Page 40 of A Place for Daydreams

“Told you.” Shawn grinned as Dean began to check out the car, looking under the hood and inspecting the doors and windows. “The body is in great condition, it’s just that engine. And a couple of the headlights, but those are an easy fix.”

“Not when the parts I need were made decades ago,” Dean said, laughing, but he felt excited. It was more fun to try to put together a challenge than something that was just going to put itself back together.

“What do you think?” Shawn asked. “You want it?”

“I mean, yeah.” Dean laughed, feeling a kind of thrill go through him. “That would be amazing?—”

As he spoke, he noticed another car over Shawn’s shoulder. It was a Porsche, and it appeared to be on the older side.

“What about that one over there?” Dean asked, nodding his head toward the vehicle. “What year is it?”

“That Porsche? Ah, another beauty I don’t have time to fix up. That one is a 1988.”

Dean’s eyebrows lifted. It was the same year as the Porsche that Noelle had fixed up with her grandfather—the car she’d wanted to get to ride in but hadn’t gotten a chance to. All at once, he became enchanted with the idea of fixing it up.

“How much to take that one off your hands?” he asked.

“What, both of them?” Shawn grinned. “And earlier you weren’t sure you even wanted the one.”

Dean shrugged, smiling. “Well, I’d actually like to start with that Porsche. But like you said, if I end up not having the energy, I can take things slow.”

Shawn nodded. “Well, sounds like a good deal for both of us. She doesn’t run, that Porsche, but she’s in better condition than this one here. I’ll charge you a little less than what I would a stranger, though.”

“No, you don’t need to do that.” Dean shook his head. “I can afford it.”

They talked prices for a little while, and the price that Shawn suggested for the Porsche Dean felt was more than fair, and it was well within his budget. He bought it on the spot, deciding then and there that it was going to be the car he worked on first.

He and Shawn worked out a delivery plan for the cars, and then he got back into his own car and began to drive away. As he made his way along the picturesque roads, back to Rosewood Beach, he felt an excitement pulsing through him that put a huge smile on his face.

CHAPTER TWENTY

“And then, the airplane went zoom! Right into Macey’s mouth!”

Julia chuckled as she watched Cooper spoon-feeding his little daughter at the dinner table. Macey was more than capable of using her own spoon and toddler fork, but she didn’t like to eat her vegetables, so Cooper was resorting to the airplane method. It was working beautifully, and Cooper’s antics and Macey’s adorable giggles were providing excellent dinner entertainment for Julia.

The three of them were sharing a delicious meal of breaded cod, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli. Julia had come over to Cooper’s house earlier in the evening and helped him prepare the meal, which had been a nice, quiet time the two of them shared while Macey was playing with her toys.

“Someday, you’re going to love broccoli, Macey,” Julia told the toddler, leaning forward conspiratorially. “I used to hate broccoli, and now—” She took a dramatic bite of her broccoli and sighed happily—“I love it.”

Cooper laughed more at Julia’s performance than Macey did, but Julia was delighted by the way Macey nodded tentatively a moment later.

“Okay,” the little girl said, clearly doubting that she could ever love something so horrible as broccoli.

“My mom used to cover our broccoli in cheese,” Julia said to Cooper. “I mean, not cover. But she put a fair amount of cheese on it, and that’s really delicious. Even for kids. It might be a good way of getting Macey to want to eat her broccoli.”

Cooper frowned for a few seconds, and Julia’s heart sank.

He’s going to tell me he doesn’t like that idea,she thought with a stomach-flop of disappointment. It seems that whatever I suggest when it comes to raising Macey, he likes his way of doing things better.

To her surprise, however, Cooper nodded. “That’s a great idea, thanks. Macey does really love cheese.”

“Yeah? Great!” Julia found herself grinning. She made a tiny fist bump for herself out of sight, underneath the table. For the first time, Cooper had accepted her parenting advice. It made her feel relieved and hopeful that he was going to allow her to care for Macey more in the future.

“But then again,” Cooper said, frowning again, “cheese isn’t as healthy as vegetables, and I hate for her to learn at an early age that it’s okay to eat less healthy things just because they taste better. I’ll have to think about it.”

Julia repressed a groan and did her best to smile at Cooper.

I can’t win,she thought, wanting to sigh but restraining herself.Gosh, that’s disappointing.

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