Page 62 of Cozy Girl Fall
His eyes flew wide again and she laughed, leading him over to the lone table at the back and handing him a small knife. The wood was in good condition, the only mark on its surface the freshly carved heart with her initials inside, waiting for the other half to be completed.
He took the knife from her and leant down to add his next to hers. She couldn’t mask the smile spreading across her face.
“This way we’ll always have a table reserved just for us,” she murmured, moving to stand next to him so they could look down together at this addition.
PL+EB∞?
Epilogue
Penny squealed as water splattered onto her from the fountain’s streams splashing into the pool and Ethan chuckled, tucking her into his side as they sipped their coffees.
The restaurant renovations had finally finished that week and she was hopeful that they would be able to open in the new year. In the end, she’d settled on a relaxed, family vibe for the venue and Ethan had been crucial in designing the space to be everything she’d imagined and more.
Magnolia Springs had embraced the holiday cheer with the annual Christmas market, which would be dismantled in the last week of December. Penny wanted to get her fill of the brown huts, dusted with real snow, for as long as she could. Once the restaurant opened, she would probably be busy for the foreseeable future. That was the hope, anyway.
It felt a lot longer than three months ago that she’d sat in this very same spot by herself and made her first wish in the fountain, but now here she was, back again with Ethan at her side. She turned a penny over in herfree hand as she watched the streams of water catching the winter sun.
“What are you going to wish for?” There was a smile in his voice and she sipped her coffee, considering.
“Well, I can’t tell you,” she teased. “Otherwise it won’t come true.”
He laughed, the sound warm and making her heart swell as Ethan palmed his own coin. “I think I’ll join you.”
“OK. One, two, three!”
Their coins hit the water at the same time and Penny screwed her eyes shut as she concentrated on her wish:Please let the restaurant be a success.
When she opened her eyes everything looked the same, but a sense of peace had come over her, settling in her bones as she let the sound of the running water soothe her.
“Penny.”
She blinked and looked to her left at Ethan. “Sorry, did you say something?”
“Will you move in with me?”
A smile broke out across her face and she didn’t hesitate, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him fiercely. “Yes. Absolutely.” She practically lived at his place anyway at this point, something which Angielovedto point out with a twinkle in her eye at every opportunity.
Ethan grinned, kissing her thoroughly until a passerby whistled. Ethan’s cheeks were pink when they separated and he smirked. “I guess wishes do come true.”
