Rosie glanced around the wine bar. Even though it had been open for quite a few months, she’d never set foot inside before. It was a matter of principle — and having just broken up with Amy around the time of The Lounge’s grand opening.

Amy’s parents had just called it The Lounge, which was so typical of them. Granted, it was the only wine bar in Otter Bay, but the name got on Rosie’s nerves nonetheless.

“Thanks for meeting me here,” Amy said. “I got you a glass of Sancerre.”

“Thanks.” Rosie decided to let it slide that Amy had ordered for her. She knew she meant well. When they were still together, Rosie had professed her love for Sancerre numerous times, and Amy wasn’t one to forget something like that. It was actually kind of sweet.

“Our last chat has been on my mind,” Amy said. “And I’ve talked to my parents.”

Rosie was still taking in the rather sterile ambiance of the bar, and Amy wanted to talk business already. She had definitely inherited some of her parents’ ruthlessness. You didn’t monopolise most of Otter Bay’s food and beverage industry without making some enemies — although industry was perhaps too big a word for it.

“I’m fine, thanks, and how are you?” Rosie said, grinning.

“Sorry.” Amy looked up from her glass of wine. “I’m just excited about this.” She held up her glass.

“A toast already?” Rosie lifted her glass towards Amy’s.

“I suppose we can toast the fact that we can now be civil with each other. That’s something. At least to me it is.”

Having been brutally hurt herself, Rosie felt a bit more compassionate towards her ex. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she said. “But you and I, we were never really right for each other.”

“According to you.” Amy drank her wine.

“Well, yes. There are usually two people in a relationship and if one of them thinks—”

Amy stopped Rosie by putting a hand on hers. “It’s fine. We don’t have to go there again. My feelings for you aren’t mutual. I’m starting to get over that fact.” To Rosie’s relief, she withdrew her hand swiftly. “We’re not here to rehash the past. I want to talk about the future.”

Rosie took a sip of wine. Its cool crispness slid down her throat and relaxed her a little. “Okay, let’s talk about the future.”

“As I said, I talked to my parents. They haven’t failed to notice how well Mark & Maude’s is doing. I’m here to make you an offer on their behalf.”

Rosie tried to keep her cool. She wouldn’t have agreed to meeting Amy at The Lounge if she hadn’t suspected this was going to happen, but Rosie was determined not to let her excitement get in the way of her negotiation skills. She nodded. “That’s great.”

“I know you have conditions,” Amy said. “And we’re willing to honour them because why change a winning team? We definitely want Gina to stay on as chef. And Hilary is part of the fabric of the cafe so we’d love for her to stay as well, if she wants to, of course.” Rosie wasn’t so sure about that. “We want the place as it is.” She cocked her head. “We may change some details, like the crockery. But all in all, you’ve done a good job doing it up. It’s got oodles of Cornish charm.”

Rosie wanted to hop off her barstool and jump up and down with glee. But she didn’t know what they were offering yet.

“Thank you,” she said instead. “That sounds like music to my ears.”

Amy fished inside her purse and got out a notepad and pen. She scribbled something on the piece of paper, tore it off and folded it in half. She then slid it across the table to Rosie.

Rosie peered at the piece of folded-up paper. “I feel like I’m in a gangster movie.”

“Otter Bay style,” Amy said.

Rosie reached for the piece of paper. Her pulse picked up speed as she unfolded it. Her eyes went wide, her mouth as dry as the paper she was holding. This was much more than she had expected. This amount of money would pay for Paige’s entire university education, while leaving more than a good chunk for Rosie to go travelling with.

“I—I don’t really know what to say.” She glanced at Amy. Was there a catch somewhere?

“Otter Bay is on the up,” Amy said. “It’s reflected in the offer.” She pulled her lips into a smirk. “You didn’t think I was going to low-ball you, did you?”

“I guess you’d be getting rid of your last competition in town.” Rosie glanced at the number again. “What about the name? You won’t change it to The Cafe, will you?”

Amy chuckled. “My dad went to school with yours. He was very fond of Mark. I think he’ll want to keep the name.”

“That’s a lot of sentiment for a Davies,” Rosie joked.

“We’re not cold-hearted arseholes, you know. We love Otter Bay. And isn’t it better that a local family owns it instead of some multinational chain rolling into town, taking all its personality away?”

“It’s only a matter of time before Starbucks claims its stake in Otter Bay.”

“Over my dead body.” Amy spat out the words.

“When your parents ever retire, they’ll leave their business in good hands with you.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Better in mine than in Grant’s, that hormonal little twerp.”

“Give your little brother a break. What were you like when you were twenty years old?”

“I was at uni and working full shifts in the pub when I came home.”

