Page 1 of Seeing You

Chapter One

Four a.m. came way too early every day.

Still, Billie Donovan shut off her alarm and, after a brief stretch, got out of bed. She didn’t like to linger because there was too much temptation to simply stay there and go back to sleep. That wasn’t an option for her. She had a ton of baking she needed to get done for another day at Books & Beans.

“And I love it. Dammit,” she mumbled as she padded into the bathroom to take a shower.

This was such a far cry from the life she thought she’d have, but she had no regrets.

“Well…maybe a few.”

And for some reason lately, they kept coming to mind. She had no doubt it was because her siblings were all deliriously happy and in love and starting their families. Jade and Levi’s sweet little baby boy was about to turn one. Billie already had the perfect little smash cake planned for the party. Ashlynn and Reid just found out they were having a baby, and Billie already had ideas for the gender reveal cake. Tomorrow, Chloe and Tanner would be home from their honeymoon, and she was going to surprise them with some “Welcome Home” cupcakes. And where was she?

Single and making muffins before most normal people were even awake.

“Living the dream.”

Her morning routine was carried out with military precision, and at four thirty-five, she was in her car making the short drive to the shop.

Everything was so peaceful, and it was the perfect time for her to clear her mind as she prepped and baked. With soft music playing in the background, it was her favorite time of day. Alone with her thoughts, she normally plotted out the menu for the coffee shop for the week or worked on the finances for Jade—and for Ashlynn’s salon because her sister was terrible about bookkeeping—but typically this time was spent in deep thought about her life and where it was going.

Especially recently.

One of her last single friends was getting married in two weeks. She received the “Save the Date” announcement almost a year ago and had been agonizing over it the entire time. It would mean seeing a lot of old friends and classmates—which she normally loved—but it was starting to feel like everyone just talked about their fabulous lives and it made her feel anything but fabulous. Sure, she had a job that she loved, owned her own home, was a partial owner of two different businesses, but basically, she was still just a small-town girl living a boring small-town life.

“Ugh…someone needs an extra shot of something in their coffee today,” she murmured.

Yeah, weddings typically sent her into a funk, but only she knew the real reason why. It was painfully personal, and it wasn’t anyone’s business but hers.

“Let’s put a pin in that for now and focus on these fabulous chocolate croissants!” Ashlynn had been bugging her for years to make them and Billie finally felt like she had perfected the recipeso she could be confident selling them. They would be the special of the day and she couldn’t wait to see her sister’s face when she showed up for her morning coffee—decaf now that she was pregnant—and saw them in the display case.

Smiling, she continued to work and was surprised when she heard someone coming in the front door. A quick glance at the clock showed it was already after six, so that would be Jade. How awesome was it that the woman who started out as a friend, then became her boss, then her business partner, was now her sister-in-law? Life was funny that way, but she loved Jade like a real sister and appreciated all the great things she brought to the Donovan family.

“What’s up, Bill?”

Looking up, she saw her brother strolling into the kitchen. “Levi? What are you doing here? Where’s Jade? Is everything okay? Was Calvin up all night again?”

Levi looked exhausted, like he’d just rolled out of bed and drove here. “Please tell me I don’t have to wait for an entire pot of coffee to brew,” he said around a yawn.

Pulling out one of her wooden stools, she said, “Sit. I’ve already got a small pot going back here for me. I’ll get you a cup.” She didn’t say a word until she handed him the steaming mug. “So? What’s going on?”

He took a slow sip before humming with appreciation. “Damn, that’s good.” Eyes closed, he leaned his head back against the wall. “Calvin had a rough night and Jade slept in the nursery. Her mom’s coming over to get Silas ready for school, but I carried Jade to bed, set the alarm for seven-thirty, and decided to come in and give you a hand.” He took another sip of coffee. “I just need a few minutes to fully wake up.”

For a moment, all Billie could do was stand there and smile. This was her brother—a man who, a few years ago, never wouldhave done something so selfless for anyone else. It made her heart so happy to see this transformation in him.

“Is it his ears or is he cutting a tooth?” she asked.

“Both. We took him to the pediatrician yesterday and the ear infection isn’t completely gone and he’s cutting two teeth. Little man is not happy.”

“Poor boy. And how’s Silas handling it? He was in here the other day talking about how loud Calvin is.”

That made Levi chuckle. “Silas is an amazing big brother, and he does everything except stand on his head to make Calvin smile. But these last few days have been a struggle for all of us.”

“Damn. I wish there were something I could do. I mean…I can call in one of the girls to cover Jade so she could take the day off, but no one’s going to get here in time for us to open. And the last time you helped behind the counter, you couldn’t handle the coffee orders and ate enough muffins for four people. No offense, but…you weren’t exactly a big help.”

He grinned. “Yeah. Sorry about that. Who knew that making coffee was so complicated?”

“How about this, call Cora and tell her you’ll get Silas off to school and ask if she can come and cover for a few hours until I can get someone in?”

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