Page 21 of A Place for Daydreams

She bit her lip, struck by how energetic and healthy he looked in all of the pictures. Seeing him like that increased her determination to make things better for him through PT.

“I was pretty skinny, wasn’t I?”

She jumped, startled, and whirled around to see Dean standing in the doorway, grinning at her. A drop of coffee splashed onto her hand, and she wiped it off, laughing.

“Oops, sorry.” He grinned apologetically. “That’s the second time I’ve scared you today.”

“No, it’s okay.” She chuckled. “I guess I’m just a little embarrassed you caught me snooping.”

“You’re not snooping. Those pictures were hung up to be looked at. Did you see the one of the fishing trip? I didn’t catch that monster, but I wish I had. That was the biggest fish I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.”

“I did see it.” She grinned. “Very impressive. What’s the verdict on my car, doctor?”

“Oh, not so good.” He sighed. “One of the brake lines snapped and will need to be replaced. You’ve also got a leak in your coolant, which needs to be fixed or your engine could overheat. We can fix both of those things for you, but it’ll take us the rest of the day.”

Disappointment flopped in Noelle’s stomach. “It will? You’re sure?”

He nodded. “Unfortunately. We’re making your car as much of a priority as we can, since you came in with a safety concern,but we also have other car repair appointments we have to honor. I can promise you that we’ll get it done before tomorrow, though. Did you have somewhere you needed to be today?”

She shook her head. “Needed is the wrong word. I had a hike and a picnic planned for today, but it will have to wait.”

“Oh. Did—was someone else going with you, who could?—”

She shook her head, smiling. “No, a solo expedition I’m afraid. I wanted to see the Sea Captain’s Closet today. I was trying to get to know Rosewood Beach better, since I just moved here recently.”

“I’m sorry.” He smiled sympathetically. “The good news is that there are plenty of other great places around town that are within walking distance. There are some parks, and there’s an award-winning garden behind the library. Plenty of good places for a picnic.”

“Thanks for the advice.” She felt grateful that he was being so sweet about the whole thing. “I guess I should get my lunch box out of my car. Or… am I not allowed back in the garage?”

He laughed at her joke, shaking his head. “Nah, I can make an exception in your case. Feel free to grab your stuff, and then if you could meet me back in here, we’ll get some of the paperwork out of the way. Mostly I just need your phone number so we can call you when your car is ready.”

“Sounds good.”

She smiled at him and went back out into the garage to get her stuff. She exchanged a few friendly words with Keith, and then returned to Dean’s office, where he’d prepared a couple of documents for her to sign.

“I hope the price is okay,” he said, handing the papers to her. “Maybe I could give you a physical therapist’s discount.” He chuckled.

“Oh, thanks for offering, but that looks more than fair.” She smiled at him as she sat down. “And I’m just so grateful you’reable to fix my car on short notice. My apartment is only a three-minute drive from here, so I’m so relieved I didn’t have to drive far with my brakes acting up like that.”

He nodded. “Always err on the side of caution for that sort of thing. It’s usually best to get a tow to be on the safe side. Although, I trust you to make smart decisions about things like that. You seem like a cautious person.”

She smiled as she signed the document. “I am careful. My job hinges so much around safety. I usually have safety on my brain.”

“Me too.” He chuckled.

For a moment, they sat there smiling at each other, and then finally she snapped herself out of it.

“Well, here you go.” She stood up, handing him the papers. She felt as though she’d like to stay and talk to him longer, but she guessed that he was busy and had a great deal to do. Besides, if she was going to go out and explore Rosewood Beach on foot, she should get a move on so that she could locate some picturesque spot by lunchtime.

“We’ll give you a call. Have a good time exploring our town.”

She smiled. “I will! I’ll just have to explore the Sea Captain’s Closet another time.”

“You should. I’ve been there, it’s pretty cool.”

She thanked him again as she left his office and made her way outside. As she stepped back out into the sunshine, she found herself wondering about Dean. When had he gone to the cave? Had he been there a lot? Did he enjoy hiking as much as he seemed to enjoy working on cars and playing baseball?

She strolled along the sidewalk, swinging her lunch box from her hand and deciding she would just let her feet take her where they would. It was pleasant, she realized, to just let herself wander around without a specific agenda. She found herself noticing more of the details surrounding her than she normallywould, such as a little gnome holding a pie in a front garden, and the smell of cinnamon and coffee wafting out of a gift shop.

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