Harper was the first to find out.

Lucy couldn’t help it — her sister walked into Nook carrying a crate of fresh linens, and the ring was practically burning a hole through Lucy’s finger.

She waited a full five minutes before blurting it out.

“I’m engaged!” Lucy cried, practically bouncing where she stood.

Harper dropped the crate with a thud.
“No. Way.”

Lucy held up her hand, laughing as Harper squealed and launched herself into a hug.

“I knew it,” Harper said into her hair. “I knew it!”

They celebrated right there on the floor of Nook, sitting cross-legged among folded tablecloths and ribbon-tied napkins, making plans and dreaming dreams.

---

Meanwhile, across the street at Bennet Realty, Miles told Graham.

In true Graham fashion, the reaction was minimal.

Miles walked into Graham’s office, shut the door, and simply said,
“I asked her. She said yes.”

Graham looked up from his spreadsheet, deadpan.

“About time.”

Miles snorted, dropping into the chair across from him.

“That’s it? No congratulations?”

Graham shrugged.
“You’re not an idiot. She’s the best thing that’s happened to you. Why would I waste breath saying what’s obvious?”

Miles barked a laugh.
“Touching, really.”

Graham smirked faintly, pushing a small bottle across the desk.

It was a nice whiskey — good, rare, and unspoken congratulations.

Miles accepted it wordlessly, clinking the bottle lightly against Graham’s coffee mug.

That was the thing about real friendships.
You didn’t need paragraphs.
Just moments.

---

That evening, Harper, Graham, and the newly engaged couple sat on the back patio of Nook under a string of golden lights.

There were no grand speeches, no toast with fancy champagne.

Just four people, laughter threading between them, and the smell of fresh bread from the kitchen.

And as Lucy leaned her head on Miles’s shoulder, ring glittering under the lights, she realized:

Home wasn’t just a place.
It was a person.
It was this.