Epilogue

One Year Later

Jack

I ran the dustmop all the way around the store, but since we did this so often, there wasn't much to be found. I was opening today, and I wanted to make sure everything was perfect since today would be our official grand re-opening. Hudson had bought the store just like he planned but it had needed more work than he expected, and he wanted it all done right so we'd taken our time. We also hired my dad to do a lot of the work since he was excellent at his job. I looked up at the rafters that were now clean, sanded, and stained and looked completely different than they had a year ago.

"Morning, baby, are you ready?" he asked when he walked in carrying a tray with coffees, and a large box of pastries that I took from him and set on the coffee station we now had near the front counter. Hudson had embraced his small-town roots and wanted everyone to feel welcome and to him that meant having a coffee and a pastry. The townsfolk agreed, and since we'd started working on cleaning and improving the space more of them had started to shop here instead of going out of town or even to the local farm supply. Even when we were closed for remodeling, they all stood by us and someone would always stop by to check on the progress.

"I'm ready. Do you think it'll be busy?" I asked and took the coffee he handed me.

"I think so. If nothing else, we should get a steady stream of people stopping by to see what we've changed." He looked around the space and I could see how proud he was of what we'd accomplished. We'd taken an old crappy hardware store and turned it into a modern hardware store with a good selection of paint, tools, and even live plants.

"The chicks are in the back. I wasn't sure where you wanted to put them." Hudson had wanted to have a few things we didn't normally carry to see how they did. So we'd ordered some baby chicks and ducks, feeders, warmers, feed, and a small chicken coop in case someone needed one.

"Oh great, I thought we could put them in the small cages for today just so everyone can see them," he said and rubbed his hands together.

"I think they're going to like the kitchen section," I said. In all the years I'd lived here there was never a place in town where you could buy a new skillet or a spatula, and I'd been asked for both on many occasions. Now we had a small but creative collection of them. "Is Jonas stopping by?"

"Yes, they're on their way now," Hudson said. He'd bought a small house on the other side of town, and I'd moved in with him. Our parents were a little shocked, but once they saw how happy we both were there was nothing else to be said.

"I can't wait for them to see it." I rubbed my hands together in anticipation and walked over to the potbelly stove we'd had installed both for looks and to keep the place warm. I was standing in front of it when Jonas and Addie walked up to the front of the store. The two of them stopped and sat in the rocking chairs for a moment and glanced around at Main Street. It had changed a lot the past year with most of the businesses making little changes and some, like us, changing everything.

"Hudson, those chairs are great," Addie said as she walked inside and kissed Hudson's cheek. "He's not making you work too hard, is he?" she asked me before pulling me in for a hug.

"No, he's not, but I'm making sure he's not slacking," I said, and she laughed.

They both wandered around the store looking at all the new things we'd added, and marveling at how we'd kept the old things but put them all in order. The building wasn't large, but once we'd emptied it, I was shocked at how much room we had, and now the stock was all stored away and put in order, there was no recognizing how it had looked.

"Oh, you have baby chicks too," Addie said, and Hudson walked over to tell her all about his plans to have a few on hand.

"I don't think I ever thanked you," Jonas said as he leaned against the counter like he'd done every day that I worked with him.

"For what?" I asked and crossed my arms while we both watched Hudson try to catch one of the ducks to show Addie.

"For keeping the store going when I didn't, and for making my son the happiest I've ever seen him. When he left, I never thought he'd live here again, now I can't imagine him ever leaving again."

"I love him." The words rolled off my tongue much easier now and I told Hudson anytime I felt like it, just like he told me. "I couldn't have kept the store open by myself. You did help you know."

"Not enough, I see that now. You two have really done something here, you should both be proud."

"We are," Hudson said as he slipped his arm around my waist and kissed my cheek. "We're both very happy with how it all turned out."

"Well, we're going to look around some more and let you get ready for everyone," Addie said, and handed the duck back to Hudson.

"What do you mean everyone?" Hudson asked.

"It is your grand re-opening. We just made sure everyone knew," Addie said with a wink. "We ordered you some appetizer trays to share."

"You didn't have to do that," Hudson said but I knew he was thrilled for their help. We worked well together but we had both been so focused on the store we hadn't thought much about having an actual grand re-opening. We mostly just put a sign out front.

Just then the door opened, and a group of locals walked in. First in line was Mr. Atkins who came right over to us. "Congratulations, you two. You've done a really good job here," he said and shook both our hands. Since the day he'd shared his story, and we'd put out the rocking chairs, he'd sat out there often. Neither of us minded, and we made sure he had something cold to drink as he rested before walking back to his house.

I pulled him in for a hug and he patted me on the back. "Thank you for stopping by. There are pastries up front, be sure you help yourself."

"I will, thank you, Jack."

"I have a delivery for Jack Hulbert and Hudson Carter," a man said from the front of the store. Addie rushed over to help him, then she and Jonas set the trays of food out as Hudson and I greeted everyone that walked in, and like Addie had said, everyone came by.

Percy and Ben from the bakery walked in carrying a tray of cookies that Addie added to the table. "Gentlemen, if your cookies are as good as your pastries, we're in for a treat," Mr. Atkins said, and chose one as soon as Addie uncovered them.

"Thank you, sir," Percy said, and he and Ben walked around the store.

Next it was Andrew Starr and Officer Duarte, who everyone now knew were together. Brock from the bookstore slipped in with his guy Eddy who glanced around nervously before spotting the baby chicks and walking over for a closer look. I had just started talking to Nate and Kit from the bar when Ezra walked in with his rockstar boyfriend Olly and introduced themselves to everyone who hadn't stopped by their boutique. Then my family walked in, and the noise level kicked up to a ten as my two younger brothers pushed at each other to get to the food acting more like they were in grammar school, not high school.

"Jack, everything looks so nice," Mom said as she hugged Hudson and I. Dad walked over and looked at the finish on one of the beams before walking over to say hello to Jonas. It didn't matter that the job was done, he wanted to make sure.

"Okay, everyone, now the party can start," Isaac said, as he walked in, and behind him was the cute guy he'd met a few months ago at the county fair.

Hudson's arm around me tightened as we greeted each and every one of them and made sure they all had something to eat or drink and Mr. Avery had a chair to sit in. After all, this was our town, these were our friends, and all of them had played a part in us finding our happiness. But mostly we'd found each other, and through all the drama and dust, we'd come out the other side just fine. A country boy turned city boy who was now happier than ever, in the country, and a country boy who never thought he'd fall in love with a city boy but loved him with all his heart.

THE END