Page 85 of Just One Spark

I moved closer to her, pressing Play on a playlist on my phone, and drew her into my arms."This is what you've always wanted."

"I'm scared."

I tipped her chin up slightly so she was looking at me."Beck looked at your financials recently, remember?"

She bit her lip."Yeah, he said he wanted to help."

"He said your business can expand.You've already increased your streams of income with the inn and the brewery."

She tipped her head to the side."Yeah, but that was all you.You're doing me a favor."

I shook my head."Hattie, people want your hot chocolate, and they don't just want it from a truck.They want it anywhere they're gathering, in and out of town.They don't want a substitute when they can have the real thing.You can keep your truck for out-of-town festivals if you want, or you can sell it if you want more money in the bank."

"We don't even know what the rent would be on a place like this.In this location, I'm sure it will be pricey."

I pulled up the lease on my phone."Beck told Eve your vision for a store, and she was excited that you wanted to expand.She thought you would want to stay with the truck."

Hattie's nose wrinkled."No."

I chuckled, scrolling to the pertinent line about the amount of the lease."Here's the monthly payment."

Hattie's eyes rounded."That's doable."

"Eve said she wants to support small-business owners, and it's a mutually beneficial arrangement for the town to have a permanent hot-chocolate store."

Hattie blinked away her tears."I can put shelves on that wall and sell cute mugs.Can you see ones with Hattie's Hot Cocoa on them?Maybe even a hot-cocoa kit that people can buy as presents."

"You can do anything you want.We'll build shelves and paint the walls so that it looks exactly how you imagined."

She hugged me."I can't believe you did all this for me."

"I wanted you to see what's possible.I didn't expect that Eve would be on board and that she was willing to negotiate a reasonable rate.Originally, I thought I'd show you a space so you could see that it was possible.But everything fell into place for you to have it now."

She let out a breath."Are you saying this place is mine if I want it?"

"You just have to sign the lease.Eve's holding it for you."

Hattie closed her eyes briefly, then opened them."I have everything I've ever wanted.First you and now this.I can't believe all I had to do was let you in."

I grinned."I mean, you could have done that a long time ago."

She smiled up at me."But I'm here now."

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

She went up on tiptoes to kiss me, and I pulled her against me.There was nowhere else I'd rather be than here in her arms.

Our dreams had come true.We had each other, and I knew when the time was right, I'd ask her to marry me again.

I hope you loved Hattie and Rowan’s story!Experience Rowan’s real proposal in the bonus epilogue (and a surprise!).

Boone and Kennedy’s romance is next inJust One Chance.I've spent years waiting for the chance to transform Hart's Inn with my handcrafted furniture.But just as my dream is within reach, my parents hire a city designer to decide whether my work—and my vision—are good enough.

Now I'm stuck showing her around the inn and the mountain town.Every day together blurs the line between rivalry and attraction.But falling for the one woman who can destroy everything I've worked for could cost me far more than my dream.

ReadJust One Chance.