Page 44 of Return to Rosewood Beach

“What?” he asked, realizing that she’d said something to him and he’d been so lost in thought that he didn’t hear her.

“It’s your turn.” She hesitated, watching his face for a moment. “Is everything all right? You were looking kind of worried.”

He smiled, admiring how perceptive she was. “I am a little bit. Nothing’s wrong, but Macey’s at home with a new babysitter, and I was just wishing I was getting more updates. I’m sure she’s okay, but—well, she started crying when I was leaving and I’m worried that she’s still upset.”

Julia nodded, looking sympathetic. “How did the babysitter handle her crying?”

“Oh, just great. She seemed totally calm and got her to stop. And I think she’d call me if Macey was really upset, but—oh, I don’t know.” He sighed. “I’m just jittery about it.”

“I understand.” She touched his arm, and he smiled at her.

“The babysitter came highly recommended, so I shouldn’t worry. She’s a teenager, but I guess she’s been babysitting for years.”

“Is it Callie Rogers by any chance?”

“Yes! Do you know her?”

“I do.” Julia grinned at him. “My sister Hazel used to hire her to babysit my niece Samantha. She’s a real pro. She’s been babysitting since she was twelve. Hazel always said she was the best babysitter in Rosewood Beach.”

His face brightened into a smile when he heard Julia’s words. “Well, at least I picked the best babysitter in town.” He laughed. “But the truth is, no matter how good at her job Callie is, I still feel bad about leaving Macey there without me. She’s so little to be placed with a total stranger all night. I wonder if I’m doing right by her.”

Julia nodded. “Let’s take another food break and talk about it.” She smiled sweetly at him. “That thin-crust pizza left me feeling hungry. You want to get some hot dogs and French fries?”

He grinned at her. “Sounds great to me.”

They went back up to the food window and ordered two hot dogs and a small basket of fries to split.

“Just ketchup, huh?” he teased her as she drew a thin, straight line of ketchup on her hot dog. They were standing at the edge of the food counter, which had been stocked with numerous condiments.

She laughed. “I like a neat hot dog. I’m not a wild person, like you over there.”

He chuckled, looking down at the mess of relish, mustard, and ketchup that was covering his hot dog. “You’ll have to take a bite out of mine. You don’t know what you’re missing.”

“Mm, I better grab some extra napkins.”

Laughing, they returned to their table and sat down. Julia took a long sip of her unfinished soft drink and then smiled at Cooper. “So. Tell me more about how you’re feeling.”

His eyebrows lifted as he wondered for a moment if she was talking about how he was feeling about their date, and her.

She seemed to guess his thoughts, because her eyebrows rose as well and she hurriedly added, “About leaving Macey with the babysitter tonight.”

“Oh.” He smiled, feeling his jitters disappear but also feeling slightly disappointed. He realized that he wanted to talk with her about how he was feeling about her. “Well, it’s hard being a single father. I have to work, but that means putting Macey in daycare a great deal of the time. She loves her teachers and her friends at daycare, but I always feel a little guilty about not being there for her. And tonight’s the first time I’ve left her alone with someone she didn’t know.”

Julia nodded, listening intently as he spoke. “Your circumstances are hard. And they’re not ideal for Macey, but that’s not your fault. You’re clearly doing your best, and I know she knows how much you love her. And as far as tonight goes, I know she’s old enough to understand that you’re coming back. I bet she’s having an amazing time with Callie right now, playing some game and giggling.”

He smiled at her, feeling a warm glow In his chest. Not only was the scene that Julia had just described to him reassuring, but he felt grateful for the way she was making sure he felt better about his situation. It had been a long time since he’d had someone in his life who he could really talk to about how he was feeling, and he felt as though some of the weight had lifted from his shoulders.

“Thanks, Julia. I appreciate you saying all that.”

She nodded. “All you can do is your best. This isn’t really a worthy comparison, but with my job back in New York, I did everything I thought was right and I still made a mistake that cost me my job. At the time, it felt like I hadn’t done enough and what happened was my fault. But the truth was, I did my best, and that’s all anyone can do. My job ending brought me here—it’s what allows me to stay here in Rosewood Beach for a while.The world didn’t end. Sometimes it feels like the circumstances are stacked against us, and our best isn’t enough, but it is. Things will always work out in the end, as long as you keep doing what you can. Don’t be hard on yourself for doing your best.”

“Thank you.” His heart was beating faster as he looked into her kind eyes. He felt himself becoming more and more attracted to this insightful, thoughtful woman. “Would it be all right if I kissed you?”

Julia flushed slightly. “Yes.” She looked up at him with shining eyes.

The world seemed to stop for a few moments as he leaned toward her and kissed her mouth gently.

He would have kissed her longer, but in the next moment, a group of nearby kids let out a shout of victory, startling him and Julia out of their kiss.

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