Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Hazel listened to the sound of her sisters laughing and smiled. She was tucked up comfortably in a corner of her mother’s cozy couch, listening to Julia and Alexis laugh about a mishap that had occurred at The Lighthouse Grill earlier that day. She lifted her wine glass to her lips and took a slow sip, reflecting on how grateful she felt to be there.
My siblings always lift my spirits , she thought. I’m so glad I didn’t turn down this opportunity to spend time with them.
She’d only considered declining Julia’s invitation for a moment, since she almost always accepted an opportunity to spend time with her siblings. She’d felt a bit down and listless earlier in the afternoon, since she’d seen the local handyman Jacob Dorsey at the grocery store, and she’d realized that she had just as much of a crush on him as ever, even though she’d kept telling herself that she’d fully accepted the reality that he had a girlfriend now and was now off-limits. She’d been doing her best to keep her spirits up ever since her plans to ask him out had been unexpectedly dashed by learning that he was dating someone else, but it was hard sometimes.
“You remember her, don’t you, Hazel?” Julia turned toward her with a smile, shattering her reverie. “Mrs. Henderson?”
Hazel grinned. “The sweet old lady who always puts fresh flowers in her hat?”
“Yes!” Julia gesticulated wildly. “And we’re all watching from the windows as this young man is following her around, trying to shoo away the bee that’s having a grand old time of it on her hat.”
Hazel laughed at the story, but in the next moment her heart gave a slight pang as she thought about how Jacob was the kind of person who would do something like that. He was always kind and helpful—he’d been so kind and helpful to her that she’d gotten her hopes up that he liked her in the same way that she liked him.
“Oh, that’s too funny.” Alexis was almost shaking with laughter as she reached for her apple galette. After she took a bite, she said, “I love being here with you two. There’s nothing better than having fun chatting with my sisters like this.”
Hazel beamed at her sister, and Julia said, “Aww! I feel the same way.”
The sisters had settled down together in the living room to drink red wine and eat apple galettes after a delicious dinner of chicken alfredo lasagna. Julia had invited all her siblings earlier in the day, since Vivian was away visiting a friend for the night and Julia had expressed a desire for company.
“Are you sure, though?” Hazel cocked a brow as she picked up her galette, getting ready to take a bite. “Is there nothing better than chatting with us? Not even spending time with your husband?”
Alexis flushed and smiled, her eyes immediately taking on a starry look. Hazel and Julia glanced at each other and grinned.
“I mean, I guess if we’re talking literally—” Alexis laughed. “There is something special about spending time with Grayson that nothing else can compare to.”
“I’m so glad that your marriage is being rekindled,” Julia said, reaching over to Alexis and giving her a sideways hug. “Grayson is a lucky guy. I’m glad you gave him a second chance.”
“Well, he’s really been earning it.” Alexis smiled dreaming down into her wine glass. “He’s been doing all kinds of sweet things, like buying me flowers or leaving love notes on the bathroom mirror in the morning. If you’d told me he’d be acting like this a year ago, I would never have believed it.” She stared into space for a moment, looking incredibly happy. “But I think the thing I love the most about the way he’s changed is how much time we spend together. We eat breakfast together in the morning, and dinner together almost every night. We sit and talk together, and I get to look into his eyes during our conversations. It’s wonderful.”
“Sounds fantastic.” Hazel smiled at her sister, wondering if she would ever be lucky enough to find a love like that.
“Thank you, Hazel. It really is. I’m so happy to have the man I married back.”
For a few moments, the sisters sat in silence, all smiling quietly. Hazel took another bite of her galette, savoring the sweet, tangy flavor of the filling and the buttery crust.
“I love your nails, Hazel,” Julia said after a moment, looking with fascination at Hazel’s hands. “Are those little flower images?”
Hazel laughed, looking down at her nails and feeling pleased. “Yes, these are some water transfer designs that I saw online. They’re cute, aren’t they? Except I did them yesterday and they’re already chipping. Oh well.” She heaved a pretend sigh and grinned. “I’d just wanted to do a little something to have a bit of a glow up. I mean, a woman doesn’t have to have a boyfriend in order to want to look nice, right?”
“Oh, definitely not!” Julia nodded emphatically.
“Of course you don’t need a boyfriend for all that stuff.” Alexis sat down next to Hazel and gave her a hug. “You should always do what makes you feel beautiful, just for fun. As a treat to yourself.”
