Page 36 of A Place for Daydreams

They’d both enjoyed the food immensely, and after they were done eating, Dean had felt refreshed and energized. From there, their exploring took them to all of Rosewood Beach’s attractions, including historical landmarks, cozy shops, and a little model train museum that Noelle had proclaimed to be absolutely enchanting.

“Where are you taking me now, Fearless Leader?” Her eyes were bright with interest as she looked at him. “It’s our final destination, right?”

He grinned. He loved that she kept calling him “Fearless Leader.” It made him feel braver than he really was, since he’d definitely had his moments of struggling with fear anduncertainty since receiving his diagnosis. “You’re right, it is our final destination, but it’s a secret. You’ll have to wait and see. Do you trust me?”

“What, after all that? Of course. At this point, if you told me to jump out of a moving car, I’d trust you.”

He shook his head. “I would never ask you to jump out of a moving car.”

“Well, see? That’s more reason for me to trust you.”

They laughed together, the sound of it echoing slightly off the sides of the buildings they were walking beside. They were in a quiet part of town, near the hardware store and the town hall. It was the part of town that was less spruced up for tourists and looked more genuinely lived-in. Noelle didn’t seem any less impressed with it, however. Her eyes still held a sparkle of fascination as she gazed around her.

They turned a corner and found themselves in front of another little park. This one offered a beautiful view of the ocean and had a charming little playground on one side of it. There were a few kids there, laughing and shrieking with mirth as they swung on the swing set and chased each other down the slide.

“Is this our final destination?” Noelle asked, turning to him with a warm smile. “I think that’s so sweet.”

He shook his head, smiling back at her. “It’s almost our final destination. Follow me.”

He led her across the park, near to the place where the grass gave way to a short stretch of sand leading to the ocean. There, a massive oak tree stood, offering a wide expanse of shade. Its sides were covered in carvings, making it look like some kind of magical thing.

“This,” Dean said, as proudly as if he’d made it himself, “is the oldest tree in town.”

“Wow.” She gazed at it as if she was genuinely captivated by it, and he watched her for a few moments, feeling a surge of admiration for her kindhearted, warm spirit.

He felt a wave of fatigue come over him, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief, glad that this was the last stop on the tour he’d planned for her. He’d been enjoying every minute of their day together, but he had to admit that he was ready to sit down.

“Look at all of the different carvings,” she said, touching one gently with her fingertips. “They add so much character to something that’s so beautiful already.”

He nodded. “All the couples in town carve their initials into the tree. That’s why it’s so covered. I mean, look, even up there.” He pointed to where some people had carved their initials onto one of the branches. “It’s been a town tradition since the nineteen-forties.”

“Oh, I love that.” She crouched down, getting a closer look at some of the lower carvings. “That’s such a sweet tradition.”

“Yeah, it really is.” He found himself watching her, noticing the way the wind blew back wisps of her hair from her face.

I’m surprised she hasn’t been taken off the market yet, he thought.She’s such a sweet, genuine person. She deserves the best man.

“Well, I think this tree is one of my absolute favorite things on this whole tour, which is really saying a lot.” She stood up with a smile. “But the whole tour has been amazing, thank you so much, Dean.”

“Of course. Happy to show you around. Hopefully you feel like you have more of a solid footing around here now.”

“Oh, I definitely do.”

The two of them began to stroll toward a nearby picnic table, as if they’d reached an unspoken agreement that they’d like to sit there together for a while.

“I had no idea that such a small town could have so much to offer,” she said, sitting down. “What was it like to grow up here? I bet it was great.”

The leaves of the oak tree rustled overhead, adding a gentle music to the already soothing sound of the nearby surf. Dean found himself feeling content and happy in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long time—possibly even more than he’d ever felt before.

“It was great.” His mind traced over a multitude of memories, of bike rides with his friends, of night walks with his family, of ice cream socials and clam bakes and baseball games. “The people here are really good to be around. Everyone kind of bands together, you know? We’re here for each other. It’s great to live in a place like that.”

She nodded. “I’m definitely getting that sense.” The smile on her face when she looked at him was so warm and endearing that Dean found himself needing to look away for a moment.

“I’ve always loved it here,” he said, watching the sunlight flicker on the ocean waves. “And I know my whole family feels the same way. Two of my sisters, Julia and Alexis, both moved away to big cities. Julia moved to New York and Alexis moved to L.A. They lived there for a while, but both of them ended up moving back to stay. And I think it’s more than just the fact that our family is here, and we all want to be close together. I think it’s also just the town itself, you know? People know how to live calm, steady lives here. They’re not rushing around all stressed out all the time like how people are in the city.”

Noelle nodded. “Sometimes cities are so loud it’s like you can’t think. And it’s not just the literal noise I’m talking about either. There are so many opinions and passions and people telling you how you need to think and be. Rosewood Beach isn’t like that. It’s like people know how to slow down and really be themselves here.”

“That’s a frankly brilliant way of putting it,” he said, grinning at her.

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