The next morning, I woke to the smell of bacon and came out to find all three of my closest friends dressed and cooking in the kitchen. “You guys are up and about early.”
“Well, we have a bookstore to run,” Walter said as he handed me my largest mug full of the darkest coffee I’d ever seen.
I smiled. “Thanks, guys. Really.” The coffee was so good, and I was going to need it. I hadn’t slept well after my nightmare, and if yesterday was an indication, it was going to be a doozy of a day at the shop.
After a quick shower, I took an extra second to slather on my favorite vanilla lotion before heading to the foyer to walk to the shop. As I passed Mart she said, “Ooh, vanilla. Someone’s hopeful.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh nothing,” she said with a conspiratorial wink. “You just only
