Page 68 of Forgotten Dreams

I blink away the tears and the sting in my nose as I walk over to the door and pull it open. I smile big when I see it’s Lilah standing there with a bottle of champagne. “Surprise.” She walks in when I move aside, giving her space. “I come with gifts for you”—she holds up the bottle—“and gifts for myself, but they’re in the truck.” She holds out the bottle for me to grab before rushing back out the door and heading to her truck. I watch her reach into the passenger side, grabbing two boxes. She grabs the big pink box I know has either cupcakes or donuts in it, and then grabs another smaller one before shutting the door with her hip. She walks back up the steps toward the house. “I’m so excited for you to open this.” She holds up the small one in her hand.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I tell her as I close the door behind her and she looks at the furniture in my library.

“Can I come here and read?” she asks me, stepping into the room and looking at the built-in cases I had built and painted a deep moss green, with a black ladder that moves from side to side against the big wall.

She puts the box of sweet treats down on one of the moving boxes before she makes her way over to the chair I have next to the window in the corner. She turns and sits down in the big oversized, light-beige chair with a matching footstool. The small round bleached wood table is empty beside the chair. “Me reading right here”—she puts one hand on the armrest—“with my tea on this table.” She points at the table.

“I bought an amazing pitcher vase for that table,” I tell her, “and the throw blanket I got for that chair is like cashmere but heavy.”

“Say less.” She smiles at me. “Now, I know you already have lots of books for these shelves, but I couldn’t help myself.” She gets up and walks over to me, giving me the present in her hand.

I put the champagne bottle by my feet and grab the present from her. “You know you didn’t have to, right?” I repeat what I told her earlier.

“Oh, trust me, this was so worth it.” She claps her hands together. “I’m not even going to lie, I got one for myself.”

I laugh as I peel off the wrapping, knowing it’s a book. I see it’s one from Parker Cooper, and I gasp because it’s one that isn’t even out yet. “Oh my God.” I look back at her. “How?”

“Charlie’s cousin, Gabriel, is married to her cousin, Zara,” she explains. “When she came to visit the last time, she caught me reading one of the books and was like ‘this is my cousin.’” I put the book to my chest, my mouth hanging open. “I know, so I told her how we started talking and she got a kick out of it. Then a couple of weeks later, Autumn comes into the office and hands me two books.”

“You kept it from me all this time?” I glare at her.

“Trust me, the hardest part was not reading it and waiting for you,” she tells me.

“I can’t believe this,” I say, looking down at the book.

“Look inside,” she prompts me, and I open the book. I think I scream when I see it’s signed to me.

Sierra,

A good friendship is built on good books.

Thanks for choosing mine.

Cooper Parker

“This might have to go in a glass box,” I inform her, and she laughs.

“After we read it,” she states, and I grimace. “We won’t break the spines,” she quickly adds, “and we will have to take notes on a different paper for our favorite quotes.” I smile at her. “I can’t wait for book club. Now let’s get you unpacked.” She looks around. “Where is Caleb?”

“Um, he’s out.” I look away from her. “He’s going to be back later.” I put the book down on the table by the chair.

“Everything okay?” she asks softly, and I shrug one shoulder.

“We had a difference of opinion, you could say.” I try not to sound upset. “It’s fine. It’ll be okay,” I quickly say. “Nothing a cupcake and a bottle of champagne can’t cure.”

“That means you don’t want to talk about it.” She points at me.

“Not really,” I admit, “especially since I don’t know what to say about it.” I fill her in and tell her what happened.

“I can see both sides,” she says sadly and I nod.

“Okay, enough of this,” I tell her, “let’s unpack and make this library the envy of all libraries.” I change the subject.

“It’s so pretty,” she says when we unpack the last box. “I’m so jealous.”

“Well, how about we trade?” I look over at her sitting in the big chair. “You come over with the baby. I get snuggles and you get to read.”

“Where do I sign?” she chirps and her phone starts to ring.

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