Page 36 of A Breeze Over Rosewood Beach
Oscar cleared his throat, his eyes on her face. She could tell that he was struggling to say something, and she gave him a few moments before prompting him.
“Yes?”
“I—may I kiss you again?”
Sally laughed and eagerly leaned her face toward Oscar’s for another kiss.
I guess it really was a date after all,she thought, feeling her heart flutter.
They sat and talked for a few more minutes, and then she glanced at her watch and stood up reluctantly. “I should go. Ipromised my staff at the café that I would check on them.” She gave him a warm smile. “Thank you for a wonderful date, Oscar.”
“Thank you,” he said, and although his smile was debonair, the tips of his ears were turning pink again.
Flushing a bit herself, she picked up her purse and stepped out into the winter cold. She felt weightless as she walked to her car, and it felt as if her feet hardly touched the ground as her heart soared. She felt as if she was floating up on Cloud Nine.
For the first time in a long while, it felt as though her life wasn’t something she had to hold together all on her own. All at once, it was unfolding in new ways, surprising her and offering her the possibility of something richer. And best of all, she felt ready to follow where it led.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hazel stepped back, her paintbrush still dripping, and surveyed the room with a satisfied smile. The soft lavender walls, now freshly painted, transformed Samantha’s space into something magical and serene. Jacob, crouched in the corner peeling painter’s tape from the baseboards, glanced over at her.
“You think she’ll like it?” he asked, his brow creased in that adorable way he got when he was unsure of something. “I still feel like we should have checked with her before painting the walls this color.”
“She’s going to love it,” Hazel assured him, her heart light. “Light purple has been her favorite color forever. And she’s especially going to love the ceiling.”
Jacob chuckled as he leaned his head back and looked up at the beautiful ceiling. “The glow-in-the-dark stars were a brilliant idea.”
Hazel grinned. “I thought she’d like falling asleep under the stars, even on cloudy nights.”
She looked around the room, feeling a glow of satisfaction in her chest. She couldn’t believe they were finally at the end of their renovation work. They had fixed up the old house room by room, wall by wall, and corner by corner, transforming it intotheir dream home. Each wall painted, each shelf hung, and each floorboard repaired had brought them closer together—not just as partners in the renovation, but in life.
Samantha’s room was their last project, and the final touch on the house. Hazel had wanted it to be a surprise for her daughter. She couldn’t wait to show Samantha the beautiful walls, the ceiling, and the bookshelves and comfy window seat that they’d installed in her reading nook.
I want her to see this place and think, this is mine too,Hazel thought, feeling an ache of
happiness in her chest.I want her to feel like this is her home.
After they’d finished cleaning up, Hazel flicked the light switch off with a playful smile on her face.
“You want to sit under the stars with me?” she asked Jacob.
“There’s no one I’d rather sit under the stars with,” he said, pulling her in for a hug.
Together they sank to the floor, lying side by side on the old floorboards. The room glowed softly as the little star-shaped patches illuminated the ceiling, their quiet magic twinkling in the darkness.
Jacob’s hand found hers in the dark, and their fingers intertwined. They lay in silence, watching the stars, and Hazel felt a sense of deep peace wash over her.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Jacob’s voice was low and steady.
Hazel nodded, her heart swelling. “It does. It feels… complete.”
For a long time, she had believed life would always feel a little incomplete. Raising Samantha on her own had taught her strength and resilience, but somewhere along the way, she had quietly put away the idea that she might find someone who truly understood her. Someone who would not just love her, but love her and Samantha as a package deal.
But then Jacob had arrived in their lives, with his steady patience, his affectionate humor, and his willingness to pick up a hammer and help build something real.
“I never thought I’d find this,” Hazel admitted softly, turning toward him, though she couldn’t quite see his face in the dim room. “I always hoped for it, but I don’t think I really believed it would happen. That I could find a love like this. Especially with you, after having a crush on you for so long in high school.”
Jacob gently squeezed her hand. “I didn’t either. I can’t believe that after all these years, I ended up with the beautiful Hazel Owens, who has the biggest heart in Rosewood Beach.”
