Page 5 of A Place for Daydreams

She locked the front door behind her and made her way to Cooper’s car, where he was just getting Macey settled into her car seat.

“You need some water, Macey?” Julia asked as she and Cooper sat down in the front seats of the car.

“I just gave her some orange juice before we left.” Cooper smiled at her as he started the engine, and the sound of a kiddie songs CD suddenly filled the air.

“Oh, sure.” Julia smiled. “You’re always on top of things like that.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand as a way of thanking her for the compliment. “I’ve had to do everything on my own for a while now. I was always nervous I wasn’t doing enough, so I’ve tried my best to be on top of everything.” He laughed.

She shook her head, squeezing his hand back. “You’re a great father. I don’t know why you ever worried.”

“Well, she can really be a handful sometimes.” Cooper grinned at Macey through the rearview mirror. “Can’t you, kiddo?”

Macey offered him a pleased, chubby smile, and Julia and Cooper laughed.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the brightly colored daycare. Cooper parked the car, and Julia got out, intending to get Macey out of her car seat. By the time she reached the other side of the car, however, Cooper had already done so.

They walked inside the daycare together, and Macey looked excited. Julia saw a little table where a bunch of toddlers were sitting, scribbling happily on a large sheet of paper with crayons.

“Look, Macey, maybe you can color—” Julia started to say, but when she turned around, Cooper had already led his daughter over to a little reading nook where one of the teachers was getting ready to read a story out loud.

Once Macey had settled down happily on a bean bag chair next to the other kids, Cooper turned to Julia with a smile. “Are you ready to go get breakfast?”

“Let me say ’bye to Macey quick before we go,” she said, taking a step forward.

Cooper shook his head. “It’s best to just slip away quietly while she’s distracted with something else. She knows we’re coming back for her. This way she won’t cry or make a fuss.”

Julia pressed her lips together and nodded. “Okay. Let’s go then.” She’d wanted to say goodbye to Macey, but she understood the logic behind what Cooper was saying. After all, he had a lot more experience in dropping his daughter off at daycare than she did.

They made their way out of the building, both of them looking over their shoulders as they went to make sure that Macey was still happy and occupied. Once they’d stepped back out into the sunlight, Cooper took Julia’s hand.

“What do you think? Pancakes or waffles? Or a skillet?”

“Oh, gosh, I don’t know. They all sound amazing.” She smiled at him, but inside she was feeling disappointed. She couldn’thelp feeling that he didn’t need her help at all with his daughter, who she had come to love with all her heart.

CHAPTER THREE

Hazel listened to the sound of her sisters laughing and smiled. She was tucked up comfortably in a corner of her mother’s cozy couch, listening to Julia and Alexis laugh about a mishap that had occurred at The Lighthouse Grill earlier that day. She lifted her wine glass to her lips and took a slow sip, reflecting on how grateful she felt to be there.

My siblings always lift my spirits, she thought.I’m so glad I didn’t turn down this opportunity to spend time with them.

She’d only considered declining Julia’s invitation for a moment, since she almost always accepted an opportunity to spend time with her siblings. She’d felt a bit down and listless earlier in the afternoon, since she’d seen the local handyman Jacob Dorsey at the grocery store, and she’d realized that she had just as much of a crush on him as ever, even though she’d kept telling herself that she’d fully accepted the reality that he had a girlfriend now and was now off-limits. She’d been doing her best to keep her spirits up ever since her plans to ask him out had been unexpectedly dashed by learning that he was dating someone else, but it was hard sometimes.

“You remember her, don’t you, Hazel?” Julia turned toward her with a smile, shattering her reverie. “Mrs. Henderson?”

Hazel grinned. “The sweet old lady who always puts fresh flowers in her hat?”

“Yes!” Julia gesticulated wildly. “And we’re all watching from the windows as this young man is following her around, trying to shoo away the bee that’s having a grand old time of it on her hat.”

Hazel laughed at the story, but in the next moment her heart gave a slight pang as she thought about how Jacob was the kind of person who would do something like that. He was always kind and helpful—he’d been so kind and helpful to her that she’d gotten her hopes up that he liked her in the same way that she liked him.

“Oh, that’s too funny.” Alexis was almost shaking with laughter as she reached for her apple galette. After she took a bite, she said, “I love being here with you two. There’s nothing better than having fun chatting with my sisters like this.”

Hazel beamed at her sister, and Julia said, “Aww! I feel the same way.”

The sisters had settled down together in the living room to drink red wine and eat apple galettes after a delicious dinner of chicken alfredo lasagna. Julia had invited all her siblings earlier in the day, since Vivian was away visiting a friend for the night and Julia had expressed a desire for company.

“Are you sure, though?” Hazel cocked a brow as she picked up her galette, getting ready to take a bite. “Is there nothing better than chatting with us? Not even spending time with your husband?”

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