I have the exact spot in mind and everything. If I was only going off the profits from the store, I wouldn’t be able to afford it. However, Gran did leave me some money, not a fortune, but enough. I’ve avoided touching it until I figure out the best way to use it. This might be the perfect cause.

“Oh my goodness! Yes!” Elsie turns her wide chestnut eyes to me. “I love that idea so much! I have a few mom friends who have been wanting to start a book club. If we could host them here, away from all of our children, and drink wine? I’d join in a heartbeat.”

I can see the wheels turning in her head and I don’t know if it’s good for me. When Elsie gets an idea in her head, she doesn’t let it go. So, I use this moment of distraction to drop a casual bomb on her.

“Anyways . . .” I tuck Milo a little higher on my hip, playing with his curls to avoid looking at his mom. “Did I tell you that Daisy dropped by the other day?”

The air goes static around me.

“Angie, would you mind keeping your eyes on the girls for me?” Elsie asks before wrapping her fingers around my wrist. “I have to talk to Drew really fast.”

“Of course.” Angie aims her bright smile at us, ignoring the way I’m shaking my head no. “Take your time.”

And to think I was going to give her free coffee one day.

Traitor.

“You’re the best!” Elsie’s voice is about five octaves too high before she tightens her grip on me and pulls me through the crowd filled with leggings and buns.

I share a look of sympathy with Milo as we follow helplessly behind my best friend.

When we’re securely tucked out of earshot of the majority of the mom squad, she drops my arm and narrows her eyes. “What do you mean Daisy dropped by? And why would you drop that freaking bomb in the middle of story time?”

“It was after I got home from the store on Wednesday.” I half shrug, Milo seriously cramping my ability to pretend to be casual. “She showed up with Thai food. We had dinner and chatted. It was . . . nice.”

“Nice? You call me no less than once a week about some new scheme your dad’s concocting to take the store.” She leans in and I want to roll my eyes and tell her she’s exaggerating, but she’s actually being quite generous. I call her at least twice a week about Andrew Young shenanigans. “And it was nice?!”