Page 9 of A Place for Daydreams

“Well, I’d remembered that you’d said you were working this afternoon, so on my way home I stopped in and checked with Julia. She said that she would be happy to cover for you for as long as we want.”

A radiant smile spread across Alexis’s face. “Really? Oh, that’s wonderful.”

“You’re welcome.” He rocked her back and forth a little. “I’ve got meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and you’ve got chicken pot pie and a side of sweet potato fries. Word on the street is that it’s your favorite meal there.”

“It is.” She felt touched not only that he’d surprised her with the picnic, but also that he had taken the time to figure out whather favorite meal at The Salty Spoon was. “Thank you, that’s so sweet of you.”

Her stomach growled loudly, and they both laughed.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ve got the to-go containers in the car, and we can bring some dishes and a picnic blanket out to the backyard. I thought we could sit under the apple tree. It’s always a good mixture of sunny and shady there.”

As the two of them worked to set up their picnic, she reflected that she felt as though she was living in some kind of dream, having her husband back and acting so thoughtful. It felt extraordinary to spend time with him, since only a few months earlier he’d been so wrapped up in his work that he’d been completely ignoring her.

My life is so beautiful, she thought.I’m so grateful. There’s nothing missing anymore. I have a job I love, and a husband I love. I get to spend time with my family and create this home here.

In the midst of her thoughts came a sudden revelation—she did feel as though something was missing. The realization startled her, and she didn’t understand it. As she laid out the picnic blanket with Grayson, along with dishes for their takeout, she pondered the idea. She could sense that what she felt was missing she’d once had in L.A., but she didn’t know what that thing was. She knew she didn’t want to be a model anymore, and she didn’t want to move back to the city. Still, there was a part of her heart that yearned for something she didn’t have and she felt as though she’d had it before, when she was living out on the west coast.

What is it?she thought as she and Grayson sat down to eat their meal on the picnic blanket.There’s a little something missing from my life. Something that L.A. fulfilled. But what? If only I could figure out what it is.

She felt a kind of restless yearning in her heart, but she didn’t know what she was yearning for. As she and Grayson began to eat their meal, she momentarily forgot her thoughts, distracted by how delicious the food was and how affectionate her husband was being. After a few minutes, however, they fell to eating quietly in companionable silence, and the thoughts returned.

“Do you miss L.A.?” she asked him after a few more moments of pondering.

He looked up at her, surprised. “No, not at all. Are you worried that I’m not content with our life here?”

She shook her head hurriedly, not wanting him to think that she was worried. It was clear to her that he was very content with their new life, and she was as well—barring this little unidentified thing that she felt was missing.

“No, not at all, sweetheart. It’s just—well, I was just curious. Life used to be so different for both of us, didn’t it? In so many different ways. I’m just thinking about all the ways our life is different now.”

He smiled at her. “I can understand that.”

She didn’t say it out loud to her husband, but she was trying to figure out what the different thing was that she wanted back again. Was it being surrounded by hustle and bustle all the time? That couldn’t be it, she’d never enjoyed living like that. She found the steady, easy pace of Rosewood Beach calming and uplifting. Was it the glitz and glamour? That couldn’t be it either, she’d be able to recognize a desire like that. Besides, she hadn’t even been doing her hair and makeup as carefully as she used to, so clearly she wasn’t missing being glamorous.

“You seem lost in thought.” Grayson smiled at her as he adjusted his position on the picnic blanket. He was half lying down, and she grinned at him, enjoying seeing him look so relaxed. He’d spent so many years being stressed and overwhelmed, and it did her heart good to see him taking it easy.

“I am.” She laughed. “Reminiscing, I guess. Although I agree with you that I would never want to go back to L.A.” She didn’t want to tell Grayson that she felt as though something was missing from her life, because he might take her yearning too seriously and worry that she was truly discontent. She was deeply content with her life, she knew that—but at the back of her mind there was an itching feeling, urging her to find something that was missing.

CHAPTER SIX

Hazel laughed as her daughter Samantha eagerly picked up a box of fall-themed cookies. The two of them were in the Rosewood Beach General Store, grabbing some items after Hazel had picked up Samantha from school. Hazel always enjoyed shopping with Samantha, since what had become routine to her was still new and fascinating to her daughter. Samantha always got excited about the wide variety of items that were available at the general store, and Hazel often found herself catching some of her daughter’s enthusiasm.

“Go ahead and put those in the cart. I think we could use some leaf-shaped, pumpkin-flavored cookies in our lives.” Hazel chuckled.

“I’ll say.” Samantha cheerfully plopped the box into the cart. “We should eat them tonight while we watch a movie. Something fall-themed.”

“Sounds great to me.” Hazel grinned and looked back down at her shopping list. “We also need laundry detergent and hand soap. We should look for that cucumber mint soap again, I really liked that.”

“Oh, I guess so, but shouldn’t we get something fall-themed? Like apple or pumpkin spice or something?”

“Wow, you’re really into these fall scents and flavors, aren’t you?”

“You’ve been alive for a long time. This is only my twelfth autumn, and I basically wasn’t conscious for the first two. You know, too little to appreciate it. So it’s kind of only my tenth autumn. So it’s very important.”

Hazel had to fight off a fit of laughter. “Oh, boy, I love you. Okay. Fall-themed soap it is.”

“Yay! I love you too, Mom.”

“You want to run and grab the soap, and I’ll get the laundry detergent?”

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