world! The more you eat, the more you remember how everything was better with Lucky Charms. The air was lighter, the world was brighter, you were more alive, happier, whole. You feel like you’re floating in a never-ending bowl of Lucky Charms even though you know they’re going away soon.” Her hands fisted, arms rigid as she wore a path in the floor. “You tell yourself you can do it. You can hoard enough Lucky Charms to hold you over until they come back. But you can’t! And then they’re gone, and nothing feels right anymore. You wake up at night craving the sugar, aching for the high they bring. You want the thrills of cliff diving and treasure hunting. You want to be part of the dream you helped create! You want to live moment to moment, because that’s what makes you breathe. You want to get on a plane and find Zev no matter what the cost!” She realized what she’d said and clamped her mouth shut before more hurtful truths tumbled out. She spun around to apologize to Marie, and found her, Birdie, Quinn, and about a dozen gaping-mouthed, wide-eyed customers staring at her.
Beau and Charlotte stepped out from the crowd, and Carly’s cheeks flamed with embarrassment.
“Why are you still standing here?” a tall blond woman asked. “Go get your man!”
The crowd cheered.
Tears poured down Carly’s cheeks, and she laughed, but then that guilt consumed her again, and she shook her head. “No. Marie, I didn’t mean that. I love this shop. I love you and Birdie and—”
“It’s okay, honey.” Marie wrapped Carly in her arms and said, “This was never your dream. This was my dream, and you’ve been living in it long enough. Now it’s your turn to live your dream with the man you have loved since you were a little girl.”
“I can’t just leave. I’m not done here,” Carly said, feeling like she was being torn in half.
“You don’t have to be done,” Marie said. “I’m here to help, not to take over.”
Carly gasped for air, her chest aching.
“And I’m here,” Birdie said. “I promise no more fires!”
“Don’t forget me!” Quinn said with a bounce in her step. “Just say the word, Carly. I’ll quit the bank and work here full time, extra hours, whatever you need. I love this business!”
Carly crossed her arms over her middle, tears flooding her cheeks as gratitude swelled inside her.
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to make any final decisions right now,” Marie reassured her. “Just go be with Zev for a few weeks, for a month, however long you need, and then decide. We can hold down the fort.”
Carly looked at the woman who had welcomed her into her home, nurtured her until she was strong and brave again, and gave her a life and a business, and now she was offering her a chance at the future she’d always wanted. But she wanted time at the shop, too. Was that even possible?
“A few weeks…?” Carly choked out. A few weeks would be enough to figure things out, or at least fill her up to hold her over a few more.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I love you, and you love him. That’s all that matters.”
“Okay, I’ll go,” Carly said, swiping at her tears with a shaky hand.
Cheers rang out, and Charlotte said, “Treat is at the festival! If anyone can get you on a plane fast, it’s him. Beau! Call Treat!”
Beau pulled out his phone and made the call.
Carly gasped, swiping at her eyes. “Thank you,” she said as Marie, Birdie, and Quinn enveloped her in a group hug.
“Hey, I’m getting in on this!” Charlotte threw her arms around them.
“Thank you all so much,” Carly said through laughter and tears.
“Let’s go, Carly.” Beau put a hand on Carly’s back, leading her toward the door, and said, “Treat is on his way up the block.”
He opened the door and Carly hurried out, smacking right into a hard chest.
CARLY LOOKED UP with tear-streaked cheeks. “Zevy” slipped from her lips as “Carls” fell from his. He panted for air, short of breath from sprinting through town.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her whole body shaking.
“I broke a promise and I had to fix it.” His nerves were fried from the long, stressful trip, but he was finally there, and he wasn’t going to waste a second. “I said I’d never hurt you again, but this morning when we FaceTimed I saw how hard you were trying to put on a brave