Page 8 of A Place for Daydreams

“Don’t you see?” Julia shook her head. “I’m glad that worked for you and you feel good today, but you shouldn’t have to turn down evening plans and go to bed by eight every night in order to feel good the next day. Physical therapy can help you. Wouldn’t you rather go to physical therapy than have to go to bed super early every single night?”

Dean sighed. They’d found the hole in his argument almost right away.

“I hear what you’re saying, but we don’t know that physical therapy is going to work. It might not. Maybe just actually resting more often is the only thing that will really work for me.”

“But it might work!” Hazel tapped her fingers on the table enthusiastically. “It might make you feel amazingly better. Why don’t you just try it for a few sessions and then you can decide? If it makes you feel better, great! You’ve found a workable solution to your condition. If it doesn’t work, then you don’t need to do it anymore.”

“Okay.” Dean smiled. “You’ve got me there. That’s a good idea. I’ll try it, I guess.”

“Come on, try to contain your enthusiasm,” Julia teased. “You’re acting like we’ve just convinced you to take a polar plunge or something. It won’t be that bad. I bet you’ll end up loving it. Besides, I already did some research on where you could go for physical therapy, and it turns out that there’s a new PT in town who has a really impressive resume.”

Dean shrugged. “I mean, that’s great, but I don’t care about whether or not the person has great training or experience. I’ll just show up and do it and see if it helps.”

“And it will, and you’ll be thanking us profusely in a few weeks,” Hazel said cheerfully.

He shook his head, chuckling. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

I’ll appease my sisters by going to a few sessions and be done with it,he thought.It can’t be that bad, and if I don’t try it, I know they won’t let me hear the end of it.

He noticed the time on a clock that was hanging on the wall behind Julia’s head. “I should get to the repair shop,” he said, standing up. “Thanks for coming up with all this, you guys. I appreciate you caring about me like this.”

“Of course.” Julia gave him a hug. “I bet this will help turn your life around.”

“We’ll see,” he said doubtfully, starting toward the door. He noticed in a moment that they weren’t following him. “Are you guys coming back out?”

“As long as we’re here, I think we’re going to get some pastries and coffee,” Hazel said, glancing cheerfully at the display case packed with delicious items.

“Oh, and talk amongst yourselves about how silly your brother Dean is being and how he’s going to see how right you are very soon?” He laughed.

“Of course!” Alexis grinned at him. “Have a good day at the shop.”

He laughed more, shaking his head, as he waved goodbye to his sisters and stepped back out into the sunlight. As he made his way to the repair shop, he found himself wondering what physical therapy might be like. He still felt reluctant to try it and doubtful that it would work out well for him, but he had to admit that finding some kind of solution for his diagnosis was a pleasant idea. If something could help him with his symptoms, that would be a wonderful turn of events.

CHAPTER FIVE

Alexis hummed quietly to herself as she tidied up her kitchen. Afternoon sunlight was streaming across the wooden floorboards and the countertops, and gleaming on the dishes that she was tucking inside the cupboards. Through the window above the sink she could see the backyard, where the first signs of autumn were already beginning to appear. There was a faint yellow flush to the leaves of the trees, and the apples on the little apple tree were a rosy red.

She picked up the mug of coffee that she’d been slowly sipping since she got up that morning. She’d had a slow, relaxing start to her day. She’d read in bed for a little while before dressing and tidying up the house a little. She and Grayson had moved into their charming red brick Colonial house only recently, and she was still enamored with it. She was still getting used to all its little quirks, like the old milk door in the kitchen and the oddly-shaped cupboard underneath the stairs. It was a darling house, and she loved keeping it clean and organized. It smelled faintly of cedar, and her autumn-themed scented candles had been adding another layer of coziness to the scent of the house.

She glanced at the clock, noting that she would need to eat lunch soon and then leave. She was scheduled to work a shift at the pub that afternoon, and she was always careful to eat enough before working so that she had plenty of energy to sustain her through her shift. She knew she would need to eat quickly in order to get to work on time, and she decided to make herself a sandwich with cucumber slices and ranch on the side—something nutritional, but also quick and easy.

I’ll arrange those flowers first, she thought, turning to the flowers she’d left on the edge of the counter that morning.

She knew that she needed to keep moving or she might be late for work, but she wanted to be sure to arrange the flowers before she left. She’d gone out into the garden that morning and picked most of the last remaining flowers. A frost was forecast for that evening, and she knew that the flowers wouldn’t last outdoors overnight, so she’d decided to bring them inside where they would be well-appreciated and stay alive for a few days longer.

She picked out a beautiful red glass vase from the collection that she had stashed in one of the cupboards, and she filled it with water. As she began to arrange the flowers in the vase in a way that she found aesthetically pleasing, she thought about how nice it was to have her own home again. She’d loved staying with Hazel and Samantha, but there was something about owning her own space that was pleasant and soothing. She’d never had a home quite like this before, either—even though she and Grayson had shared a house in L.A., it had been a massive mansion and she’d never felt as though she could be truly comfortable in it. In addition to that, the fact that she and Grayson had grown into strangers when they were both still living in L.A. had taken away a great deal of the mansion’s charm.

She began to hum again, and then sing quietly to herself. She was feeling contented and peaceful, and then all at once she let out a squeal as she felt someone hug her from behind. For a moment, all she felt was surprised, but in the next instant, she smelled Grayson’s cologne and she grinned.

“Grayson!” She turned around, wiggling back into his arms for a front-facing hug. “What on earth are you doing home in the middle of the afternoon?”

“Surprised you, huh?” He grinned at her, and his light green eyes twinkled.

“Yes, very much.” She hugged him tighter. “But I’m thrilled.”

“I’m glad.” He kissed her nose. “My last couple of meetings got rescheduled, so I picked up your favorite lunch from The Salty Spoon, and I figured that we could have a picnic outside together. Spend some time talking. Relaxing on this beautiful afternoon.”

“Oh, I’d love to, but—” She turned around and glanced at the clock again. “I need to get to work soon. I was just going to throw together a quick sandwich and hurry off. I don’t have time for a long picnic.” Her stomach flopped in disappointment. “I so wish I could say yes. It’s incredibly sweet of you.”

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