“I completely agree.” Julia grinned. “I mean, I was single for years and years, and I always got manicures.” She held up her fingers, which were manicured a beautiful dark red.
“Besides, what happened with Jacob has nothing to do with you.” Alexis squeezed Hazel’s knee. “You’re just as worthy of care and attention as you always were. Just because he missed the boat doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t pamper yourself.”
Hazel sighed. “He’s not the one who missed the boat; I am. I wish I’d had the courage to ask him out sooner. Maybe then he’d be dating me instead of this other girl.”
Alexis shook her head. “Don’t think like that. You couldn’t have known. Besides, who knows what’s going to happen next? You might meet some amazing man who will totally sweep you off your feet. And in the meantime, you paint your nails to your heart’s content.”
Hazel smiled, feeling grateful for her sisters’ support. “I don’t know that I want a man, really. I mean, Jacob is Jacob…” She found herself growing sad suddenly, and she shook her head, trying to dispel those thoughts. “I just mean, I don’t know that having a boyfriend in general is really my goal. I want to pick myself back up after this disappointment and feel like myself again. I’ve done just fine raising Samantha without a man for many years, and I’m going to keep right on doing it.”
“That’s the spirit!” Julia gave a satisfied nod. “I am hoping you do find love, Hazel, at least someday, but you certainly don’t need a man. You’ve created an amazing life for yourself and your daughter, and you have every reason to be content without a boyfriend. And besides,” she added, arching a brow, “if Dean were here, he would remind us that men hardly ever notice women’s glow ups anyway, not unless they’re completely drastic like a whole new hair color. So what’s the point in doing it for men, anyway? We should just do it for ourselves!”
Alexis and Hazel laughed. Hazel thought about how many times she’d done little things to try to get various men’s attention over the years, almost none of which had been noticed. Her sisters and friends, however, had always noticed those little details right away.
“Oh, Dean.” Alexis shook her head, smiling. “I think if one of these girls in town who’s attracted to him dyed her hair blue, he still wouldn’t notice. He’s so oblivious when it comes to women being interested in him.” She chuckled. “I guess a lot of guys are like that.”
“I miss Dean.” Hazel sighed, hugging her knees. She wasn’t used to her twin not being at every family get-together. In the past, they’d been almost inseparable. She knew things were tough for him because of his osteoarthritis, and she didn’t blame him for turning down Julia’s invitation, but she wished that things were different and that he had the energy to be there with them that night. “It’s so hard to see him struggling with his energy like this. I wish there was something we could do.”
“I know.” Alexis leaned her head against the couch cushions, biting her lip.
“Well, maybe there is.” Julia pulled her phone out of her pocket and began to click away on it. “I’ve been doing research on things that could help Dean. And I found this.” She held her phone out to her sisters, revealing an article on a medical website. “This outlines the benefits of physical therapy for osteoarthritis.”
Alexis and Hazel leaned forward in interest.
“Physical therapy?” Alexis echoed.
Julia nodded. “I was doing research this morning during some down time at the pub. I found a bunch of articles on how physical therapy can improve strength and flexibility and reduce pain in patients with osteoarthritis.”
“Oh, that’s great!” Hazel clasped her hands, feeling a surge of excitement. “That should help him.”
“Yeah, but what if he’s stubborn and doesn’t want to do it?” Alexis sipped her wine thoughtfully.
“We’ll just have to convince him to do it,” Julia said, nodding her head firmly. “He shouldn’t pass up a chance to feel better like this.”
“I’ll threaten to never bake him cookies again if he doesn’t do it.” Hazel laughed. “He should do it, though, really. Why pass up an opportunity to make his life better?”
Julia grinned. “I bet we can convince him.”
Soon, the sisters started a game of cards, playing on the coffee table while they continued to drink their wine and munch their galettes. Hazel found herself feeling introspective as they played, and she thought about how much she hoped that Dean would go to physical therapy and improve his quality of life.
Everyone needs to do something for themselves to live their best life , she thought. For me, right now that’s just a bit of self-care to remind myself that being a strong, independent woman is wonderful. For Dean, it’s taking on this new challenge that will make him feel better.
She smiled as she laid down a card, feeling suddenly hopeful and optimistic. She had a feeling that things were about to get better for both her and her twin.