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"They are, but we're not opening the store on time today. We're going to sit down, drink lattes, and you're finally going to tell me all the raunchy details that you've kept hidden for so long."
"The details are top secret. I'm already regretting telling you why Gabby refused to come down to help out this morning." On Saturdays, Gabby ran the register in their little bookstore/coffee shop that specialized in romance novels. Happily Ever After Again had been a dream that had fallen into their lap when Sofia's landlord had told her that she was going to put the building on the market.
A week later, after taking out loans they barely afford, Sofia and Jocie had purchased the building with its little store downstairs and two-bedroom apartment upstairs and decided to give access to the dream of happily ever after to every woman in the western Seattle suburbs.
Eleven years later, Happily Ever After Again hosted eleven book clubs, bridge night, a knitting circle, many visiting authors, and an annual Christmas party that included a gift tree for the local women's shelter much like the ones where Sofia had spent much of her childhood with her mom.
"I don't blame Gabby for being mad," Jocie said, as she headed over to the coffee nook and began to brew them up some caffeine. "If I was sixteen and found out my mom had been holding out on a Keegan Hart dad for me, I'd be pissed, too. She probably spent the rest of the night making lists of all the expensive things she could have had if he'd been paying for her upbringing."
"Probably. I definitely shorted her by not buying her a Scottish castle on her fifth birthday." Sofia walked over and flipped the sign on the door to "Open." "She was pretty mad I hadn't given Keegan the chance to decide to be a part of her life."
Gabby had texted at five this morning, telling Sofia she wasn't coming to breakfast and banning her from bothering her. Sofia had knocked on the door a few times, but Gabby had refused to answer.
It was unlike Gabby to get that mad, and Sofia wasn't sure if the best response was to give her space, or force her to talk it out. So far, Sofia was giving her space, but eventually, she'd have to go in there.
Jocie hit the button on the latte machine and then turned to Sofia, folding her arms across her chest. Her dark skin was radiant in the morning light, making Sofia's olive skin almost look pale. "Let's go over that one, girl. What exactly made you decide not to tell him? From what I hear, he would have paid up. That family is a little obsessed with funding things for kids, to make sure that no kids are left without resources like they were."
"I didn’t want his money."
"Really? You don't want child support from a billionaire who is your daughter's biological dad? That makes total sense. What single mom would want that kind of cash?"
Sofia glanced at her best friend. "If I told him, then I'd be trapped."
Jocie met her gaze, and understanding flickered in them. "Maybe he's a good guy," she said softly. "Maybe he's not like your ex was."
Sofia shrugged. "Back then, I had no idea who Keegan was. I didn't know if I could trust him," she said. "He was a homeless rebel. And then I met my ex-husband and…things are different now."
"But now—"
"What if Keegan's not a nice guy? If I told him, then he'd have control over Gabby and me for the rest of our lives." The thought made a chill shiver down her spine. "I can't ever give up my freedom, Jocie. Not for any amount of money."
Jocie inclined her head. "I get that. I do. But he's been in the press a lot. Nothing bad is ever written about him."
"The Harts have the money to buy off the press, and we both know it."
"The press is pretty relentless. If he were a serial killer, they'd probably have figured it out by now."
Sofia couldn’t help but laugh. "I don't think he's a serial killer."
"So, then—"
Sofia held up her hand. "It's been sixteen years, Jocie. It's over. Let it go." She turned her back on her friend and began to unpack the Christmas cookies that had arrived. Her hands stilled when she saw the label on the box. "You ordered these from Hart's Bakery?"
"They're the best around, and they give discounts to small businesses."
Sofia traced her finger over the logo that had a horse intertwined with the letters H and B. "Keegan owns the bakery. He told me about that dream. How his only memories of his mom had been baking with her. It was all he had of his childhood before he lost everything. Baking felt like home to him, and that was the one thing that he hated about living under the bridge: that he didn't have a kitchen." She tapped her finger on the table. "You made it, Keegan," she whispered. "Good for you."
She became aware of sudden silence in the store, and she looked up to find Jocie watching her with a surprised expression on her face. "What?"
"You loved him."
Sofia cleared her throat, and got busy setting out the cookies. "I knew him for a week when I was eighteen. That's not love."
"Sure it is. It's a different love than what we'd have now, but it's love."
Sofia rolled her eyes. "Honestly, life isn't a romance novel, Jocie. You're way too romantic."
"There's no such thing as being too romantic." Jocie put the coffee cup on a cute saucer and held it out. "Let's caffeinate and talk. I need the details."
