The only way it doesn't hurt

Part Five

“I was,” Leah said unapologetically. “When they said you couldn’t make it, I think I made a sad whale sound.”

She turned her gaze to Isla, who had now slid down from Maya’s arms and was shyly hugging my leg, holding her new duck toy.

“Oh. My. Heart.” Leah crouched down. “Hi there. What’s your name?”

“‘I-la,” she mumbled, her voice soft but curious.

“Isla! That’s a beautiful name.” Leah held out her hand like she was greeting a princess. Isla placed her tiny fingers in Leah’s palm and gave a bashful smile.

Leah’s eyes flicked up to me again, head tilting. “You’re her mum?”

I nodded, brushing a hand over Isla’s curls.

Leah blinked. “You look way too young to be a mum.”

“I get that a lot,” I said with a half-smile.

“Well, you wear it like art,” she said earnestly.

My heart did a funny flutter. Compliments always made me squirm, but something about Leah’s energy—honest and a little chaotic—made it hard not to smile back.

She was still gently lifting Isla’s hand and twirling her in a slow, silly spin. “She’s adorable. I mean, dangerously cute.”

“She knows it,” Maya chimed in, smirking. “Uses it like currency.”

Leah stood again, practically bouncing. “I can’t wait to work with you, Amelia. I’ve been dreaming up some layout ideas already—pairing your illustrations with this upcoming photography piece. It’s going to be magical.”

“That sounds lovely,” I said, and meant it. Her enthusiasm was catching.

We stood there for another minute, the boutique humming gently around us, Isla now babbling something to her duck. For once, instead of shrinking under the sudden attention, I felt… quietly excited.

Maybe this project would be something good.

Leah suddenly gasped, clutching her phone like she just remembered something life-altering. “Wait—Niomi and Lauren are here too! They're in the shoes section.”

Before I could ask who they were, she was already tapping away with rapid-fire thumbs. “You have to meet them.”

Maya leaned toward me with a grin. “You’re about to meet the rest of the whirlwind.”

Not a minute later, two women appeared from behind a rack of leather sandals and floral espadrilles. One had sharp bangs and oversized sunglasses perched on her head—Naomi, I guessed as maya mentioned them—and the other was all soft curls and shy smiles must be lauren.

“Guys!” Leah waved them over like they’d been separated for years. “This is the Amelia.”

Both Naomi and Lauren turned to me, expressions flipping from polite to delighted.

“Oh! Finally!” Naomi said, stepping forward. “We heard so much about you yesterday. Your work’s amazing.”

Lauren nodded, ducking slightly to Isla’s level. “And who might this little princess be?” she asked gently, offering a soft smile.

Isla blinked up at her, fingers curled into the hem of my skirt.

I gave a small laugh. “This is Isla.”

Lauren's eyes lit up. “Isla,” she repeated softly, like she was trying it out on her tongue. “That’s a beautiful name.”

She slowly extended two fingers, offering Isla the soft duck she’d just picked up from the shelf. “Nice to meet you, Isla.”

Isla peeked up at her, took the duck, and gave Lauren a crooked smile. My heart tugged a little—she always took her time with strangers, and I admired that about her.

Naomi turned to Maya with a playful roll of her eyes. “We were just wandering Rosebury when we saw the boutique sale sign. Leah practically sprinted in.”

“She did,” Lauren confirmed with a light laugh. “You’d think it was Chanel.”

“Hey,” Leah protested. “A good print dress on sale is a universal emergency.”

Maya folded her arms and grinned. “So you're all just hanging out now? Rosebury’s treating you well, I see.”

Naomi shrugged. “Well, we figured we’d walk the town after the meeting, take a few photos, breathe air that doesn’t smell like cab exhaust. And today…” She gestured around the boutique like it explained everything.

I watched them all together—these polished city women who somehow still blended into the soft, humming charm of Rosebury. It was odd, how easy they were to talk to. Their energy buzzed like sunlight bouncing off windows, and for once, it didn’t feel like too much.

Maybe this project wouldn’t be a storm after all. Maybe it would be a gentle tide, one I could walk into, bit by bit.