Page 39 of Lovewell Lane (Honeyfield Dreamers #1)

Margo

My cursive ‘Closed’ sign took up more of the chalkboard than I meant for it to. My handwriting got a little scrunched as I tried to write out the details for the Honey Festival underneath my Closed lettering. I erased the bottom half and tried again, making the loops a little softer this time.

I picked up Scarlet from the airport early this morning. Derek begrudgingly let me out of his bed long enough for me to sneak out to my guest house. It was nice to have my space back, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying staying with Derek.

I told Sarah and Michael weeks ahead that today would be the first day I wouldn’t be opening the diner since the first day we opened. It felt wrong. But, my excitement to pick up Scarlet outweighed the strange feeling of breaking my daily routine.

In the airport, we hugged each other tightly. Hugging in our friendship was reserved for momentous occasions such as this. I squeezed her tight before pulling her into my car to share the adorable little town I called home.

I gave her the full tour of the town. It was an entirely different experience compared to the tour I gave to my mother a few days prior.

I got a call around nine am from my mother telling me that she had taken a flight to France to meet up with an old friend.

Scarlet was in my car when it happened and rolled her eyes.

My shoulders relaxed a little as I listened to my mom drone on and on about how she was ready to have a hot summer romance.

When the call was over, I filled Scarlet in on everything that had happened over the last couple of days.

I knew Scarlet didn’t like my mother. She was very protective over me, but she did her best to bite her tongue and keep things light-hearted when my mother was involved.

This time, she downright scowled when I told her I walked in on my mom trying to make a move on Derek.

That line of conversation devolved into me spilling my guts to Scarlet about Derek. How we were taking things slow. Seeing where it would go. I could tell how antsy she was to meet him.

Scarlet was charmed by everything about Honeyfield. She gasped at Derek’s backyard and my guest house where I’d been staying. She took a thousand pictures of his garden and the ducks that came and went as they pleased.

“I’m not going to lie. I totally thought you’d joined a cult, it all sounded too good to be true. But if this town is the result, sign me up,” Scarlet said while she stood next to me on the sidewalk in front of the diner.

I laughed and gestured for her to walk inside the now-empty diner.

A few of our regulars were grumpy at the announcement that we were closing early today, but they seemed to understand that I needed to prepare for the Honey Festival.

Scarlet and I collapsed into the empty chairs, tired from a long day of walking around.

“So,” Scarlet whispered. “Where is Derek? I haven’t seen him once.”

I leaned back into my seat further. “He’ll be preparing for the Festival. Probably working in one of their buildings for processing foods. I think Tessa is with his sister, Calliope. All of the Westons will be in town for tomorrow.”

“How many of them are there?”

“Oh, four siblings. Derek, Sam, Jack, and Calliope. Tessa, of course. And their father, Slick.”

“The grandad calls himself Slick ?”

“I think it’s best to just not ask,” I said with a laugh.

We both glanced out the window as a person walked past. I recognized Lila and stood to open the door for her. “Lila, come in.”

“I thought I’d come and perform a mental health check before tomorrow,” Lila joked.

“Thanks, it’s much appreciated.” I turned to gesture to Scarlet. “This is my best friend, Scarlet. She’s the one staying with you for the Festival.”

“Ah, I was hoping to meet you,” Lila said.

Scarlet stood up and awkwardly smiled at Lila. This was like watching a crossover episode of two of your favorite TV shows. My eyes bounced back and forth between the two.

“It’s nice to meet you,” said Scarlet. “I heard you’re a Dreamer, too. It’s nice that you both have each other to bounce ideas off of.”

“Yeah, Margo has been great to have around.”

I watched the two introverts interact like a nature documentary. Their polite conversation amazed me as they managed to talk about nothing for minutes. The sun lowering in the sky reminded me that I was on a tight schedule.

“Well, I adore you both, but unless you want to help me make hundreds of baked goods, I need to get to work.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes at me. “I’ve been in the kitchen with you. You wouldn’t let me help even if I begged to.”

She wasn’t wrong.

“I can walk you to the Inn if you want, Scarlet? We have a nice walking trail around the lake if you want a nice view of town before dark.”

Scarlet shot me a look. Her eyes said, Where did you find this angel? Nothing pleased Scarlet more than a good walking trail. She was raised in Washington, after all.

They left for the Inn with a few more waves goodbye. She and Lila got on just as well as I hoped they would. My best friend seemed to love small-town life, she was bright-eyed, full of curiosity, and asked at least a thousand questions throughout the day.

I loved Honeyfield. I did. But I could tell from her smile that Scarlet loved it a lot .

