Page 52 of Return to Rosewood Beach

She swallowed, remembering the sad look he’d had in his eyes when she was leaving his office. He was probably questioning whether he’d really want to be with her or not.

The thought stung, but she couldn’t brush it aside. She felt sure that he must be starting to doubt their relationship, just like she was.

Wanting to distract herself, she started to walk in the direction of The Lighthouse Grill. There was always something to do there, and she wanted to help with something instead of continue to wrestle with her concerns alone.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

“Hey, Macey! Where’s your other party shoe, honey?”

Cooper stuck his head out of Macey’s closet. He felt silly for asking a two-year-old where her shoe was, but he was beginning to think she’d hidden it somewhere.

He glanced at his watch. The fundraiser would be starting in half an hour, and he was determined to not be late. He hadn’t talked to Julia much since she’d bought him the tickets to the concert, and he was anxious to patch things up with her. He still felt terrible about the whole thing and hoped that it wouldn’t cause her to lose interest in him. He felt worried that she thought he was boring and would never really be able to do anything fun with her if they continued to date.

“If I can’t find this other shoe, she’ll just have to wear tennis shoes with her dress,” he muttered, sighing. Macey probably wouldn’t care, she was only two—although he thought with a pang that his wife would have had her whole outfit ready to go the night before.

The doorbell rang, and he wiggled out of Macey’s closet and hurried to answer it. Callie stood on the front doorstep, all smiles.

“Hey, Mr. Harris! How’s it going?”

“Oh, fine.” He smiled, trying not to appear too frazzled. “Thanks for agreeing to come with us to the fundraiser. It’ll be a huge help.”

“Oh, for sure. I know you need to be able to focus on the auction and things like that. Macey’s going to have an amazing time, and we’ll stay close enough that you’ll be able to see us the whole time.”

His smile became more genuine as he reflected how lucky he was to have found such a great babysitter. “Thanks, Callie. We’ll be ready to go in just a minute here. I’m looking for Macey’s other party shoe.”

“Oh! I forgot to say something to you the other day. I saw a shoe under the couch. A little black one, kind of shiny?”

“Oh, perfect.” He heaved a sigh of relief. “I’ll go check there.”

He hurried to look under the couch, and Macey scampered up to Callie, looking excited. Sure enough, the shoe was under the couch, and in another couple of minutes, they were ready to go.

The plan was for the three of them to walk to the fundraiser together since the park where it was being held was only a short distance from Cooper’s house. As soon as they started off along the sidewalk together, Macey slipped her hand into Callie’s, seeming completely content and at-ease.

He watched the pair of them for a few moments, thinking to himself what good hands Macey was in when she was with Callie.

He thought again of Julia’s gift to him with a pang. Maybe he’d been wrong to react the way that he had. He still didn’t like the thought of staying away from his child overnight, but perhaps he’d panicked too much at the idea. After all, Macey usually went to sleep before he got back from his dates anyway. Would it matter so much if he returned home the next morning? She seemed completely comfortable with Callie, and he waslearning how much he could trust the teenager to be responsible and make sure Macey felt okay.

He took a deep breath, feeling a knot in his stomach. He and Julia had barely spoken since the incident, and he guessed that she probably wasn’t sure how to handle his abrupt rejection of her sweet gesture.

I handled it poorly, he thought regretfully, wanting to kick himself.I shouldn’t have turned her down so abruptly.

“Look, Macey, there’s the park,” Callie said excitedly, pointing out the park up ahead as they walked. “That’s where the fundraiser is! Like a giant party. Are you excited?”

“Yeah!” Macey looked up at Callie with an adoring, chubby smile, and Cooper felt his heart melt.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. His mind began to race, and he wondered if perhaps there was a way he could accept Julia’s gift after all.

Alexis gazed around the fundraiser, feeling her heart swell with pride for her family. The park was packed with people, all of whom were smiling with enthusiasm and participating enthusiastically in all of the various games and activities.

She could see Vivian standing under a tree, talking to a couple of her life-long friends. Her mother’s eyes were shining, and it was clear that the support of Rosewood Beach meant a great deal to her.

We’re so lucky,Alexis thought.People are really showing up for us and The Lighthouse Grill. This is going to change Mom’s circumstances around.

At his booth, Dean was showing kids how to put a toy engine back together like a puzzle. He was laughing and full of energy,and it warmed her heart to see him having a such a great time. Hazel and Jacob were manning the water games together, laughing and looking completely comfortable with each other.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and everyone seemed in high spirits. The grass of the park was lush and green, and pale green buds were beginning to unfurl on the branches of the trees. There seemed to be a spirit of excitement pervading the event that came from more than just people having fun. Everyone seemed to be aware that they were there for a shared purpose, and their joy was contagious and invigorating.

She’d been spending her day doing makeovers for a never-ending line of people and having an absolutely wonderful time. She loved seeing the looks of delight and surprise on her customers’ faces when they saw their transformed appearances.

---