Page 50 of A Place for Daydreams

“My goodness, this is exciting,” Julia said.

Hazel sat down beside her sister, feeling both delighted and extremely relieved. Samantha wasn’t nearly as boy-crazy as she’d thought. If she was choosing her friends over being chosen by a boy, that was setting a healthy pattern for her future. It was clear that Samantha didn’t think she needed a boy to complete her, she was perfectly happy to be her full self with her friends.

“Ladies and—ladies!” Samantha began to speak in a dramatic announcer voice. “Thank you for coming to the concert of ‘The Rosebuds,’ the best girl band in Rosewood Beach!”

Samantha and her friends began to sing a popular pop song, going back and forth from solos to group singing and changing up which one of them was singing as a soloist every few lines. They were giggling a great deal and some of their pitches were a little flat, but they all performed with gusto and an impressive amount of confidence.

As soon as their final note ended, Hazel and Julia burst into applause.

“Amazing!” Hazel said, grinning. “You girls sound great together. How long have you wanted to be a band?”

“Uh, a couple of days?” Willow glanced at her friends, frowning a little in concentration.

“‘The Rosebuds’ are a new band, but we are committed to it.” Samantha nodded emphatically, her eyes shining. “We’re going to rehearse every Tuesday night for a couple of hours.”

“Yeah, in my garage,” Natalie said. “Because real bands rehearse in garages.”

“Sounds fantastic.” Julia grinned. “I’d ask for an encore, but we don’t want to keep your mother waiting too long, Willow. And besides, you girls don’t want to be late for the dance.”

“You’re right!” Samantha ran to her mother and hugged her tightly. “Bye, Mom! Love you. I’ll see you later!”

“Have an amazing time!”

The girls vaulted out of the house, and Julia and Hazel watched them go from the windows, smiling over how cute the girls looked in their beautiful dresses.

“Oh, well, that’s a relief,” Hazel said with a big sigh as she watched Samantha hop into Willow’s mom’s van.

Julia laughed. “I guess that crush was short-lived! Girls her age are into something one minute and then off to something else the next.”

“Clearly.” Hazel chuckled. “And I’m so glad that she’s more excited about having fun with her friends than going to a dance with a boy.”

“You seem to be in the clear for now. Sorry you had all that worrying for nothing.”

“Oh, I don’t think it was for nothing.” Hazel shook her head. “This way, I’ll feel more prepared when boys inevitably come back around someday. But this was my first test in practicing letting go. Hopefully next time it won’t feel so hard.”

“Hopefully.” Julia nodded sympathetically. “And at least now you know that it’s coming.”

“And when it does come, I’ll be more ready to trust my daughter and let her make her own choices.” Hazel smiled. “I can’t help hoping she’ll be a little older the next time she gets thisexcited about a boy, but however old she is, I’m going to remind myself that she’s smart enough to make her own choices about some things.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Noelle parked her car outside Dean’s auto repair shop, her heart thumping in her chest.

He asked me out. He asked me out, she thought.I’m going on a date with Dean. An actual date.

A grin spread across her face. Ever since Dean had asked her out, she’d felt as though she was living in some kind of pink haze. She’d found herself singing in the shower or while she was doing the dishes. She felt buoyant and eager, and she’d started to count the hours until their date. Now that it had arrived, she was almost bursting with excitement.

She’d put on a cute outfit of dark jeans, light blue heels with a strap, and a pink blazer over a white sweater. She’d done her hair and makeup carefully, applying a pink lipstick and creamy brown eyeshadow. Before leaving her house, she’d turned back and forth in front of her mirror several times, giving herself a pep talk as anticipation bubbled inside her.

Now that she’d arrived at the auto repair shop, she felt nervous, but her eagerness was much stronger than her jitters. She got out of her car, grabbing her small purse and slinging it over her shoulder as she walked up to the front door of the shop.

She’d found it a bit odd when Dean had texted her earlier in the day and asked her if she would meet him at the shop for their date. He’d told her that he would be working, but they could start their date there and he could drive her to dinner in his car.

She glanced at the parking lot of the shop, noting that the only car there was Dean’s. She realized he must be working late on some kind of special repair, since all of his employees had already gone home for the day. She pictured him wearing his dirty mechanic jumpsuit, his hands covered in grease, and she smiled to herself. Even if he didn’t get a chance to get cleaned up before their dinner, she knew that she would take him even covered in car grease.

She pulled open the door of the repair shop, and a moment later she stopped in her tracks. Dean was standing in the lobby grinning at her. He wasn’t dirty or wearing a mechanic’s uniform at all—he was wearing an attractive navy sweater, dark slacks, and dress shoes. His unruly hair had been combed back, making it seem as though he’d really dressed up for the occasion.

“Good evening,” he said, his eyes warm. His tone was gentle and familiar, and she felt as though she’d known him for years. “You look amazing.”

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