Page 31 of Return to Rosewood Beach

Julia paused in her walking for a moment, and he turned to her concern.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, it’s… well, I kind of got that impression from him the other day too. I don’t like how cocky he is about the whole thing.”

“I can imagine. He clearly thinks he has this one in the bag, for whatever reason.”

“Well, he doesn’t.” Frustrated, she ate a spoonful of her ice cream and realized that it was just vanilla. “I’m going to do everything in my power to help my mom. Judd McCormick doesn’t have a snowman’s chance on that beach in the middle of August.”

He laughed. “That’s the spirit! You seem like a very determined woman.”

“Oh, I am.” She took another spoonful of ice cream, half sherbet and half vanilla again this time. “I’ve been working hard and planning my life carefully ever since graduating from college. I’ve been climbing the ladder all the time, if you know what I mean.” She looked out across the ocean as she spoke, reflecting on how quickly the past few years of her life had gone by. She’d made money and had a lot of good times, and been very proud of herself regularly, but in hindsight it was all a blur. She couldn’t remember many moments in which she’d felt as content and at peace as she did just then, walking along the beach with Cooper.

“I’m very different from you.” He smiled at her. “I believe in working hard, and I do, but I’ve never been one for trying to climb that ladder of success. I used to own a ranch in Colorado, and that was its own kind of circus. After my wife died, I sold the ranch and moved out here. I was looking for a quieter, simpler life somewhere where Macey could be around kids her own age and I could have more time to spend with her.”

She smiled at him. “I think that’s admirable. There’s nothing wrong with living a simple life. People here in Rosewood Beach are definitely happier than most people in New York. It’s just that a simple life isn’t for me. I always want to keep moving and doing things.”

“Well, you’re doing something now in Rosewood Beach, helping your mom keep The Lighthouse Grill. Is it okay that I hope that keeps you occupied for a while?”

She turned to him and saw that he was smiling at her shyly. “That’s okay.” She smiled shyly back at him.

They had slowed down in their walking until they’d stopped. For a moment, they just stood there, and her heart began to beat faster. She wondered if he was going to ask to see her again, even though she didn’t know how long she was going to be in Rosewood Beach.

“Julia!”

Macey held up a little fist with a flower in it. Julia looked down at her and realized in a flash that the little girl had picked a flower on the side of the sidewalk and was offering it to her.

“Is that for me?” She crouched down and took the flower that Macey was handing her. “Wow, thank you so much.” Her heart felt light and bubbly all of a sudden. She hadn’t expected to feel so touched by the gift of a flower from the little girl.

Macey pointed to Julia’s hair, and she took the hint and tucked the flower behind her ear. Macey gave her a chubbysmile, and Julia looked up to see Cooper watching the two of them with a grin on his face.

“I told you she likes you,” he observed.

“I like her too.” Julia smiled and adjusted the flower behind her ear.

They continued to walk along the beach for a while, and at one point they went down onto the sand itself and walked along the water’s edge. Cooper left Macey’s stroller in the sand and carried her, and Julia crossed her arms as she walked, wondering what it might be like to get to enjoy the beauty that was all around them on a regular basis.

“I had a really great time,” she told him, when they were finally driving back up to Vivian’s house. Macey was sound asleep in the back seat, her head lolled to one side and her tiny mouth open in a perfect “o.”

“I did too.” He parked the car in front of the house and looked right into her eyes. “I would really like to see you again, Julia. I know we’re very different, and our lives are very different, and you don’t know how long you’re going to be here in town, but?—”

“Yes,” she blurted, and then she laughed. “I would like that. I’d like that very much.”

“Great.” His face lit up into a grin. “Next time we should do dinner. Or maybe go for another walk. I don’t know. I’d like to have a date with you where I can just focus on you.”

She flushed, her heart beating a bit faster. “Having Macey along with us was fun,” she assured him. “She’s really a sweetheart.”

They lingered over their goodbyes for another few moments, and he promised to call her. She slipped out of his car and made her way toward Vivian’s house, feeling as light as a feather. She paused at the door and waved to him as he drove away.

I’m not going to let myself worry about this,she thought, unable to keep from smiling as she stepped inside the house.I’m just going to be in the moment like Hazel suggested and enjoy getting to know Cooper better.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Alexis shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to go back to sleep. Outside, she could hear birds beginning to chirp, heralding the dawn. She rolled over onto her stomach, as if that could soothe the way her brain was still going a mile a minute.

She heard faint plinking sounds and opened her eyes. It had started to rain, and droplets were beaded on her windowpane, catching the faint light of dawn. She looked at the clock on her bedside table again. It was five-sixteen in the morning.

She had been up for the past hour, worrying and fretting and grieving all kinds of things, but mostly her relationship with Grayson. She felt completely helpless but couldn’t rid herself of a feeling that it was her fault somehow, and she needed to fix it in some way.

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