Page 20 of Sea Glass Serenade

Dean ran his fingers through his hair, looking clearly hesitant.

“Okay, fine, how about a few dates with one of them?”

Dean shook his head.

“Or one date with one of them?”

“Alexis.” He kept shaking his head, laughing a little. “If I wanted to date someone, I would. I think when the right girl comes along?—”

“But what if she already has come along and you just weren’t thinking about love, so you didn’t notice her in that way? I mean, what about all the girls we grew up with? A lot of them are very nice, and I know some of them are still single. Remember Rachel Stensberg? She’s still single. And she loves dogs, like you do. And Dana Taylor is still single too. She goes out hiking all the time. You would love to be in a relationship with someone like that.”

“I—Alexis! I barely remember those girls. Besides, how do you know I’d like to be in a relationship with someone who hikes?”

“Because you love hiking.”

“Well, sure, but maybe I want to marry a girl who only likes to stay inside and watch TV.”

Alexis laughed at his joke, and Dean cracked a smile, but she noticed that he looked a little troubled.

“And besides,” she added. “You may not remember them all that well, but I’m sure they remember you. You were a total heartthrob in high school. So many girls had crushes on you.”

“And Rachel and Dani were two of those girls, huh?”

“Dana. And yes, if I remember correctly. Besides, it doesn’t really matter. You’re a catch, and so are so many of the women around town. All you have to do is test the waters a little. You might love dating. The worst thing that can happen is you spend a little extra money taking women out to dinner.”

“I think that’s hardly the worst thing that could happen. I could hurt someone. Or I could get hurt. Dating isn’t a game.”

She cocked her head to one side, surprised by how serious his tone was. “I know,” she said. “And I know you know that too, but—well, do you want to be single forever, Dean?”

“No, I’d like a wife someday. I mean, that’s what I’ve always hoped for. But I don’t want to date right now.”

“Why? Why are you being so stubborn?”

He smiled at her. “I’m not being stubborn. It’s my life, remember? It’s just that dating isn’t something that I feel should be taking center stage in my life right now.”

She was about to protest again, but he deftly changed the subject.

“What about Hazel? She called me, all excited that she’s planning on asking Jacob Dorsey out. Have you helped her come up with a grand plan for that yet?”

Alexis grinned. “We’re working on it. The details are still TBD, especially since she isn’t sure when she’s going to see him again. He had to rush off right away the other morning when he finished the drywall at her house. But she’s determined to say something, and that’s the important thing. I know she really cares about him, and I think there’s a definite spark between those two.”

“Well, he’s a really great guy. I’d love to see him dating Hazel.”

“He is a great guy.” She smiled at him affectionately. “And see? That’s how I feel about you dating someone.”

Dean opened his mouth to protest, but at that moment, they heard the sound of a cheer in the distance.

“What’s that?” Alexis asked curiously.

Dean popped the rest of his doughnut into his mouth. “Only one way to find out.”

She grinned, and the two of them stood up together. They’d both finished their doughnuts, but they picked up their coffee cups and started off together down the sidewalk in the direction they’d heard the cheering coming from.

As soon as they turned the corner at the end of the street, they saw what was happening. A stretch of road had been closed off for the annual bike sprint fundraiser.

“Oh, the school’s bike sprint fundraiser!” she said excitedly, grabbing Dean’s arm. “I loved doing this with you guys when we were kids. We’ve been so busy we must have missed the posters this year.”

The bike sprint fundraiser was held every year as a means of donating toward cancer research. The participants “bike sprinted” with others, and each time they joined in a race, their sprint was counted toward the total number of participants. People sprinted only a few times or over and over again for hours, trying to add onto the number of dollars that the main donor of the event had promised to give, based on the total number of participants. It had always been a fun time, charged with energy and excitement. Alexis remembered trying to bike as fast as she could when she was a teenager, hearing the crowds cheering around her as she and the other bikes sped past the finish line.

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