Page 6 of A Place for Daydreams

Alexis flushed and smiled, her eyes immediately taking on a starry look. Hazel and Julia glanced at each other and grinned.

“I mean, I guess if we’re talking literally—” Alexis laughed. “There is something special about spending time with Grayson that nothing else can compare to.”

“I’m so glad that your marriage is being rekindled,” Julia said, reaching over to Alexis and giving her a sideways hug. “Grayson is a lucky guy. I’m glad you gave him a second chance.”

“Well, he’s really been earning it.” Alexis smiled dreaming down into her wine glass. “He’s been doing all kinds of sweet things, like buying me flowers or leaving love notes on the bathroom mirror in the morning. If you’d told me he’d be acting like this a year ago, I would never have believed it.” She stared into space for a moment, looking incredibly happy. “But I think the thing I love the most about the way he’s changed is how much time we spend together. We eat breakfast together in the morning, and dinner together almost every night. We sit and talk together, and I get to look into his eyes during our conversations. It’s wonderful.”

“Sounds fantastic.” Hazel smiled at her sister, wondering if she would ever be lucky enough to find a love like that.

“Thank you, Hazel. It really is. I’m so happy to have the man I married back.”

For a few moments, the sisters sat in silence, all smiling quietly. Hazel took another bite of her galette, savoring the sweet, tangy flavor of the filling and the buttery crust.

“I love your nails, Hazel,” Julia said after a moment, looking with fascination at Hazel’s hands. “Are those little flower images?”

Hazel laughed, looking down at her nails and feeling pleased. “Yes, these are some water transfer designs that I saw online. They’re cute, aren’t they? Except I did them yesterday and they’re already chipping. Oh well.” She heaved a pretend sigh and grinned. “I’d just wanted to do a little something to have a bit of a glow up. I mean, a woman doesn’t have to have a boyfriend in order to want to look nice, right?”

“Oh, definitely not!” Julia nodded emphatically.

“Of course you don’t need a boyfriend for all that stuff.” Alexis sat down next to Hazel and gave her a hug. “You should always do what makes you feel beautiful, just for fun. As a treat to yourself.”

“I completely agree.” Julia grinned. “I mean, I was single for years and years, and I always got manicures.” She held up her fingers, which were manicured a beautiful dark red.

“Besides, what happened with Jacob has nothing to do with you.” Alexis squeezed Hazel’s knee. “You’re just as worthy of care and attention as you always were. Just because he missed the boat doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pamper yourself.”

Hazel sighed. “He’s not the one who missed the boat; I am. I wish I’d had the courage to ask him out sooner. Maybe then he’d be dating me instead of this other girl.”

Alexis shook her head. “Don’t think like that. You couldn’t have known. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen next? You might meet some amazing man who will totally sweep you off your feet. And in the meantime, you paint your nails to your heart’s content.”

Hazel smiled, feeling grateful for her sisters’ support. “I don’t know that I want a man, really. I mean, Jacob is Jacob…” She found herself growing sad suddenly, and she shook her head, trying to dispel those thoughts. “I just mean, I don’t know that having a boyfriend in general is really my goal. I want to pick myself back up after this disappointment and feel like myself again. I’ve done just fine raising Samantha without a man for many years, and I’m going to keep right on doing it.”

“That’s the spirit!” Julia gave a satisfied nod. “I am hoping you do find love, Hazel, at least someday, but you certainly don’t need a man. You’ve created an amazing life for yourself and your daughter, and you have every reason to be content without a boyfriend. And besides,” she added, arching a brow, “if Dean were here, he would remind us that men hardly ever noticewomen’s glow ups anyway, not unless they’re completely drastic like a whole new hair color. So what’s the point in doing it for men, anyway? We should just do it for ourselves!”

Alexis and Hazel laughed. Hazel thought about how many times she’d done little things to try to get various men’s attention over the years, almost none of which had been noticed. Her sisters and friends, however, had always noticed those little details right away.

“Oh, Dean.” Alexis shook her head, smiling. “I think if one of these girls in town who’s attracted to him dyed her hair blue, he still wouldn’t notice. He’s so oblivious when it comes to women being interested in him.” She chuckled. “I guess a lot of guys are like that.”

“I miss Dean.” Hazel sighed, hugging her knees. She wasn’t used to her twin not being at every family get-together. In the past, they’d been almost inseparable. She knew things were tough for him because of his osteoarthritis, and she didn’t blame him for turning down Julia’s invitation, but she wished that things were different and that he had the energy to be there with them that night. “It’s so hard to see him struggling with his energy like this. I wish there was something we could do.”

“I know.” Alexis leaned her head against the couch cushions, biting her lip.

“Well, maybe there is.” Julia pulled her phone out of her pocket and began to click away on it. “I’ve been doing research on things that could help Dean. And I found this.” She held her phone out to her sisters, revealing an article on a medical website. “This outlines the benefits of physical therapy for osteoarthritis.”

Alexis and Hazel leaned forward in interest.

“Physical therapy?” Alexis echoed.

Julia nodded. “I was doing research this morning during some down time at the pub. I found a bunch of articles on howphysical therapy can improve strength and flexibility and reduce pain in patients with osteoarthritis.”

“Oh, that’s great!” Hazel clasped her hands, feeling a surge of excitement. “That should help him.”

“Yeah, but what if he’s stubborn and doesn’t want to do it?” Alexis sipped her wine thoughtfully.

“We’ll just have to convince him to do it,” Julia said, nodding her head firmly. “He shouldn’t pass up a chance to feel better like this.”

“I’ll threaten to never bake him cookies again if he doesn’t do it.” Hazel laughed. “He should do it, though, really. Why pass up an opportunity to make his life better?”

Julia grinned. “I bet we can convince him.”

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