A Place for Daydreams (Rosewood Beach #3)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Noelle whistled quietly to herself as she bustled around in the kitchen of her cozy apartment. She had old folk music playing through a little speaker on her kitchen counter, and she was whistling along to the music cheerfully. Sunlight spilled through the windows, making the colored glass vases that she kept lined up on the windowsill gleam charmingly.

“Oh, strawberries,” she murmured, and opened the refrigerator.

She was in the middle of packing herself a picnic lunch for the day. It was a beautiful, crisp Saturday morning, and she’d decided to visit one of Rosewood Beach’s landmarks, a shallow cave in a hill tucked between the water and a grove of birch trees. It was called the Sea Captain’s Closet, since when it had been discovered, a chest of antique sailor’s clothes had been found in it. Noelle found caves thrilling and a little spooky, and she was looking forward to exploring this one, even though it didn’t go very far into the side of the hill.

She’d decided to pack herself a lunch and make a day of it. She’d made herself a chicken sandwich with tomato and avocado slices, and she’d already packed a couple of oatmeal raisin cookies that she’d made the day before. Her coffee, improved with cream and a shot of caramel syrup, was ready to go in a travel mug. As soon as she’d remembered the sweet strawberries that she had in the refrigerator, she’d decided she wanted to bring some of those along as well.

She rinsed them off and tucked them into a little Tupperware, which she placed into her lunch box next to her sandwich and the cookies.

Looks like I’m just about ready to go , she thought cheerfully. I can’t wait.

She glanced out the window at the sunny day, thinking to herself that it was a perfect day for this kind of excursion. She hurried into her bedroom and opened her closet, taking out a baseball cap and a sweater, since she guessed that it would become chillier later in the day.

She tied the sweater around her waist and wiggled the baseball cap onto her head. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, thinking cheerfully to herself that she looked ready for an adventure. She was wearing hiking boots, jeans, and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail which highlighted its soft waves.

She let out a sigh of satisfaction and went back into the kitchen to get her lunchbox and coffee thermos. She left her apartment with a spring in her step and got into her car. She was just pulling out of the parking lot when she noticed that her brakes felt strangely unstable. She had to push her foot very firmly against the pedal in order to get the car to stop.

That doesn’t feel right at all , she thought, alarmed. I can’t drive anywhere if there’s an issue with my brakes.

She groaned. Car difficulties always flustered her, and this was making her feel especially worried—not to mention disappointed.

“Oh, I hope it’s some kind of easy fix,” she muttered as she pulled over on the side of the road. “I don’t want to miss out on the lovely day I had planned.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly looked up the nearest auto repair shop. It was only a three-minute drive away, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

She carefully eased her car back out into the road and made her way to the shop. She bit her lip the whole way, wondering what was wrong with her car and hoping it didn’t suddenly stop working altogether or explode.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled into the parking lot of the auto repair shop. By that point, it was very difficult to get her car to stop. She got out and hurried inside, finding herself in a cool, plainly decorated lobby that featured a tire display in one corner and several blue armchairs.

She rang a desk bell on the front counter, and a moment later a smiling young man with “Keith” written on his nametag stepped into the room.

“Hi there,” he said. “What can we help you with today?”

“The brakes on my car are acting strange,” she told him. “I was having trouble stopping the car by the time I got here.”

He asked her a few questions and she answered them, and he nodded, frowning in concern.

“Sounds like maybe your brake lines have a leak or got snapped somehow,” he said. “We’ll bring your car into the shop and take a look at it.”

“Sounds great, thank you. Do you want me to drive it in, or… ?”

“I’ll bring it in.” He held out his hand, and for a second she thought he was asking for a high-five, and she felt confused and inclined to laugh. Then she realized that he was asking her to hand him her keys so that he could move her car.

“Yes! Oh, sorry.” She laughed, rummaging in her purse and feeling flustered and amused. She was clearly out of it, rattled by her concerns for her vehicle. “Here you are. Any guesses as to how long that will take?”

He shook his head. “I can’t say for sure. First thing is we should run a diagnostic on your car and figure out what’s wrong with it. Then we can let you know about repairs and cost and how long it will probably take.” He smiled, and she forced herself to smile back, even though she could feel herself wanting to wiggle with impatience.

Oh, I hope it doesn’t take too long, she thought as she followed Keith outside. I really want to get to that cave today, and before my lunch spoils!

She watched with her hands clasped behind her back as Keith drove her car into the garage. She saw him frowning in concentration, but he was also able to stop it.

