“How did you do this?” Noelle asked, looking thunderstruck. Her eyes were shining like diamonds. “It’s—I mean, it’s my dress. But the dress shop said they weren’t making any more.”
“Just think of it as a little Hollywood magic,” Delilah said with a grin. “A fashion designer friend of mine owed me a favor, and I asked her to replicate your dress. You should try it on to be sure, but it should have your alterations already done. Mimi made the dress based on your measurements, which the dress shop sent her.”
“I can’t believe it,” Noelle gasped, and Delilah thought to herself that if Noelle were an actress, in that moment she would have decided to cast her as Cinderella.
“Can I see it?” Dean begged.
“Absolutely not,” Hazel said, going over to her twin and taking him by the arm. “You and I are going to go for a stroll around the farm so that everyone else can look at it freely.”
Dean sighed. “Okay. At least I get to see it soon.” He grinned.
Hazel and Dean left the barn together, and everyone else crowded around the dress, gushing about the fact that it looked exactly like the first one and congratulating Noelle. Vivian was crying with happiness, and Samantha was doing some kind of wild dance of joy that looked as though it had been heavily inspired by her cheerleading choreography.
In the midst of the celebration, Tom came over to Delilah and tugged gently on the sleeve of her sweater. She looked up at him joyfully, her heart full.
“I’m so grateful you’ve become part of this town,” he told her softly. “Rosewood Beach has always been beloved to me, and it means even more to me now that you’re here.”
Tears welled up in Delilah’s eyes. “I’m so happy to be here,” she whispered, squeezing his hand. “Being a part of the Rosewood Beach community has been more fulfilling than I ever could have imagined. And even more than that—” She paused as she looked up into his eyes, feeling as though everything around her was slowing down and softening for a moment. “Being with you is better than anything I could have dreamed.”
Tom blinked at her for a few heartbeats, grinning like a schoolboy in love. “Right back at you,” he whispered, and they shared a tender kiss.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Hazel closed her eyes for a moment and smiled, relishing the smell of the fresh parsley she was chopping up. Around her, her kitchen bustled with willing workers and the air was filled with the sounds of laughter and conversation.
She opened her eyes again, feeling a nostalgic pang amidst her feelings of happiness. The Fishers’ home had been completed by Jacob and his team, and it was one of their last nights staying with Jacob, Hazel, and Samantha. She had absolutely loved having Shannon, Weston, and Camille live in their home with them, and although she was thrilled that their house had been repaired, she knew she was going to miss the fun hustle and bustle that came with having more people in the house.
Things have been looking brighter for everyone, and I’m so glad,she thought, smiling as she turned to the bubbling cheese sauce that she had been concocting on the stove.Ever since Delilah gave that wedding dress to Noelle, I feel like it’s been good news every time I turn around.
She grinned, remembering the look of joy on her future sister-in-law’s face when she saw the dress that Delilah had procured for her. Hazel was so thankful that Noelle had gottenthe wedding dress of her dreams after all—it had seemed like the final piece in the puzzle, and now Dean and Noelle’s wedding was ready to be the celebration they had been dreaming about and planning for months.
Her attention was drawn back to the matter at hand when Samantha tapped her on the arm.
“Hey, Mom, do you think Camille and I could have sodas tonight with dinner? Since it’s a celebration and everything?”
Hazel chuckled. Normally she tried to classify sodas under the “special treat” category and not the “dinner beverages” category, but she could agree with Samantha that this was indeed a special occasion. “Sure,” she said. “Better ask Shannon if that’s okay with her though before you announce the good news to Camille.”
Shannon turned around from where she’d been preparing garlic bread at the kitchen table and smiled. “Fine with me too. Camille loves soda—it’s one of her favorite things.”
Samantha and Jacob set the table while Shannon and Hazel finished cooking dinner and Weston played in the living room with Camille. Since macaroni and cheese was Camille’s favorite food, they had all decided to make it that night for their celebratory meal. Hazel had a fantastic recipe for creamy homemade cheese sauce, and they planned on adding parsley and gorgonzola to the adults’ portions of the meal, adding a bit of extra flavor and sophistication. Since it was a celebration, Jacob got out one of the best bottles of red wine for the adults to drink.
“It’s only fair,” he said, winking at Samantha. “I mean, the girls get to drink sodas.”
Chuckling, Hazel added the cheese sauce to the cooked elbow noodles and sighed in satisfaction as a creamy whiff of the delectable concoction reached her nose. “Oh, I haven’t had good old-fashioned mac and cheese like this in ages. I’ll haveto remember to thank Camille for reminding us it’s still a food option.”
“She reminds me almost every day,” Shannon said with a laugh. “I’m sure she’ll start asking for your version though. That sauce looks to die for. Would you give me the recipe for it?”
“Definitely,” Hazel said, thrilled to be asked. “But I wouldn’t count on Camille liking this more than the boxed mac and cheese. Kids are funny like that.”
“True.” Shannon chuckled. “When I was a kid, I liked nothing better than really cheap frozen pizza. I enjoyed the fancier stuff, too, but a really cheap, basic pizza—I don’t know, there’s just nothing like it.”
“I know that feeling.” Hazel laughed, remembering sleepovers with her friends in high school. They’d eaten copious amounts of frozen pizzas and munched on more candy in one night than she’d probably eaten that entire year so far. “Junk food always has its own special appeal.”
When dinner was ready, Samantha scampered out into the living room to get Weston and Camille. Soon they were all sitting down at the table together to say grace, and Hazel’s heart felt full of the same grateful, bittersweet ache. She was so glad the Fishers had come into their lives, and she felt consoled by the fact that they would remain good friends even after they’d moved back into their home.
The dinner was delicious, and the girls were completely preoccupied by it for the first few minutes of the meal. In addition to the macaroni and cheese, there was also a raspberry vinaigrette salad and buttery, chewy garlic bread. The adults did their best to make polite conversation, and the meal was complimented several times, but it was clear that for the most part, everyone wanted to eat more than they wanted to talk.
After a few minutes, the companionable silence was broken by Camille.
