Page 51 of Sea Glass Serenade

“We just—we want the best for you.” Vivian was blinking back tears. “I understand why you didn’t tell any of us sooner, but now that you have, we’re going to make sure to help you as much as you need. If you need encouragement, or help with anything around your house, or food if you’re having a flare-up—just anything.”

“I will take homemade cookies every week,” he said, grinning.

“Done,” Hazel said, still snuffling.

“Oh, come on, twin, I’m joking.” He gave her another squeeze. “It’s not so bad. It only flares up sometimes, and there are things I can do to offset the symptoms.”

“Well, we’re going to help you,” Julia said. “We mean it, Dean. We’re here for you.”

Everyone else chorused their agreement, and Dean soon found himself in the middle of a group hug.

“There’s an ice cream place across the road,” Grayson said. “Do you all want to go over there for a bit? I’ll buy.”

Everyone agreed to the plan, and they walked together across the street to the ice cream parlor. They got a table at the back and ordered cones, sundaes, and malts.

“Good plan, Grayson.” Dean clapped his brother-in-law on the back. “Ice cream makes everything seem better.” He took a sip of his chocolate malt and grinned.

“Dean, is this why you kept resisting the idea of me setting you up with someone?” Alexis asked, looking sad.

Dean nodded. “It is. I’m sorry, Alexis, but I just have so much to think about and deal with. And well, you know. I think there’s a good chance that I’ll just stay single now that I know this about myself.”

“Don’t say that,” Julia said, and Dean saw tears glistening in her eyes. “You can’t stop living your life fully just because you’ve gotten this scary diagnosis. Love is so worth having. It’s important that we all grasp onto it and tell the people that we love just how much they mean to us and how much we care about them.”

Dean smiled at her fondly for a moment, and then he winked at her. He could tell that her words were both for him and for herself. He knew that she was still trying to figure out how to tell Cooper that she loved him.

“Thanks, Julia. And thank you all.” He looked around the table at the family, feeling his heart grow warm with gratitude. “You’re right. I do need to keep living my life fully, and I’m so glad that I have all of you to lean on.”

They all clapped him on the back, smiling lovingly at him. He felt strengthened by their support, and his spirits lifted. For the first time in a while, he felt excited for the future.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Julia sat in the armchair in her bedroom at Vivian’s house, looking out the window. It was a beautiful day outside, sunny and warm. She had her window open, and she kept taking deep breaths, inhaling the fragrant aroma of the flowering crabapple tree in Vivian’s backyard.

She had spent a quiet morning so far. She and Vivian had made breakfast together, and then her mother had gone into her home office to call one of her good friends who lived in another state. Julia had found herself puttering around the house with nothing to do, and she’d ended up sitting there, gazing out the window and thinking deeply about everything that had been going on in her life.

She thought about Alexis and Grayson, and she smiled as she reflected that things seemed to be going very well between them. She thought about Hazel, and how her hopes of going out with Jacob had been dashed, and she felt another pang of sympathy for her sister. She thought about how Vivian seemed to be healing from her father’s death and the terrible news of his gambling habits, and she thought about how brave poor Dean was being, facing his diagnosis with courage and a good attitude. She was glad that he had finally told the rest of the family hissecret, and she thought to herself how much she hoped that he did find love with someone soon. He was a kind, smart, wonderful guy, and she thought he deserved the world.

Then her thoughts turned to her own relationship with Cooper, and she sighed. She knew that she needed to find a time to tell him how she felt about him. The words “I love you” were starting to burn on her tongue, and she wanted to be able to say them to him. She drummed her fingers on the armrest of her chair, thinking about how things always came up to prevent her from telling him in the way that she’d planned.

But maybe that’s my problem, she thought, brightening.Maybe I just need to stop trying to tell him in such an elaborate way. Maybe I should just spit it out and tell Cooper how I feel, even if life keeps trying to interrupt us.

She hugged her knees, deciding that today was the day and now was the moment. She wouldn’t bother with trying to make the event special and romantic. After all, the words themselves were special and romantic. They didn’t need a romantic setting in order to be meaningful.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent a text to Cooper.

JULIA: Hey! Would you like to get some coffee at Seaside Sweets Bakery with me this morning?

She set her phone down on her lap and turned to look out the window again, feeling excited. In the next moment, her phone buzzed with a reply from Cooper.

COOPER: I’d love to! In half an hour?

JULIA: Sounds perfect.

She stood up, smiling to herself and also feeling a little nervous. She told herself firmly to not let herself get too jittery, and to just take the moment as it came. All she had to do was speak three little words out loud, and considering how much she meant them, it shouldn’t be too hard.

She applied her makeup carefully, a task she always enjoyed. She put on a pair of low, comfortable heels to go with her dark jeans and casual blouse. Before leaving her room, she paused to take a look at herself in the mirror. She saw that her eyes were shining with excitement, and she smiled.

It was a short walk to Seaside Sweets Bakery, and she arrived a few minutes early. She sat on a bench and waited for Cooper, who arrived right on time, parking his car on the street outside the bakery.

---