She wasn’t sure if she was allowed in the garage as a customer or not, but she didn’t see anyone besides Keith in there, so she tiptoed inside. The garage smelled strongly of gasoline, oil, and grease, and she smiled quietly to herself. She loved those smells, because they made her think of repairing cars with her grandfather.

Keith got out of her car, and she stood near him.

“Did it stop okay?” she asked anxiously. She tended to hover when she was nervous about something. It was as if she was watching some suspenseful movie or reading a gripping book, and she couldn’t bring herself to look away from the unfolding action.

“Not too good, but I managed it. You can go ahead and sit in the lobby, ma’am. I’ll take a look at your car and come back inside to let you know what needs to be done about it.”

“I think I’d rather just watch you do it,” she said. “It won’t take all that long, will it?”

Keith glanced at her, looking hesitant. “Well, we don’t usually have customers here in the shop.”

“Oh, I won’t get in your way. I’ll just watch. I mean, I trust you, it isn’t that. Is that okay?”

He hesitated again, and then nodded. “Okay, I guess so.”

Keith began to inspect her car, starting by opening the hood. Noelle watched nervously as he began to check the levels of various fluid containers.

“Are they okay?” she asked, stepping forward. “That brake fluid is low, isn’t it?”

He turned to her in surprise. “Yeah, that’s the brake fluid and it is low. You probably have a damaged brake line. Let me check some other things here.”

He continued to do a thorough inspection of her engine and the surrounding parts, and even though she was grateful that he was being so careful, she wished it didn’t take so long. She found herself inching forward to look over his shoulder until she was standing directly behind him.

Then all at once, someone tapped her on the shoulder. “Ma’am, I’ll have to ask you to back up.”

She whirled around, startled, and her jaw dropped when she saw Dean Owens standing there behind her. In the next instant, his eyebrows lifted with recognition.

“Oh! Noelle! I—you?—”

“My goodness!” she spluttered, feeling surprised but delighted. “What are you—no, this is your shop?”

He grinned and shrugged. “Guilty. I mean, it’s the only auto repair shop in town.”

“It is?” She laughed. “I didn’t realize that. I just went to the nearest one. I mean, not that I wouldn’t have wanted to come to your shop. I would have come here on purpose if it wasn’t an emergency, but it’s a—well, we’re not sure exactly what’s wrong yet?—”

She realized she was rambling a little, feeling flustered by seeing Dean suddenly appear behind her like that. He was wearing a blue mechanic’s jumpsuit, and he looked professional and energetic, so different from the tired-looking man who had first stepped inside her office at the clinic.

“You’re all good.” He waved a calloused hand. “What’s the emergency? Something not working with your car?”

“Yeah, the brakes.” Keith grimaced good-naturedly. “Good thing she came in here right away.”

“The brakes aren’t working?” Dean turned to Noelle in alarm. “But you’re okay?”

She nodded, feeling touched by his concern. “I mean, they’re still functional. But they’re starting to be very difficult to use. Keith said the brake lines were probably damaged.”

“Ah.” Dean nodded sympathetically. “Well, the good news is, we can fix that. Why don’t you go ahead and wait in my office while we take a look at this thing? Then we can let you know if that’s the issue for sure, and if there are any other issues as well.”

“Oh, I hope not!” She laughed breathlessly. “But sure, thank you. I’m sorry, I suppose I was getting in the way out here.”

“Don’t worry about it, I know you meant well.” Dean smiled at her. “It’s just that there’s a lot that goes on out here and sometimes repairing cars can be dangerous. It’s our company policy that guests aren’t allowed in the garage.”

“I understand.” She smiled back at him.

“Let me show you where my office is. There’s a coffee pot with fresh coffee in there. Feel free to help yourself if you like.”

“Oh, thank you.” She glanced at her car, where her coffee thermos was tucked into the cupholder. It might be a while before she got to drink out of it. “That sounds nice, maybe I will.”

“And there’s cream and sugar in a little basket next to it. I’m not particularly cutesy like that myself, but I have a mother and three sisters.” He chuckled, and she grinned at him.

As she followed him across the garage to his office, she found herself wondering if his mother and sisters were the only women in his life, or if he had a girlfriend too. He seemed like a very nice guy, dependable and hard-working. It was clear that he ran his auto repair shop responsibly and with genuine care for his employees and his customers.

“Here it is,” he said, pushing open the door of his office.

