Page 76 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

Unease rippled through her as she made her way to the front entrance. The sprawling Craftsman-style home had been beautifully renovated, its wraparound porch adorned with overflowing hanging baskets of petunias and ferns. On any other evening, Juno would have paused to admire Hazel's handiwork, but tonight she was too preoccupied with getting through the next few hours without falling apart.

As she approached the front door, she could hear the hum of many voices within. The door swung open before she could reach for the handle, and Penny stood there, a broad smile lighting up her face, Claire right behind her.

"You're here!" Penny exclaimed, pulling Juno into a quick hug.

"Sorry I'm late," Juno said, forcing a smile.

"Hey woman," Claire greeted her, a sly grin tugging at her lips. "We were getting worried."

"What is going on here tonight?" Juno asked as Claire linked her arm through hers.

Penny gestured for them to follow her inside, and Juno stopped short at the sight before her. The grand foyer and adjacent parlor were filled with people, what seemed like half the town of Autumn Lake. Pastor Darren chatted with Mr. and Mrs. Carrol near the fireplace. Sonya from Tip-Top Talons was listening raptly as John Jenson regaled her with one of his many construction-gone-wrong tales. She saw Trevor, who'd asked for the evening off because of some emergency, over near a buffet table that nearly buckled under the weight of dozens of homemade desserts. Even Mr. and Mrs. Frampton were there, talking with a group of other couples from church.

Juno did not see Alex or Lena, but she forced herself to stop looking for them. Why on earth would they be at the B&B this evening? Then again, why would any of these people?

Mrs. Becker hurried over and held out her arms for a hug. "Juno dear. It's so good to see you. You are such a treasure to all of us." Then she reached over and patted Claire's hand, winked at Penny, and shuffled off to greet someone else.

"You guys, what's going on?" Juno asked again, confusion giving way to suspicion. "And where are Liz and Candy? Is Addison here yet?"

Penny's smile grew wider. "In the kitchen. Come on."

Before Juno could protest, Claire was guiding her by the arm through the crowd with Penny parting the way in front of them. People smiled and nodded as she passed, a few calling out greetings. Juno returned them automatically, her mind racing to make sense of the gathering.

In the main dining room, a large banner hung across one wall: "Autumn Lake Loves Juno's Coffee Bar." Beneath it was a table lined with donation jars, each labeled with aspects of her planned expansion: "New Equipment," "Contractor Fees," "Furnishings Fund," and more. Every jar had cash and checks in them, and in a basket on the table were what appeared to be greeting cards with her name on them.

Realization dawned, bringing with it a flood of complicated emotions—gratitude, embarrassment, pride, shame, and love. This wasn't a Garden Variety Lovers Club meeting. This was a fundraiser. For her.

Claire squeezed her arm, and when Juno met her gaze, she saw both apprehension and excitement. "Before you say anything—"

"Claire," Juno cut in, her voice low and tight, "what is this?"

"It's your community showing up for you," Claire said simply. "The way you've always shown up for us."

"But how did you—" Juno stuttered to a stop, bamboozled by the overwhelming flood of emotions coursing through her, her eyes stinging from unshed tears. She would not cry; not in front of all these people.

Penny pushed open the door to the kitchen and gestured at Juno and Claire to follow.

In the kitchen were Addison, Candy, and Liz filling more dessert platters to take out to the table. Addison rushed over when they entered and gave Juno a warm hug. "You're here. You're not mad at us, are you?"

"Of course, I am," Juno shot back, her voice husky around the lump in her throat. "I hate you all."

Liz rolled her eyes. "And we hate you, too. See how much?" She waved the spatula she wielded in a gesture meant to encompass the entire event.

Candy dropped a frosted cupcake upside down on the platter she was filling, picked it up, then brought it over to Juno. "Here. Eat this. Cupcakes are magic that way, and I can't serve it now." She practically forced Juno to take it, then licked the frosting off her own fingers before heading to the sink to wash her hands. "Wow. That's tasty frosting."

To give herself time to process, Juno took a too-big bite and chewed slowly. It was a sour cream coffee cake base with a maple frosting; it really was delicious.

When she finally swallowed and accepted the cup of coffee Penny poured for her, she looked around the room at her friends. Her crazy, best-of-intentions friends. She pressed her hand to her heart and thought how very fortunate she was to have these women in her life.

"Thank you," she managed to say, her voice cracking. "I don't know how you found out—yes, I do. It's a small town, isn't it?" She chuckled ruefully. "But thank you for putting this together. I don't hate you."

"We love you, too," Liz shot back, her tone still dry, but there was an uncharacteristic tenderness in the way she looked at Juno.

Claire drew closer. "It was Alex's idea."

"Alex?" The single word came out sharper than Juno intended.

Claire nodded. "He found out from John Jensen when you had to put off your renovation."

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