Six months later, Nook was thriving.

Lucy stood behind the counter, wiping down the last few plates from the morning rush, sunlight spilling through the windows in thick, golden beams.

Business was good.
Life was good.
She was happy — a real, lasting kind of happy that she once thought was only meant for other people.

---

Harper leaned over the counter, sipping her iced latte with a mischievous grin.

“So,” Harper said. “You’re seriously letting me abandon you?”

Lucy laughed. “You’re not abandoning me. You’re following your own path.”

Harper wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, but you’re my safe place.”

“You’ll find a new one,” Lucy said, reaching across the counter to squeeze her sister’s hand. “And you’ll come back.”

Harper smiled, a little misty-eyed, but strong.

She was heading to another city — a short-term opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
It was good for her.
Lucy knew it.
Still, it would feel strange not having Harper just around the corner.

“You and Miles gonna survive without me?” Harper teased.

Lucy glanced toward the window where Miles stood outside talking with Graham, his hand absently twirling his wedding band.

“We’ll manage,” Lucy said, heart full.

Harper’s flight was next week.

There were hugs to be had, promises to visit often, but for today — for this perfect afternoon — they simply existed in the same space, savoring the moment.

---

That night, Lucy and Miles curled up together on the small couch at home, the windows open to let in the crisp autumn breeze.

Miles kissed the top of her head.
“Happy?”

Lucy leaned into him, smiling so hard her cheeks hurt.

“Yeah. I am.”

No dramatic endings.
No giant fireworks.
Just a life they chose — every messy, beautiful, ordinary day of it.

And that, Lucy thought, was the real magic.