Page 56 of A Place for Daydreams

“Wow, that’s really cool. Who’s Rosewood Beach’s first—hey, aren’t those the earrings you made? Alexis! Is this your website?”

“Ta da!” She laughed, her eyes bright with excitement. “Grayson helped me with the website. Well, actually, he made it. Doesn’t it look amazing?”

“It does.” Dean leaned forward, feeling impressed. “But it’s not as great as your jewelry pieces. Look at those! You’re going to get sales for sure.”

“I have sales already!” she practically squealed. “Grayson kept telling me this was going to work, and now I actually believe him.”

“I’m not surprised at all. Congratulations, Alexis!” He reached down and gave her a big hug. “This is amazing.”

“Thank you! Now, what were you saying about needing service?”

He grinned. “Yeah, I put in a to-go order. Is it ready yet?”

“Oh, it should be. The cooks wouldn’t go on a break if there was still a to-go order that needed to be done.”

She stood up and went out into the kitchen. He followed her and watched as she hurried over to a metal shelving unit.

“Here it is.” She held up a white plastic bag that was bulky with the to-go containers inside. A receipt was stapled to the outside of the bag, and she glanced over it. “A Reuben with mashed potatoes on the side? Isn’t that Noelle’s favorite?”

Dean shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe I ordered both the tuna melt and the Reuben because I’m extremely hungry.”

She swatted his arm playfully. “Oh, stop. I know it’s for Noelle. You two have a date this afternoon?”

“Yeah, we do.” He couldn’t help grinning. “I’m on my way over to the physical therapy office to meet her.”

“Sounds lovely. How are things going with you two?” Her eyes widened mischievously, and Dean laughed, knowing how thrilled she must be about his new relationship considering how long she’d tried to get him to date one of the women of Rosewood Beach.

“Super well.” His heart stirred just thinking about Noelle. She always brightened his day, and he found himself thinkingabout her and the conversations they had a great deal of the time.

“I’m really happy to hear that. So you’re planning on staying together, huh?”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” Dean smiled, and he knew his happiness was clearly painted on his face, allowing Alexis to see that his chances with Noelle were definitely favorable.

“Well, I don’t want to keep you.” She gave him a hug. “You have a great date, and I’ll talk to you later!”

“Talk to you later! I look forward to being interrogated.”

“Oh, shush!”

He left the kitchen with an impish grin on his face, wanting to make sure he left before Alexis had a chance to throw something at him.

He stepped outside into the sunlight and took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air. It was chillier than it had been when he’d first started dating Noelle a few weeks earlier, but with a jacket and a warm knit hat on, he felt comfortable.

He walked toward the physical therapy office, the bag of to-go food swinging in his right hand. He could smell the delicious food as he walked, and he was looking forward to eating it. Even more than that, however, he was looking forward to seeing Noelle.

He reached the cheerful little physical therapy office and stepped inside. The familiar sight of the lobby greeted him, and he smiled as he noticed the cute and quirky Halloween decorations that had been set up around the room. He had a feeling that Noelle had picked them out, and he made a mental note to ask her about them later. His favorite was a sparkling pumpkin sporting a happy expression and a purple top hat.

Noelle stepped out of her office, and his heart skipped a beat as soon as he saw her. He was amazed that butterflies still kicked up in his stomach every time he set eyes on her.

“Hey.” She perked up at the sight of him, hurrying across the lobby toward him.

She gave him a big hug, and he squeezed her tightly. She was wearing a large fleece sweatshirt and a pink hat with a pom-pom on the top. He thought she looked absolutely adorable.

“Hey, you,” he murmured. “How’s work going today so far?”

“Oh, great,” she answered as they separated. “I still miss working with my favorite client, but everyone else is lovely too.” She chuckled.

“Well, here’s the question. Would you rather work with your favorite client or go eat an amazing picnic lunch with your favorite client?”

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