Page 24 of Moonlit Harbor Nights

Julia and Alexis both blinked at him in shock. It wasn’t like Dean to be so curt, and Julia could tell that there was something really upsetting him—and it definitely wasn’t just the lunch.

“Dean, what’s the matter?” Alexis asked softly. “Are you okay?”

Dean sighed, setting the bag down on top of Julia’s car.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just… I really don’t want to be treated like an invalid, okay? I appreciate you bringing me lunch, but I don’t like feeling like you think I can’t take care of myself. Or that it’s so hard for me to function that I need help. I’m okay. I just want you to treat me the way you used to. Please.”

“I used to bring you lunch sometimes,” Alexis pointed out.

“Yeah, but you didn’t tell me it was because you were worried about me and I needed to keep my strength up. And you would always bring food for yourself too and eat with me.Look, I’m sorry, Alexis, but I just don’t want people paying me special attention because of my diagnosis. I want to be treated normally.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Dean and Alexis shared a hug, and Julia watched them with an ache in her heart. She could tell that Dean was struggling with his diagnosis more than he was letting on, but she wanted to give him the space he was asking for. Besides, she trusted that he would be able to figure it out. If he did need help at all, he knew that he could come to his family. The Owens were great at supporting each other, and they’ve made it clear to Dean that he never had to deal with anything alone.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Dean suggested as he pulled away from the hug.

“Sure.” Alexis smiled at him. “We can get the focus off you stat, Dean. What were you two talking about when I walked in?”

“I was telling Dean that Cooper offered to let me plant a vegetable garden in his backyard.” Julia smiled, noticing the way butterflies seemed to take off in her stomach as she added, “And I told him about what Cooper said at the birthday party I threw for him: that he couldn’t imagine life without me.”

Alexis squealed so loudly that the other mechanics in the garage turned to see what the fuss was all about.

“Julia, that’s amazing!” Alexis pulled her into a hug. “That really sounds like he’s getting ready to propose, if he offered to let you plant a garden at his house. Right, Dean? Gardens are totally a long-term thing. Totally a ‘wow, we both live here let’s plant some vegetables together’ kind of thing.”

Dean laughed. “It does sound like he’s serious. I wouldn’t be surprised if he proposes to Julia soon. But then again, I wouldn’t have been surprised anyway.” He smiled and shrugged.

Julia felt a rush of excitement when she heard Dean’s words. If her more level-headed brother thought that Cooper might be proposing soon, then maybe it really was about to happen.

“This is so exciting!” Alexis pulled out her phone and began to tap on the screen eagerly. “I’m making you a manicure appointment right now, Julia. That way your nails will look great when Cooper proposes to you. What color do you want? Something feminine and demure, or something vibrant? I guess it will kind of depend on what you’re wearing though, won’t it? What do you want to wear when he proposes to you?”

Julia laughed. “Even if he does propose to me, we have no idea how soon he’s going to do it. Shouldn’t we wait? I mean, maybe in a few weeks I’ll have a clearer sense of what he’s really thinking.”

“Absolutely not.” Alexis shook her head. “There is no way I’m letting you risk getting caught with lousy nails on your engagement day.”

Julia chuckled, and Alexis continued to set up a manicure appointment. Julia and Dean shared a grin, and she could feel her hope building.

I can’t believe this might actually be happening, she thought, aglow with anticipation.

The fact that she’d told her siblings and they were excited for her made it all seem so much more real. She answered Alexis’s questions about what kind of manicure she wanted in a kind of daze, wondering if a proposal was really going to happen, and when.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Vivian frowned as she tasted the cup of coffee that she’d just made. There was something a little off about it, and she wondered if she hadn’t put in enough coffee grounds.

She was at the pub on a sunny Thursday morning, bustling about making sure everything was running smoothly. She’d been at the pub a lot more often than usual lately, and she kept telling everyone it was because she got too bored at home. She knew the truth, however, although she was barely admitting it to herself. She wanted to be at the pub so much so that she could be sure to be there when Alan came back for his next Monte Cristo sandwich with the secret sauce.

She started to inspect the coffee maker, wondering if she’d been so distracted that she’d forgotten to put in enough coffee grounds. In the next moment, however, she heard someone call her name.

For a split second, her heart leapt up, thinking it might be Alan, but then she recognized the voice as Grayson’s. Sure enough, in the next moment she saw her son-in-law walking toward her.

“Good morning, Grayson.” She smiled at him. She liked the hard-working, thoughtful man who had married her daughter.For a while, she’d been upset with him for the way he’d neglected Alexis, but when he’d moved to Rosewood Beach to be with her, giving up his lucrative business in L.A., it proved what a heart of gold he had. “Are you here for breakfast?”

“No, just some Tapioca pudding. For Alexis.”

“We’ve got some if you want it! But Alexis just said the other day that she doesn’t like pudding anymore.”

He shrugged. “That’s what she said she wanted. I’m just the messenger.” He laughed as he added, “And I think it’s worth a try. Her cravings are so unpredictable, she probably loves pudding again now. Besides, I wouldn’t dare contradict my pregnant wife and not get what she told me to get her.”

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