Page 35 of Sea Glass Serenade

He looked up and smiled weakly at Julia. “We both have terrible colds. In case you couldn’t guess,” he added apologetically. “Sorry we’re such a mess around here.”

“No, not at all,” she said. “I’m sorry you both have colds. Can I do anything?”

“No, that’s okay, thank you, Julia. When we left this morning, she seemed fine and I was convincing myself it was just fatigueand allergies. But as the day wore on, I could feel myself getting sicker and sicker, and then when I went to get her, they said she’d been crabby and sneezing all day. They had her play by herself so she wouldn’t get the other kids sick, and I guess she hated it and didn’t really understand why she couldn’t be with her friends.”

“Ouch.” Julia sat down next to Macey, who was chugging on her sippy cup, seeming to feel better already. “That sounds like a rough day. I’m really sorry, Macey.”

Macey finished her orange juice and promptly crawled into Julia’s lap. Julia felt her heart melt, and as she stroked back Macey’s hair, she noticed in surprise that the little girl was asleep.

“I think she’s asleep,” she whispered to Cooper. “I guess that crying really wore her out.”

He smiled fondly at both of them. “I think her whole day really wore her out. I should get her to bed, but—hang on, one minute.” His smile widened as he pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket. “Say cheese,” he whispered as he took a picture of Julia sitting there with Macey sleeping in her lap.

Julia grinned, finding it darling that Cooper had wanted to take the picture of the two of them. “Do you want me to help you put her to bed?”

“No, I got it. No point in you getting sick too. You stay here, I’ll be back in a little bit.” Cooper gazed affectionately at Julia as he lifted his sleeping daughter out of her arms and started to carry her down the hallway to her bedroom.

Julia watched them go, feeling a surge of affection for both of them. She felt sorry they were sick and that they’d both had such a rough day, and she couldn’t help feeling that her plans for a romantic dinner with Cooper had been so unexpectedly dashed.

She made her way back into the kitchen and straightened some of the dishes absent-mindedly. She wondered if she shouldstill ask Cooper to have dinner with her, or if she should go home so that he could get some rest. Feeling torn, she went back over to the light switches and dimmed the lights in the kitchen.

I’ll just let him see what I set up,she thought, sighing with disappointment.Then at least he’ll see the work I put in for him even if he’s feeling too tired to enjoy it.

She heard footsteps in the hallway and turned with a smile to see Cooper stepping inside the kitchen. He looked exhausted, and her heart stirred with sympathy for him. The moment he saw the table spread out with a romantic dinner, his eyes widened in surprise.

“Julia,” he said, looking almost dazed. “This—when did you do this?”

“Before you got here,” she said, coming up to him and giving him a hug. “I wanted to have a romantic dinner with you. But I can tell from your reaction that you’re feeling too tired for salad and wine.”

He winced. “I’m sorry. I’d love to. That salad looks amazing. But my stomach is upset, and I’m not sure I’m up for it. I’m at the point where I want to eat some toast in bed and then pass out.”

“It’s okay,” she assured him. She couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment, but taking care of him was her priority. “Don’t worry about it. We can have a romantic dinner some other time. You clearly need to get some sleep, and I want to do what’s best for you. Why don’t you go sit down on the couch and I’ll bring you some soup? I saw that you had a couple of cans of chicken noodle soup in your cupboard.”

“Would you? That would be amazing.” Cooper looked almost limp with relief, and she had to giggle a little over how cute she found his reaction.

“Of course.” She beamed at him. “And some crackers? And would you like orange juice too?”

“Maybe a little. I’m not sure how my stomach is going to take to it.”

“What, you’re not going to chug it like Macey?”

He laughed, and she gave his arm a fond squeeze.

“You go lie down on the couch. I’ll bring you food in a little bit.”

Cooper smiled at her adoringly and left the kitchen. She could hear him grunting and groaning a little as he settled down on the couch in the other room.

She opened a can of chicken noodle soup and poured it into a saucepan to heat up. She poured a little bit of orange juice into a glass, and also poured Cooper a large glass of water. She set some crackers on a little plate, and when the soup was ready, she poured a generous helping of it into a large bowl.

She put everything onto a tray and carried it out into the living room. As soon as she saw Cooper, a smile spread across her face.

He was completely passed out, one leg up on the couch and the other dangling off the side. His head was tilted back and his mouth was open, and his chest rose and fell slowly as he slept. Because of his stuffy nose, he was snoring a little, and she couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

“Goodnight, Cooper,” she whispered.

She set down the tray of food next to him on the coffee table, in case he woke up and wanted to eat the soup. She thought about lifting his dangling leg up onto the couch, but then decided that she didn’t want to disturb him. She took a soft blanket off the armchair and covered him with it lovingly.

She paused to take one more look at him, and she let out a long sigh. She had wanted to tell him how she felt about him that night, but so many things had gotten in the way of that.

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