“Yes, the youngest ones always get spoiled more.” Except for my little sister who had other things to deal with.

“So.” Amy nodded at the piece of paper. “What do you think?”

“I need to discuss this with my family, Gina included.”

“Of course.” Amy painted a smug smile on her face. She knew very well this was a once-in-a-lifetime offer.

So did Rosie.

It was a Friday night so Paige was still up, watching Riverdale on Netflix, Cher in her lap, as usual.

Rosie casually walked past her and dropped the piece of paper she’d been clutching in her hand all the way home into Paige’s lap.

Cher lazily lifted a paw but didn’t seem further bothered by it.

“What’s this?” Paige picked up the piece of paper.

“You might want to pause your show.” Rosie sat down on the coffee table. Her cheeks were starting to hurt from grinning.

Paige pressed pause and flattened the piece of paper. She glanced at it, her brow furrowing.

“This could be your university fund.” Rosie couldn’t keep her mouth shut any longer.

“Did Amy make you an offer?” Paige readjusted her position and Cher glared at her in response.

Rosie nodded.

“Oh my god.” Paige kept staring at the piece of paper.

“And they’ve agreed to keep Gina and Aunt Hilary on, if they want to stay.” Rosie looked into her sister’s elated face and, for the first time since that dreadful moment with Charlie in the cafe’s kitchen, she felt a rush of pure happiness surge through her. She may not be able to be with Charlie, but at least she could make some of her other dreams come true.

“You can go travelling.” Paige was getting so excited, Cher hopped off her lap in search of a more peaceful spot to spend her evening.

“I know.”

“Where will you go?”

“Hold your horses, sis. We need to speak to Aunt Hilary and Gina first.”

“There’s no way Aunt Hilary could be against this kind of offer.” She waved the piece of paper in the air between them. “And not that much will change for Gina.”

“She’ll have the Davies as her boss.” Rosie pursed her lips together.

“They’re not that bad,” Paige said.

“Says the girl who fumed against Amy just as much as I did.”

Paige shifted her weight around again. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and looked at Rosie rather coyly. “Amy and her family are doing right by you now, aren’t they?”

“Yes.” Even Rosie couldn’t deny that.

“Because… the thing is…” Paige called Cher over. The cat ignored her.

“What?”

“I didn’t want to tell you because you were so down in the dumps about Charlie.” A small smile appeared on Paige’s face. “But the past few weeks, Grant Davies and I have been sort of seeing each other.”

“Amy’s brother?” In her head, the words Amy had used earlier that evening to describe Grant blinked in big red letters: that hormonal little twerp.

“He’s nothing like Amy,” Paige blurted out. “He’s so sweet.”

“Amy can be very sweet when she wants to be. It’s only when she doesn’t get her own way that the claws come out.”

“I really like him.” Paige’s cheeks turned pink. “I’ve been dying to tell you, but I just couldn’t do it. Not with the whole Charlie thing.”

“Come on.” Rosie leaned over and patted her sister on the knee. “You’re my baby sister. You can always tell me anything.”

“Correction, I’m your grown-up sister, who can and always will take your feelings into account.”

A fuzzy warmth spread through Rosie. “I’m happy you’ve met someone you really like. At least, as far as looks go, the Davies gene pool isn’t too bad.”

Paige chuckled and smoothed the wrinkles out of the piece of paper she was holding in her hand. “I wonder if Grant had any say in this.”

“Why don’t we find out? Invite him to dinner. I’d like to spend some time with him.”

“You mean you want to appraise him?” Paige balled up the piece of paper she’d just carefully levelled out and threw it in Rosie’s direction.

“That as well.”

“Shall we double date then? You and Amy plus me and Grant?”

Rosie threw the piece of paper back at her sister. She hoped it would suffice as a no. Now that she and Amy could have an adult conversation again, she didn’t want to get her ex’s hopes up.

“We should plan your travels,” Paige said. “Where will you go?”

Rosie thought for a moment, but she didn’t have to contemplate this question very long. She knew exactly where she wanted to go. “Venice.”

“I wish I could go with you,” Paige said.

“Then do.” Rosie looked her sister in the eye. “Come with me.”

Paige’s mouth fell open for a split second, then closed. She started nodding enthusiastically. “We can go to all the spots Mum and Dad took pictures of. Relive their last, happy moments.”

They both fell silent for a while.

Paige was the first to talk again. “Maybe you should go to Monaco as well.”

“Monaco? I agree that the Davies made us a good offer, but I don’t think we should consider tax evasion just yet.”

“With your magnetism to royals,” Paige said, “maybe you can attract another princess.”

Rosie giggled along with her sister, hoping she was successfully hiding the anguish ripping her apart inside.

There would only ever be one princess for her.