament to her skill. Her savvy. Her smarts. I only hope my own transition is half as smooth and amazing as hers.
There's a knock on the door and I jump at the sound. I giggle and Skyler winks at me as she answers the door. It's Liam, of course, with a bouquet of flowers in hand and a wide smile on his face.
As he enters the room, I can't help but stare at the love of my life. And I have to say, he's looking incredibly handsome in a designer suit and tie that's been well tailored to his sexy form. With a fresh haircut and a clean-shaven face, he almost looks too good to be true. Like a model stepping straight out of the pages of a fashion catalog. Even Skyler gives him the once over before shooting me a jealous look behind his back. “Damn,” she mouths as he walks toward me, flowers in hand.
I kiss my man, and he kisses me back – perhaps a little too passionately considering the fact that we aren't alone. But Skyler doesn't mind.
“I'm so proud of you,” he says.
“I couldn't have done it without you,” I say.
“Yes, you could have,” he laughs. “You did this on your own. With Skyler's expert input, of course.”
“Why thank you,” Skyler says. “I'm glad somebody appreciates my talents.
I laugh and shake my head. “This wouldn't be happening without you,” I say. “Without the both of you. And I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am. I love you both so damn much.”
Skyler cuts in. “Oh, hush. All of this sappy sentimentality is making me sick,” she laughs. “But, you should be proud, hon. I'm so proud of you. This version of Bookworms is going to be absolutely amazing. I can feel it.”
Liam kisses me again and squeezes my butt. “Skyler's right, you know.”
“Of course, I am,” she says. “I always am. You'd think that people would listen to me more, given that I am always, in fact, right. About everything.”
I shoot her a look and we both stick out our tongues at each other. So mature. But hey, that's us.
“We should probably get going,” Liam says. “We don't want to be late for your big day.”
“No, we don't,” Skyler says.
One of the perks of being with someone as filthy rich as Liam, is the staff that comes along with him. Like the driver who takes us to my grand re-opening. Already, there are crowds out front, waiting for the shop to open. I'm shocked to see almost fifty people already lined up and waiting outside the doors. Faces both familiar and not.
“Where are all these people coming from?” I laugh as we step from the car.
“All over Washington,” Liam says. “The word has spread.”
I have a feeling he has a lot to do with that. I squeeze his hand and give him a quick peck on the cheek. Of course, the special guest we have booked for our grand re-opening can't be hurting the turnout. She's a local, up-and-coming author by the name of Pamela Wilcott. She's a true crime and suspense writer out of Seattle and people can't seem to get enough of her.
She's had a number of bestsellers, and judging by the looks of it, a lot of people already have copies of her book in hand and are waiting for her reading and signing.
This is just the beginning though. With the help of some of Liam's small business expert friends, I've learned a lot. I've learned how to engage with the community and how to do things that will get people involved. Get people excited. And as a result, our calendar has a number of other, larger names coming to do readings and signings as well.
I'm so excited because I know this is only the beginning.
We enter through the back door, and I still can't believe this is my shop. This is my bookstore. Only better. Far, far, far better.
Mrs. Brenton ended up selling her building to Liam instead of Damon. There was little choice given the fact that Damon is behind bars now. But Liam still gave her a very fair price for it – enough that she's moving down to the Yucatan Peninsula, just like she talked about. I know she'll be happy there and honestly, I couldn't be happier for her.
After purchasing the Daily Cuppa, because it's right next door to my shop, we were able to knock down the wall between them and opened it up, making my store larger and more spacious, while also having a coffee shop inside the space.
Now, rather than being crammed into a tiny store with tight aisles, people can walk comfortably through my shop, perusing titles while drinking their lattes. The building next to us, which used to be a gift shop that never did very well, also sold to Liam and we opened that space up to house a bakery and small trinket store. We also had some backroom space, which we transformed into the reading and signing room for our special guest authors and speakers.
As I look around the store, I'm once again in awe of it all. I can't believe this place is mine. It looks so new, so sleek, so modern – and yet, we were also able to retain the charming, small-town feel of it.
I look at the crowd, my heart swelling, and happen to see Port Safira's new mayor, Judy Archer. After everything went down with Damon, Brian Goodrich was implicated. The City Council demanded his immediate resignation, but they inexplicably didn’t press charges, allowing him to avoid jail time. They said the time he would get on charges of corruption wasn't worth the money it would take to prosecute him.
So, he was allowed to resign in disgrace, his political career over. He moved away from Port Safira, and in a special election, Judy Archer won in a landslide. Personally, I think it would have been worth the money to send Brian to prison along with Damon and Brittany, but I’m vindictive like that.
I have to content myself with the fact that at least those two, along with Brittany's boyfriend, Travis, are all in prison, and given the severity of the charges – including attempted murder – they're going to be there for a very long time. It's a win and I'll take it.
“I still can't get over how big it is in here now,” I say.
With all new bookshelves, an organization system and computers with programs that track inventory, my job has become so much easier. I also have staff now. Just a few people, like Peggy who was here early this morning baking goods for the signing and getting the space set up.
There's a brightly lit display case filled with cake pots, croissants, donuts and more – all made from scratch right here. In my new store. My new store that happens to smell absolutely heavenly, thanks to all of the baked goods.
Liam slides his arm around my waist, and leans close to me, nuzzling my ear. I giggle and slap him playfully on the arm. Although part of me wants to re-live the first time we were together in my shop, and I know he wants to, that's going to have to wait a while.