Page 40 of All You Need Is Macchiato

Nolan shifts beside me on the leather sofa, our shoulders almost touching. The coffee table between us holds Evie's famous scones, but for once I'm too nervous to eat.

"The Coffee Loft needs more than new ownership," Evie continues. "It needs leadership that understands both business and community. Vision and practicality. Heart and head." Her eyes move between us meaningfully. "It needs both of you."

The words hang in the morning air. Beside me, Nolan goes very still.

"Both of us?" I manage.

"You've proven you can transform a struggling shop into a community hub." Evie sets down her cup. "And Nolan knows this town, its rhythms, its needs. Together, you could make the Coffee Loft everything it was meant to be."

"I..." The enormity of it overwhelms me. Not just running the shop, but working side by side with Nolan. After everything that's happened, everything that's still unresolved between us. "It's a huge risk."

"For whom?" Evie's voice gentles. "For me? I'm investing in people I believe in. For the coffee shop? You've already shown what's possible there."

"For everyone." I stand, needing to move. "What if I can't make it work? What if the community initiatives aren't enough? What if?—"

"What if you succeed?" Nolan's quiet words stop my pacing. "What if everything you've built here is just the beginning?"

I turn to face him. "You'd really want to work together? After..."

"After I let my fears get in the way?" He stands too, closing the distance between us. "I meant what I said last night. I'm done running from good things."

"But the shop?—"

"Already has a foundation." His eyes hold mine. "You've created something special, Kathryn. Something worth believing in. Worth fighting for."

"We'd be partners?" I look to Evie for confirmation.

She nods. "Equal stake in the management. Equal say in decisions. Though something tells me you two won't have trouble agreeing on what matters."

The morning light streams through the windows, catching on the mountain laurel blooms outside. Somewhere in town, a coffee shop waits to be transformed. Again. But this time...

"It won't be easy," I warn them both. "The equipment still needs updating, the supply chain?—"

"Is something we can figure out together." Nolan's voice carries absolute certainty. "The lodge has connections with suppliers all over the region. And I might know a thing or two about marketing local businesses."

"A thing or two?" Evie's eyes twinkle. "If I recall, your seasonal festival campaigns doubled our bookings last year."

"The point is," Nolan continues, giving his aunt a look, "you won't be doing this alone. Not anymore."

I think of all the wishes already granted, all the connections formed. Of Old Joe learning to knit, of Sara's pastries finding new homes, of a community coming together one cup of coffee at a time.

"Okay." The word comes out barely above a whisper.

"Okay?" Nolan's smile starts slow, then breaks across his face like sunrise.

"Okay." Stronger this time. "Yes. Let's do this. Let's make it matter."

"It already matters." Evie rises, gathering her tea things. "You two just have to keep showing people why."

She leaves us with that, with the morning light and the endless possibilities and the weight of trust settled on our shoulders.

"Partners?" Nolan holds out his hand, echoing our first meeting but with something deeper in his eyes.

I take it, feeling the calluses that speak of hard work and dedication. Of someone who builds things to last.

"Partners."

His thumb traces across my knuckles, sending warmth up my arm. "In everything?"

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