Around lunch, we walked around the park, so I could show her the festival setup. She oohed and aahed at everything. She was amazed that everyone who passed us seemed to know my name and greeted us with a smile.

“You’re like a celebrity,” she teased as a family walked past us.

Now, I was left alone without my best friend as the sun set.

The diner felt emptier than it ever had before.

Chairs were flipped. The floor was mopped.

The only sounds were the low hum of the refrigerator and the gentle clink of my measuring spoons as I prepped the first round of batter for the first batch of pastries.

I was covered in flour from head to toe and every muscle in my body ached a few short hours later.

I heard the back door swing open. No one knocked, so I grabbed a rolling pin and spun around.

“Thought I’d find you here,” Derek said, stepping inside.

He looked like the day had worn him out almost as much as it did me. Hair tousled, boots dirty, and that stupidly warm smile already softening my entire spine.

“Technically, we’re closed.”

“I’m here on unofficial business,” he said.

“Oh yeah?” I smirked. “Are you here to tell me my mother has moved in and you’ve fallen in love with her?”

“Worse,” he said, crossing the floor with a small paper bag in one hand. “I’m here to do your dishes and give you your birthday present.”

I paused, dough still in my hands. “My birthday isn't until tomorrow.”

He shrugged. “It’s past midnight somewhere.”

I blinked at him. “You remembered.”

“You told Tessa at the aquarium, and she wouldn’t let me forget. I figured you could use a pick me up while preparing for tomorrow.”

“I’m doing just fine.”

“You’re elbow-deep in butter and planning on baking throughout the entire night.”

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the bowl. “I might finish before four in the morning.”

“Let me help,” he said, stepping behind the counter to grab a dish towel, “I’ve been told I’m great at cleaning.”

He got to work without asking, rinsing mixing bowls while I put in another batch of croissants. The silence between us was comfortable. Until I decided to interrupt it to bring up the mood. If I was going to stay up all night, I needed music.

ACDC filled the air and Derek hung his head between his shoulders. They shook inaudibly as he laughed.

I waited patiently for him to get comfortable and start singing. We had a singathon for about an hour until my cheeks ached from smiling so much. He was such a dork.

Eventually, he dried his hands and leaned against the prep table.

“Here,” he said, holding out the bag. “Happy early birthday.”

I eyed it suspiciously. “What could you have possibly gotten me?”

He smirked. “Open it.”

I pulled out a small hardcover notebook and a sparkly pink pen. The cover of the journal was worn leather. On the title page, he’d written a note in small, careful handwriting.

For your plans to save the world.

Something caught in my throat.

“I figured you needed a new one,” he said, suddenly shy. “I know you like to write down everything that you don’t want to say out loud. I’d like it if you opened up to me, too, but this will be a place just for you. I thought this could be a good place to put it all.”

I swallowed hard. “This is… really nice.”

“You hate it.”

“I love it.” My voice cracked. “Of course, I love it.”

He didn’t say anything, just reached out and brushed a bit of flour off my cheek. His fingers lingered. My skin buzzed like it always did when he touched me. It felt like I was finally wanted. I finally belonged .

We stayed like that for a moment, neither of us filling the silence with nervous words.

And then his phone buzzed.

He glanced down. “Slick says Tessa’s passed out on the couch with Cheddar Jack.” He turned his phone around to show me the picture.

I smiled. “They’re adorable. Are the rest of the Westons showing up tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Derek said. “Jack is driving down in the morning. Calli and Sam are out at the bar to celebrate the end of preparing for the Festival. We should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow. What else do you need to do?”

“Just finish cleaning up. Sarah and Michael are coming in early tomorrow to pack everything up.”

We cleaned up the last of the mess together, shoulder to shoulder, and then I locked the diner and stepped out into the warm stillness of the night.

It was late. So late that the town was dead quiet.

The entire street held its breath, like it was preparing for the big day tomorrow right alongside us.

If everything went according to plan, these streets would be filled with cars and people just a few hours from now.

Happy chatter as people brought their families for a day filled with fun.

Derek drove us both home since I couldn’t be trusted to drive while I was this tired. Not having any extra energy to walk to my guest house, I followed him to his room and let him help me put on my pajamas.

“How would you feel about telling Tessa about us?” Derek murmured while he pulled one of his T-shirts over my head.

“Do you want to?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure about this,” he said. “Are you?”

I nodded sleepily.

“We can talk about it more later. I just wanted to run it past you,” he said before helping me get underneath the covers.

I barely remembered falling asleep. One blink, and it was daylight.

Honey Festival Day.

The moment I opened my eyes, the anxiety crept in. But Derek’s arm was heavily draped across my waist.

And I knew everything would be okay.