“Yes, she does,” Charlotte said, setting her book on the table between them and sighing. “I almost hate to leave here. You live in heaven on earth, Julie.”

“Well, don’t tell anybody. We certainly don’t want thousands of extra people moving here and messing up our balance.”

Charlotte laughed. “My lips are sealed. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about your book.”

Julie cringed. How she wished she hadn’t handed Charlotte those few pages of her work in progress last night. But she was feeling excited after the festival and the proposal, and she just wasn’t thinking straight. It was in no way her best work, and it hadn’t even been edited yet.

“Listen, I know it isn’t good. I’ve never written anything like that before…”

“No, it’s fabulous!”

Julie looked at her. “Charlotte, you don’t have to try to be nice. I understand that writing is a lot harder than it looks.”

“Not if you have natural talent, and I think you do. So, I wanted to ask your permission to send this over to my publisher. Just let some of my contacts take a look and see if they think there’s marketability there.”

Julie was in shock. “What? Are you serious? You want to send that to your publisher?”

“I think it’s worth a shot. There aren’t a lot of great books for women in this age group, and I don’t mind a little extra competition.”

“I don’t think I’m going to be any competition for you,” Julie said, laughing. “But feel free to give it to your publisher. They might need a good laugh.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. I didn’t think I would have the success that I have, but here I am!”

“So when do you have to leave?”

“Tomorrow morning. I have a book signing tomorrow evening in Savannah. So I need to make the drive and go to my hotel.”

“I’m really going to miss you around here. It was nice having somebody to talk to.”

“Oh, I’ll be in touch. I’m sure my publishers are probably going to want to talk to you.”

Julie crossed her fingers. “We can only hope!”

“And, truth be told, I’d like to have a second home here in Seagrove someday. I feel at home here.”

“We’d love to have you! Although, I’d lock your doors because I’m afraid Dixie might try to break in and have dinner with you,” Julie said with a laugh.

Dixie locked up the bookstore and turned to walk down the sidewalk to her car. She was exhausted after the festival, but she’d had to come back to the store to retrieve her tote bag and empty the coffee pot.

“Hey, old lady!” She turned around to see SuAnn doing the same thing. She was locking the door to her bakery.

“Old lady? You’re one to talk!” Dixie replied, laughing.

They met in the middle between their two stores. Over the last few months, they had managed to forge a strange friendship that mainly consisted of sarcastic comments and the occasional sit down coffee date to gossip about everyone they knew.