“Is it too much?” Tessa gave a nod to her lace-covered dress. “I’m going for nice, not hot.”

“You can’t help what you are, girl,” Lilac said, grinning. “Tessa, you’re just like the Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

“I look like a caterpillar?” Figures Lilac would use something related to work to describe her. But…a caterpillar?

“No,” she said, getting teary. “You look beautiful, like a caterpillar who discovered she’s really a butterfly. And one look at you might just take Leo’s mind off any nerves he’s having over his grand-opening dinner. Things are going well with you two, I take it?”

Tessa frowned. “How do you know that? Was it in my horoscope?”

“No, honey. It’s written all over your face. You look happy.”

She was happy. Really happy.

Looking at her oldest friend, she said, “I feel like now is our chance to really help our families’ businesses. We’ve worked so hard, you know?”

“And?”

“And what?”

“And what about you and Leo?”

She couldn’t help smiling. “I don’t even want to put a label on it. Just that it’s…really good.”

“Don’t be afraid, Tessa,” Lilac said, giving her a side hug. “You deserve really good. You deserve the best.”

Tessa hugged Lilac back. For the first time, she felt that she did deserve happiness. She was filled with pride at their efforts—and respect and admiration for him and for herself. Tonight, they were going to show the world the fruits of their labor. And that was as far as she’d allow herself to think.

And you know what? She knew she looked hot—in a PG, family-restaurant kind of way.

“I’m excited about tonight. And nervous for Leo.” She knew she looked good. She felt great, too. She was just worried for Leo’s sake. She hoped everything went as planned.

Lilac smiled. “What’s there to worry about? You’ve done all the hard work.”

“My biggest fear is that no one is going to show.”

“Um,” Lilac said, tapping her chin, “somehow I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

Frowning, Tessa asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, I just got back from the grocery store, and…there’s actually a little line forming.”

Tessa checked her phone. It was only four o’clock. “What do you mean, a line?”

Lilac pointed down the street. “Oh, just one that snakes around the bakery and up that little side street is all.”

A line. Like in the old days? “Maybe that advertising we bought paid off. I’m glad people still read the weekly neighborhood paper.”

“Well, that must’ve been quite an ad.” Lilac looked down at Tessa’s feet. “Wait here for a second.” She returned a minute later with a drawstring bag, looking something up on her phone.