“Yeah, I’m fine.” Dean shook his head, wishing he’d had the sense to ask Jacob for a break or even to have asked if Trevor could have carried the archway for him.
“Dean!” He heard footsteps pattering across the driveway behind him, and a moment later, Noelle was at his side, touching his arm with concern. “Are you okay? Is it your hands?”
Hazel was right on her heels, looking worried. She made eye contact with Dean and bit her lip. Dean could sense that Hazel knew exactly what had happened, but as his loyal twin, she wasn’t going to call him out for his bad choice in front of the others.
“Yeah,” Dean said. “I’m okay. Let me check the archway. I want to make sure I didn’t break it.”
He crouched down and inspected his side of the arch, and Jacob helped him by lifting it off the ground a little. Thankfully, it was undamaged, and Dean breathed a sigh of relief.
“Trevor probably would have repaired it for you anyway,” Jacob said. “He’s that kind of guy. But I’m glad it’s all good. This thing is well-made.”
Dean could tell that Jacob felt awkward about what had happened, and he was trying not to ask the question that was probably on all of their minds—is this going to happen again?
I can’t ignore my symptoms anymore,Dean thought.My pain kept me from focusing on today, and now this. It’s time to do something more.
“Noelle,” he said, taking her hand. She looked up at him with big eyes filled with love and concern. “I’ve been hoping that my pain would improve, but it hasn’t. It’s been increasing, no matter how much I rest or do physical therapy. I need to go see the doctor as soon as possible and talk about my other options.”
Noelle nodded, and as he looked into her eyes, he knew they were thinking the same thing. Both of them were worried about how this might derail their plans for the wedding.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Delilah opened the wardrobe in her hotel room and sighed. She had plenty of things that she could wear, but she didn’t have any clear sense of what would be the right outfit. She was longing to make a good impression, even though she knew that everyone she was about to spend time with already liked her.
It was the evening of Faith’s surprise party, and Delilah had been feeling nervous about it ever since the morning. She was still delighted to be going, and she was looking forward to the event, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that it was her and Tom’s first time appearing “together” publicly, and in a small way, they would be announcing the relationship that was budding between them. She cared strongly about looking her best for the occasion, but she also didn’t want to wear the wrong thing.
I shouldn’t overthink this,she thought, looking over the dresses, blouses, and sweaters that were hanging in the wardrobe.I’ve been getting spruced up for important events for decades now. What makes tonight any different?
She bit her lip, knowing that night was very different from all the times she’d been to big events in the past. For those galas and red-carpet events, it was as if there had been a script. She’d known how she was supposed to look, and she often even haddesigners and makeup artists and hair stylists there to help her choose the way she wanted to present herself.
For this party, she had no idea how she wanted to present herself. She didn’t know how elegantly or informally she should dress, and she wanted to look as though she cared about the occasion without looking as though she was trying to steal attention for herself. Most of her clothes were colorful, designer brands, and she was used to wearing somewhat flashy jewelry most of the time when she wasn’t on set.
She tried on a teal sweater paired with khaki slacks and low heels, turning back and forth in front of the mirror several times to inspect the effect. She felt too informal in that outfit, however, and next she tried on a burgundy dress. That outfit made her feel too formal, and she sighed as she returned to her wardrobe, rummaging through her clothes as if she was hunting for an illusive unicorn.
I should just dress for Tom,she thought, smiling to herself after she had tried on four more outfits. None of them had felt right, and she’d come to the conclusion that she was too bogged down by uncertainty about what the other women would be wearing.I’ll wear something I think he would like, and I’ll leave the rest of it up to chance. After all, they’re kind people. I’m sure they won’t judge me harshly no matter what I wear.
She chuckled as she continued to rummage in her wardrobe. Who would have thought that she would try on more outfits before attending a small-town surprise birthday party than she had tried on before attending her last fancy dinner party back in Hollywood?
She decided on a simple black dress with long sleeves, paired with low heels and a sky-blue cardigan with a matching stone necklace. She felt elegant in it, but it didn’t look too flashy or formal, and she wanted Tom to see the way the sky blue of the necklace and sweater brought out her eyes.
At the thought of Tom, she paused and smiled. She loved spending time with him, and she was looking forward to seeing him that night. When they were together, she felt as though time slowed down, and she was able to notice more things around her and appreciate them with all of the wonder that they deserved. When she was with Tom, the air smelled more invigorating, the colors of the trees appeared more vibrant, and she noticed how many everyday sounds—such as the birds singing or the waves splashing against the sand—could be as soothing as music.
It’s Tom who helps me slow down, but it’s also Rosewood Beach,she thought. Living at the slower pace in which they live here has been lovely.
She thought about the times that she and Tom cooked together in The Lighthouse Grill, and then again at the Owens’ house. She’d loved getting to cook with him as well as the Owens women. All of them treated cooking as a creative process to be enjoyed, not a task to be overcome as quickly as possible before moving on to more important things. Her heart warmed as she thought about how homey it had been to talk and laugh with all of them as they worked together to create something nourishing and delicious.
She paused, wondering how much more time she would get to spend with all of them before the filming for her movie was over. She realized in a flash that she didn’t want her time in Rosewood Beach to come to an end.
I could get used to living like this,she thought, noticing how much light was in her eyes as she inspected her reflection.I love being surrounded by kind, caring people and living at a pace in which I can appreciate everything around me.A moment later she shook her head, as if she was waking up from a lovely dream.But I don’t know how that would ever work with my career path.
She inspected herself one final time, starting to feel a little nervous. All at once, the unlikely reality of her situation swept over her. Should she be going out with Tom like this if they didn’t have a chance of staying together? Wouldn’t it be better to start parting ways now, so that neither of them got hurt later on?
She shook her head, reminding herself that she and Tom weren’t officially in a relationship or anything like that. They were going to a party together, and they’d both expressed romantic interest in each other. There was no reason to feel as though the stakes were incredibly high—not yet. She was simply going to enjoy the wonderful evening ahead of her and not overthink her situation too much.
At that moment, her phone buzzed in her purse, which was lying on the end of her bed. She snatched it up eagerly, having a strong suspicion that she’d just gotten a text from Tom. That turned out to be the case, and she grinned when she read that he’d arrived at the hotel and was waiting for her in the lobby downstairs.
She grabbed her purse and practically scampered out of her room, unable to think about anything besides how excited she was to see him and how much she wanted to share some exciting news with him. She couldn’t wait to see the smile on his face when she told him her update.
She took the staircase down to the lobby and saw Tom standing in front of the lobby windows, thumbing through a magazine but looking as though he wasn’t really seeing any of it. He looked excited, as if under his calm, masculine exterior his heart was bouncing around like a terrier chasing after a tennis ball.
