Page 18 of A Place for Daydreams

“Huh. I guess that’s proof that anyone can be a good person even if they’re not brought up that way.” She smiled at her brother. “Well, good for Ryan.”

“Yeah, but there’s still something that’s bothering you, I can tell. I can agree that the pub is going great, and you’ve seemed to love working there. But do you? Are you getting tired of it?”

She shook her head. “No, I still love working there. But…”

“Ah, there is it! Come on, out with it. What’s on your mind?”

She laughed. “For a while, I didn’t even know what was bothering me. I felt as though something was missing, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Now I’ve realized that I’m missing my creative outlet.”

“That makes sense. You’ve always been a really creative person. I’ll never forget that time you made an entire Noah’s Ark out of papier-mâché.”

She grinned. “Oh, I remember that. The pigs were my favorite. They were so cute and roly-poly.”

“They did look amazing. And you were like, twelve, and that’s impressive. You’re really good at creating stuff, Alexis. You should figure out ways to scratch that creative itch. Why don’t you pick up some old hobbies as a way of getting your creative juices flowing?”

“You mean I should make another Noah’s Ark out of papier-mâché?”

He laughed. “Only if you want to. Do something that you really enjoy, that lets you feel creative. I always go out and find a fixer-upper car to work on when I feel like I need a creative release. It’s such a challenge that it feels like playing a video game or something.” He paused, suddenly feeling a wave of sadness as he thought about how his hands had a hard time getting through a regular workday now. He didn’t know if he would be able to do extra car work during his time off from work anymore. His heart sank as he thought about how that had been his favorite hobby, and he didn’t want to give it up.

Don’t say never, Dean, he reminded himself.Your strength might improve. Wait and see.

“Hey.” Alexis placed a hand on his shoulder, as if she could guess that the challenges of his diagnosis were troubling him. “I think things are going to get better for you. And you shouldn’t ignore the possibility that going to physical therapy might drastically improve your symptoms. You should really make an appointment, Dean.”

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I already did.”

She let out a little yelp of excitement. “You what? You’re a fine one for secrets! That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you.”

He shook his head, laughing. “You act like I’d vowed to never set foot in a physical therapy clinic ever in my life.”

She grinned. “I know how stubborn men can be. And besides, I know it was something you felt torn about. So I am, I’m really proud of you for going. How was it?”

He shrugged. “It went well, I suppose.” He thought about his visit to the clinic and smiled a little when he thought about Noelle. She had been so kind and considerate. He’d had a great time talking with her. He wasn’t sure how he had expected physical therapy to be, but his session with Noelle had been so unexpectedly pleasant. Noelle had been insightful, and she’d seemed to genuinely care about his passions and interests. Then again, he reflected, she must be like that with everyone.

“Oh, come on.” She laughed. “Please tell me more. What was it like? Do you think it’ll help you?”

“It was fine. The physical therapist is very nice, and she seems to really know what she’s doing. It’s too early to tell if it’ll really help me or not, but I’ll keep trying it. But only because I’m outnumbered by women who insist on badgering me about it.”

He grinned as he said the last part, softening his expression so that she’d know it was a joke.

She smiled back and hugged him around the shoulders. “I’m so happy to hear that. I just know it’s going to change your life.”

He chuckled, but inwardly he thought that that was probably an exaggeration. He doubted that it would really change his life. He did feel hopeful, however. As much as he liked to tease about it, he felt grateful that his sisters had pushed him toward going to physical therapy.

If anything could help him feel better, it would be that, and he was glad that someone as kind and capable as Noelle was guiding him through the process.

CHAPTER TEN

Noelle whistled quietly to herself as she bustled around in the kitchen of her cozy apartment. She had old folk music playing through a little speaker on her kitchen counter, and she was whistling along to the music cheerfully. Sunlight spilled through the windows, making the colored glass vases that she kept lined up on the windowsill gleam charmingly.

“Oh, strawberries,” she murmured, and opened the refrigerator.

She was in the middle of packing herself a picnic lunch for the day. It was a beautiful, crisp Saturday morning, and she’d decided to visit one of Rosewood Beach’s landmarks, a shallow cave in a hill tucked between the water and a grove of birch trees. It was called the Sea Captain’s Closet, since when it had been discovered, a chest of antique sailor’s clothes had been found in it. Noelle found caves thrilling and a little spooky, and she was looking forward to exploring this one, even though it didn’t go very far into the side of the hill.

She’d decided to pack herself a lunch and make a day of it. She’d made herself a chicken sandwich with tomato and avocado slices, and she’d already packed a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies that she’d made the day before. Her coffee, improvedwith cream and a shot of caramel syrup, was ready to go in a travel mug. As soon as she’d remembered the sweet strawberries that she had in the refrigerator, she’d decided she wanted to bring some of those along as well.

She rinsed them off and tucked them into a little Tupperware, which she placed into her lunch box next to her sandwich and the cookies.

Looks like I’m just about ready to go, she thought cheerfully.I can’t wait.

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