Two hours later, what was left of her coffee was ice cold and she felt the thrill that she often got when she discovered a great new book and didn’t want to stop reading. She hated to admit it, but her agent was right. The story was incredible, and it would be an opportunity that could make her career. She was excited and nervous at the same time. She knew she couldn’t pass this one up or she’d regret it. But she didn’t have to call her agent yet. She had some time. She wanted to finish the book and make sure she still felt the same way. But in her gut, she knew that she would. She could see why the book stayed on the list so long. It had crazy word of mouth. She couldn’t wait to tell her sister about it.

But her legs were getting stiff and she needed to get up and walk around. The rain had stopped, and the sun was peeking out through the clouds. It was a little past eleven, perfect time to go do a little shopping.

She walked toward the wharf, where the ferries came in. There was one pulling in now, a giant catamaran from Hyannis called the Grey Lady III. Bella watched as the boat docked and people started streaming off, many of them with dogs of all shapes and sizes.

She browsed a few gift shops, filled with all kinds of tourist trinkets like sweatshirts, hats, flip flops, mugs and more. Bella was wearing the Nantucket sweatshirt she’d bought on her last shopping trip, so she didn’t really need any more touristy stuff. A window display with a pretty, floaty dress caught her eye and she stepped into another store, Nantucket Threads.

The store was adorable with all kinds of cute clothes and shoes. The clothing was an eclectic mix of touristy sweatshirts, casual fun clothes and some really nice high-end stuff. She would definitely have to bring her sister here for some serious shopping. Bella wasn’t intending to buy much on this trip, but then she saw the cowboy boots. They were a really soft brown leather with blue and pink embroidered flowers. They were gorgeous.

“Those just came in this week and have been popular. Would you like to try them on?”

Bella turned to see a woman who’d been behind the register ringing up a sale when she first walked in. She was petite, with long blonde hair that fell in beachy waves and she was wearing a similar pair of boots, jeans and a tank top that fell in soft layers. It was a very pretty look. Bella wondered if she owned the shop.

“Yes, please, I’d love to. I’m a size eight.”

“Great, I’ll be right back. I’m Izzy, by the way. Welcome to my shop!”