AN: And last but not least, the epilogue. It's much shorter than I originally planned, but the extended version willprobably show up whenever I happen to rewrite this story.

O.o.O.o.O

Epilogue
1½ Years Later

“I can’t do this.”

“Yes you can.”

“No. I can’t. I really can’t.”

Libby snorted derisively as she brushed some dirt off of Anna’s jacket. “You’ll be fine. All you’ve got to do is sign a few books. If you can write one, you can sign one.”

“But what if I do something stupid?” Anna drained the last of her water, glancing frantically at the back door of Bailey’s Bookends. She knew the quickest way out. If Libby would just move a little to the left, she could make a break for it.

Libby sighed, grabbing her friend by the shoulder and steering her out of the office and into the store. “Don’t even think about it, Tennor.”

The little store was filled with people. Some she’d seen around town, and some she’d never met at all. And they’d all read her book. They all wanted to see her. It was very bizarre.

An hour and thirty books later, she started getting the hang of this fame thing. Sure, it wasn’t nationwide, or even statewide fame. But it was encouraging to know that these people liked her book, and wanted to share their appreciation with her. By the end of the day, she’d taken pictures with twenty six fans, signed a little over a hundred books, and gotten countless hugs. She’d found a way to touch peoples’ lives. She felt great.

“Happy birthday,” whispered a familiar voice from behind her as she gathered her belongings after closing. A pair of hands spun her around and she smiled, not even needing the green eyes or the goofy grin to confirm who it was.

“Actually, it was a happy birthday,” she said as Tim wrapped his arms around her waist and they swayed to whatever song was stuck in his head.

“Glad to hear it.” He gave her a quick kiss. “So it went well?”

“Extremely.”

His eyes flashed mischievously. “So you’re in a good mood?”

“Depends,” she said, her voice oozing with suspicion.

“Well,” he reported, “I wasn’t supposed to tell, but your mom planned a party.”

She groaned. “I specifically said–”

“I know, I know. You don’t want one. But she wanted to surprise you.” They waved goodbye to Libby and he led her to the parking lot. “She’s just proud of you, since your book is doing so well.”

“But she threw a party when the book was published. Wasn’t that good enough?”

He shrugged. “It’ll be fun. I had some influence on the guest list this time.”

She laughed. “That could be a good thing and a bad thing.” It took her a moment to realize his blue pick–up was nowhere in sight. “Where’s the truck?”

Again, he gave an impish grin. “I didn’t bring the truck.” They walked to the very back of the parking lot.

“Then what did you…?”

The El Dorado convertible looked as new as she remembered it. Tim dropped the keys into her palm, adding, “September is a nice time to put the top down, don’t you agree?” She glanced at him, the keys, and the car, not sure if this was a joke just yet. “Go ahead.”

She didn’t need to be told twice, hopping over the door and into the driver‘s seat without hesitation. “But Taylor sold this ages ago.”

Tim shrugged again as he circled the car in got in himself. “I asked the guy who owns it if I could borrow it for the weekend. He owes me a favor anyway.”

“Must be a pretty big favor,” she commented, throwing it into reverse and pulling out of the space. “Did I say thank you yet?”

“No, but it would be nice.”

Before pulling onto the street, she leaned over and kissed him as long as the waiting traffic would allow. Once a few people started honking, she hit the gas and headed towards her parent’s house. “Thank you,” she said brightly.

Tim cleared his throat to collect himself. “If I’d known that would be my thank you, I would’ve done this a long time ago.”

She chuckled. “Ass.”

THE END

O.o.O.o.O

Final AN: I'd like to thank Marguerite and Amy for constantly pestering me. I wouldn't have finished without their nagging. Ahem, I mean encouragement.

I'm going to rewrite this, probably sometime over the summer, as I'm very unhappy with how it ended up. But I'm still very pleased with the story I wanted told, and with the characters I ended up. They all have their flaws, their pasts, their quirks; I feel like I know them as well as I know my actual friends. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

Thanks for reading!