Page 7 of A Place for Daydreams

Soon, the sisters started a game of cards, playing on the coffee table while they continued to drink their wine and munch their galettes. Hazel found herself feeling introspective as they played, and she thought about how much she hoped that Dean would go to physical therapy and improve his quality of life.

Everyone needs to do something for themselves to live their best life, she thought.For me, right now that’s just a bit of self-care to remind myself that being a strong, independent woman is wonderful. For Dean, it’s taking on this new challenge that will make him feel better.

She smiled as she laid down a card, feeling suddenly hopeful and optimistic. She had a feeling that things were about to get better for both her and her twin.

CHAPTER FOUR

Dean strolled down the sidewalk toward Seaside Sweets Bakery, with his hands in his pockets. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and there was a slight chill in the air which made the world feel fresh. He whistled quietly to himself, thinking how glad he was that he felt a bit better that morning. He had no pain, and he felt significantly more rested than usual.

Too bad I had to go to sleep at eight p.m. to feel this way,he thought, chuckling wryly to himself.It’s far from ideal. But at least it worked.

He reached the bakery and stepped inside. It was warm in the cozy little shop, and the air smelled fragrant with the sweet aroma of baked goods. Dean went up to the counter and ordered a bear claw and a cup of coffee. He’d just received his purchases and was about to leave the shop when the front door opened and all three of his sisters spilled inside.

“There!” Hazel said triumphantly. “I told you guys he went in here.”

Dean laughed, opening his arms for a group hug. “What is this, an intervention?”

“It is, in a way.” Julia had a determined look on her face, and he knew that whatever his sisters were about to say to him, they really meant business. “Come on and sit down with us.”

Dean glanced at his watch. “Well, I don’t really have time right now. I’m supposed to be at the auto shop in fifteen minutes. If I stay to talk now, I’m going to be late.”

Alexis shook her head. “Your employees will understand. This is important.”

“Uh, okay.” Dean could see that there would be no denying his sisters. He wondered what on earth could be so important to discuss right at that moment that they were insisting he arrive late to his shop. “What did you want to talk with me about?”

Hazel took him by the arm and his sisters led him over to one of the tables that was placed by a window. It was a fairly secluded spot, tucked partly behind a display of homemade knit hats and socks.

“This is a good table,” Alexis said, looking around with a pleased expression once they’d sat down. “It’s fairly private.”

“What is going on?” Dean asked, leaning forward to add emphasis to his words. “Why do we need to talk somewhere private? This isn’t about a girl, is it?”

Julia laughed. “No, it’s not about a girl.”

“But we can get to that later.” Alexis waggled her brows mischievously. “There are still plenty of eligible single women in this town you haven’t let me try to matchmake you with yet.”

“I’m good, thanks.” Dean shook his head, laughing. “We can discuss my romantic prospects another day, if you don’t mind. What’s all this hullabaloo about?”

“We did some research,” Julia said, clicking on her phone and sliding it across the table toward him. On the screen was an article about physical therapy. “And we learned that going to physical therapy could greatly improve your symptoms. It could majorly improve your quality of life.”

He watched her face, seeing how excited she was, and feeling a sinking sensation in his chest. He glanced down at the article, noting that it was from a reputable medical journal.

“It could be so good for you.” Hazel reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “It says in that article that it could improve your pain and increase strength.”

“If it goes well, you’ll be able to do more because you’ll feel better.” Alexis smiled at him, and he could see in her eyes that she had just as much hope in the plan as his other two sisters did.

He was touched by how much they cared about him, but he couldn’t get rid of an almost overpowering feeling of reluctance.

“Come on,” Julia urged him. “What are you thinking? Will you do it?”

Dean sighed. “I appreciate you three wanting to take care of me and do what’s best for me. Really, I do. But I’m feeling good today. I really don’t see a need for me to go to physical therapy.”

He didn’t want to say it out loud, but the thought of going to physical therapy made him feel nearly as decrepit as his osteoarthritis diagnosis had in the first place. He associated physical therapy with having debilitating conditions or injuries. He didn’t think that someone like him—who was still generally very functional—needed to go to physical therapy. After all, if it was exercise that was supposed to be good for him, he was already getting plenty of that in the repair shop by walking around and lifting heavy objects regularly.

“That’s today.” Hazel shook her head, looking determined. “You may not feel like this tomorrow. We’ve all seen you get exhausted. We know you’re struggling to balance work and family life with your fatigue. This could really help.”

“Yes!” Alexis nodded in agreement. “I mean, you had to miss our get-together last night because you were feeling too tired.Didn’t you say you were going to go to sleep around eight or something?”

Dean nodded. “Yeah. I did. I was in bed by seven thirty and asleep by eight.”

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