Page 13 of A Place for Daydreams

His eyebrows lifted in surprise. “I didn’t expect a physical therapist to have that kind of knowledge about cars. Do you work on cars?”

She laughed. “Not really. I mean, I know some things about fixing cars, and I enjoy the work. My grandpa loves cars and he taught me about them when I was a kid. I actually moved here to Rosewood Beach to be closer to my grandparents. My grandpaand I haven’t worked too much on cars together since I came here, but when I was younger we restored a 1988 Porsche 911, and it was so much fun.” She stared into space for a moment, reliving the memories in her mind. “I just remember feeling so proud of what we were doing, even though I never got to see the thing running.”

“How come?” He no longer appeared uncomfortable or eager to leave. There was a sparkle of interest in his eyes, and she knew that they’d landed on a subject that fascinated him immensely.

She shook her head. “I was away at school when he finished it—he finally got the engine up and running. I was so sad about it at the time, because I’d never gotten to ride in it.”

He nodded. “I can understand that. But at least you still had that wonderful experience with your grandfather.”

“Oh, you’re so right.” She smiled at him warmly.

“That must have been hard, to go back and forth to your grandparents’ like that,” he said. “I’m lucky that my family has always been in the same place, at least for the most part. I have two sisters that moved away for a while, but they’re both back now. Both my parents have always been here in Rosewood Beach with me—” He suddenly stopped himself. “Well, my father passed away recently. But up until then…”

She nodded quickly, feeling another surge of sympathy for him. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” He swallowed. He seemed to suddenly realize that he’d become unusually comfortable with her, sharing so much after knowing her for only a few minutes.

She could understand where he was coming from. She also felt instantly comfortable with him in a way that felt fun and easy. He was the kind of person that she would like to be friends with, she thought, and she was glad that there were people her own age like him in Rosewood Beach.

“Let’s go ahead and get started,” she said, smiling cheerfully. “We’ve introduced ourselves and gone over your medical information. Am I right in guessing that your goals are decreased pain, and increased strength and flexibility?”

He nodded, smiling. “Yeah, that’s about the size of it. Whatever you can do to help me feel better, doctor.”

“Sounds good.” She smiled back at him. “Let’s go ahead and get started.”

She thought about how odd it was that she’d just decided she’d probably be dealing with mostly achy, geriatric hips and knees. She hadn’t expected a young, charismatic man to be on her schedule. Although she loved working with elderly people, she found herself excited over the fact that she would get to be working with Dean as well. He seemed like a pleasant person who she would like to be friends with.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Julia felt a warm breeze ruffle against her face, and droplets of cool water landed on her arms. The air was filled with the invigorating smell of chlorinated water, and she took a deep breath, smiling. The sounds of splashing and children laughing surrounded her, and she felt lighthearted and in a playful, energetic mood.

She and Cooper and Macey were at the Rosewood Beach splash pad, enjoying one of the last hot days of the year. Even though the sun was hot that day, there was still a certain scent in the air that hinted at autumn. It was gorgeous weather, Julia thought, and she felt thrilled to be able to spend time outside with people she loved.

“Is it fun, Macey?” she called to Cooper’s daughter, who was standing underneath a large plastic flower that was raining down waterdrops.

Macey, who was wearing a pink and yellow frilly bathing suit, laughed and clapped her hands. Julia’s heart melted, and she felt an urge to scoop Macey up in her arms and give her a big squeeze. Since she herself wasn’t wearing a bathing suit, however, she decided to stay where she was, away from the plastic flower’s stream of water.

Cooper was standing closer to his daughter, hovering near her as if worried that she might fall. He was wearing jeans and a paint-flecked work shirt, but he’d gotten soaked by the splash pad already. Both he and Julia were barefoot, and he had his jeans rolled up almost to his knees. He was watching his daughter with a look of total adoration on his face, and Julia couldn’t help grinning at the sight.

“You know what would make it ever more fun?” Julia asked Macey.

Macey looked up at her with big happy eyes, smiling expectantly.

“I think…” Julia took a couple of steps closer to Cooper and Macey. “That what would make it more fun… would be… a splash attack!”

Laughing, she bent down to splash Cooper and Macey with the shallow water of the splash pad. It was difficult to do, since there were only a few inches of water on the ground, but the way that Macey immediately started laughing was well worth the challenge.

“Oh, yeah?” Cooper laughed. “Retaliation!”

He grabbed Julia around the waist and tugged her under the spray of water coming from the plastic flower. She laughed hysterically as she tried to wiggle away from him, and then gave up. He dipped her back into a kiss, and she thought to herself that she never would have thought that getting kissed on a splash pad could feel so romantic.

She felt water splashing against her shins, and a moment later she and Cooper looked down to see Macey splashing them with water just like Julia had splashed her and Cooper a moment ago.

“Wow, you’re a fast learner, Macey.” Julia gave the little girl a high-five. “You’re really good at splashing.”

Macey offered her a chubby smile, and Cooper picked his daughter up and gave her a big squeeze, just like Julia had wanted to earlier. He kissed Macey on the cheek and danced with her under the spray of water for a little while. Julia’s heart warmed as she watched the two of them, and she thought to herself that she couldn’t wait until her bond with the little girl was even stronger.

Finally, Macey started to wiggle out of Cooper’s arms, so he set her down on the ground.

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