Page 56 of A Bright Winter Season

“Phone, keys, wallet, hand lotion, Chapstick, snack, tissues,” she mumbled, rummaging through her purse. “Okay, good.”

She locked the front door of her house and turned toward her car, beginning to go through a mental checklist of all the things she needed to do that day. After work, she was meeting with her sisters and mother at Alexis’s house to plan Alexis’s baby shower, and she wanted to stop by the store to grab some cookies to bring to the planning meeting. Usually, she liked to bake homemade treats for occasions like that, but she’d been especially busy lately, even after the pub’s Christmas event had concluded. A tall, handsome handyman had been taking up a great deal of her time.

She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and she glanced at it as she walked to her car.

JACOB: Good morning, Hazel! I hope you have an amazing day today.

Her heart swelled with happiness as she texted him back a similar sentiment. They hadn’t been dating for very long, but already he was making her feel safer and more secure. Instead of feeling as though she was overextending herself or getting lost in their relationship, she felt supported and able to be herself freely. Jacob was helping her become more confident, not less so.

I wonder if it’s because we were already such good friends,she thought with a smile as she tucked her phone back into herpocket.Or maybe it’s because I already put in so much good work learning to respect myself. Or maybe it’s because he’s such a good guy, and he genuinely cares about me. Maybe it’s all of that combined.

Feeling light as a feather, she climbed into her car and started the engine. It was a particularly frosty morning, but she had dressed warmly, and she felt cozy enough even before the heat turned on in her car.

She drove straight to work, deciding that she would pick up a box of cookies on her way to Alexis’s after work. She yawned, thinking to herself that as soon as she arrived, she would help herself to some of the complimentary coffee in the staff break room of the hospital.

Her workday passed by at a breezy pace—she never felt too rushed or too bored. Most of the residents of Rosewood Beach who came into the doctor’s office seemed to be in particularly good spirits. It was clear that the Christmas season was making everyone feel happier and more grateful than usual.

When her shift was over, she made her way over to the general store to pick up some cookies. Samantha was going to Willow’s house for dinner, so Hazel was free to head over to Alexis’s house without stopping at home first to make sure her daughter didn’t need anything. The way Samantha seemed to be growing up so quickly was hard in many ways, but in many other ways it made their lives easier. Samantha liked her independence, and Hazel had to admit to herself that sometimes it was nice to only have to take care of herself for a little while.

She stepped inside the general store, immediately making a beeline for the snack aisle where the cookies were. She was thinking to herself with a chuckle that she should get cookies with a lot of peanut butter in them for Alexis’s sake, when she stopped in her tracks. In the next moment, a grin spread across her face.

“Jacob!” she said, hurrying forward to hug her boyfriend.

“Hey.” He grinned at her. “Fancy meeting you in one of my favorite places. What are you here for?”

“Cookies.” She laughed. “We’re planning Alexis’s baby shower in a little while, and I wanted to bring some food to share. What are you here for?”

“Uh, nails, a new flathead screwdriver because I lost mine somewhere, Band-Aids, a new toothbrush, and paper towels.” He lifted the items one by one from the basket he was carrying, chuckling. “I’ve needed paper towels for like a week. I started using those blue shop towels that I got from Dean instead. I’m a mess.”

She shook her head, smiling. “I think you’re doing great. But if you ever want me to take a stroll around your house and do a quick inventory, I’d be happy to.”

“Would you?” His expression lit up. “That would be incredible. I need someone to help me stay organized.”

Her heart glowed when she heard his words. She loved the idea of being able to help him and make life easier for him.

“That’s not too much, right?” he asked her after a moment. “You’re not too busy for that?”

She smiled at him, feeling grateful. “Not at all. Thank you for checking.”

So far, Jacob had been making sure that Hazel never overextended herself for his sake. She hadn’t once felt as though she was doing that—and she often checked in with him to make sure he wasn’t overextending himself for her, because he helped her out with so many different things. They seemed to be a wonderful match, both helpful and giving and tuned into each other’s needs.

“I would love to help you check on what you need to restock. I love organizing things.” She laughed. “And a trick I learned frommy mom is to always have backups of the important things, like soap, toilet paper, paper towels, and ranch dressing.”

“Yeah? Ranch dressing?”

“Oh, yes.” She shook her head wryly. “A bunch of hungry teenagers can go through a lot of ranch dressing, let me tell you.”

“I believe it. I go through it pretty quick myself. Thanks, Hazel. That’s a good trick.”

They stood there smiling at each other, both of them clearly reluctant to end the conversation and carry on with their days. Hazel didn’t want to be late for the meeting with her family, but she also didn’t want to stop talking to Jacob.

She still felt girlish butterflies of excitement every time she was near him. Now that she was no longer trying to stop herself from being interested in him, her crush on him felt stronger than ever. Sometimes she could hardly believe that she was dating him, and he seemed to be just as starstruck by her as she was by him.

In another moment, Hazel’s cell phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw that it was Alexis calling her.

“Ahh, I’d better take this,” she said. “It’s Alexis. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Talk to you later.” He nodded at her. “Tell Alexis I say hi.”

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