Page 61 of Safe With You

Then I’ll bring breakfast and let her handle the coffee.

The apartment suddenly felt quieter than it had a few minutes ago, still enough for me to notice that I was sitting alone on my couch, smiling at my phone over plans that could have easily been handled through email.

Nine works.

See you Monday, Luna.

I looked at my name on the screen longer than necessary.

Then I set the phone beside me and stared down at the planner still open across my lap.

For the first time since opening Chapter & Charm, the ideas didn’t feel like more weight being added to my shoulders.

They felt possible.

Maybe because, for once, I was letting myself think about what the bookstore could become instead of everything it would take to get there.

I picked up my pen and wrote one more note at the bottom of the page.

Monday, 9:00 — Ellis

I drew a box around it, then closed the planner before I could examine why seeing his name there made me feel like something had already begun to change.

The first sound I heard every Monday morning was the alarm on my nightstand.

The second was the house settling around me.

I reached across the mattress without opening my eyes, silencing the alarm before it could buzz again, then stayed where I was for another minute anyway.

I let out a quiet breath and swung my legs over the side of the bed, pausing long enough to stretch the stiffness from my shoulders before making my way toward the bathroom. By the time I finished showering and getting dressed, the mirror had long since cleared. I ran a hand over the low waves I’d brushed into place, checked the line of my beard out of habit, then followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen.

That first cup always tasted better standing at the counter.

Maybe because the house hadn’t fully woken up yet.

Maybe because for a few minutes, everything was still.

I wrapped both hands around the mug and looked out the window above the sink. The grass still glistened from the sprinklers that ran before sunrise, and Mrs. Patterson across the street was already out walking the little white dog that barked at absolutely everything except the mailman, who probably deserved it most.

The corner of my mouth lifted.

Some things never changed.

Others did without asking permission.

My gaze wandered down the hallway, stopping where it always seemed to when the house was quiet.

The framed photograph hanging beside the linen closet wasn’t large. Just a candid I’d taken years ago of Elena sitting on the back porch with Mila asleep against her chest. The edges of the frame caught the morning light, and for a second, it almost looked like she was smiling into it.

I found myself smiling back.

“Morning.”

The word came naturally, without expectation or any conversation about what it meant. Just an acknowledgment, the same way some people waved at a neighbor while passing their house.

I took another sip of coffee before lowering my head.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, the words meant for Someone else entirely. “For another day.”