It was a small room, clean and comfortable, with a swivel chair behind the desk, a small bookshelf filled with car manuals, a couple of chairs set against the wall, and a small table with a coffee machine and a mug tree resting on the top of it.

“What a nice office,” she said, meaning it genuinely.

“Thank you.” He smiled at her. “You can sit down in any of the chairs, but I recommend the swivel chair. It’s more comfortable. And more fun.”

She laughed and watched as he shut the office door behind him. Finding herself alone, she turned slowly around the room, examining it more closely.

She thought to herself that it was nice to be able to see Dean in his element, where he could show her his area of expertise. It leveled the playing field between them a bit—she was no longer the only one who was offering the other help. Now she’d come to him for help too.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and added hazelnut creamer. She began to stroll slowly around the room, looking at the photographs that were hanging on the walls. She was curious to learn more about Dean and his life, and although she didn’t quite admit it to herself, she was also looking to see if there were any pictures of a girlfriend on the walls.

There were some girls in the photographs, but they resembled Dean so much that she guessed they were his sisters. She smiled as she looked at them, thinking that they looked like very nice women, the kind of women who she’d like to be friends with.

She saw a photo of a baseball team cheering, clearly celebrating a victory, and she picked out Dean’s smiling face in the crowd of teammates. There were photos of car shows, of fishing trips, and a picture of Dean standing on the top of a bluff with his arms held up as if in celebration that he’d made it.

She bit her lip, struck by how energetic and healthy he looked in all of the pictures. Seeing him like that increased her determination to make things better for him through PT.

“I was pretty skinny, wasn’t I?”

She jumped, startled, and whirled around to see Dean standing in the doorway, grinning at her. A drop of coffee splashed onto her hand, and she wiped it off, laughing.

“Oops, sorry.” He grinned apologetically. “That’s the second time I’ve scared you today.”

“No, it’s okay.” She chuckled. “I guess I’m just a little embarrassed you caught me snooping.”

“You’re not snooping. Those pictures were hung up to be looked at. Did you see the one of the fishing trip? I didn’t catch that monster, but I wish I had. That was the biggest fish I’ve ever seen with my own eyes.”

“I did see it.” She grinned. “Very impressive. What’s the verdict on my car, doctor?”

“Oh, not so good.” He sighed. “One of the brake lines snapped and will need to be replaced. You’ve also got a leak in your coolant, which needs to be fixed or your engine could overheat. We can fix both of those things for you, but it’ll take us the rest of the day.”

Disappointment flopped in Noelle’s stomach. “It will? You’re sure?”

He nodded. “Unfortunately. We’re making your car as much of a priority as we can, since you came in with a safety concern, but we also have other car repair appointments we have to honor. I can promise you that we’ll get it done before tomorrow, though. Did you have somewhere you needed to be today?”

She shook her head. “Needed is the wrong word. I had a hike and a picnic planned for today, but it will have to wait.”

“Oh. Did—was someone else going with you, who could?—”

She shook her head, smiling. “No, a solo expedition I’m afraid. I wanted to see the Sea Captain’s Closet today. I was trying to get to know Rosewood Beach better, since I just moved here recently.”

“I’m sorry.” He smiled sympathetically. “The good news is that there are plenty of other great places around town that are within walking distance. There are some parks, and there’s an award-winning garden behind the library. Plenty of good places for a picnic.”

“Thanks for the advice.” She felt grateful that he was being so sweet about the whole thing. “I guess I should get my lunch box out of my car. Or… am I not allowed back in the garage?”

He laughed at her joke, shaking his head. “Nah, I can make an exception in your case. Feel free to grab your stuff, and then if you could meet me back in here, we’ll get some of the paperwork out of the way. Mostly I just need your phone number so we can call you when your car is ready.”

“Sounds good.”

She smiled at him and went back out into the garage to get her stuff. She exchanged a few friendly words with Keith, and then returned to Dean’s office, where he’d prepared a couple of documents for her to sign.

“I hope the price is okay,” he said, handing the papers to her. “Maybe I could give you a physical therapist’s discount.” He chuckled.

“Oh, thanks for offering, but that looks more than fair.” She smiled at him as she sat down. “And I’m just so grateful you’re able to fix my car on short notice. My apartment is only a three-minute drive from here, so I’m so relieved I didn’t have to drive far with my brakes acting up like that.”

He nodded. “Always err on the side of caution for that sort of thing. It’s usually best to get a tow to be on the safe side. Although, I trust you to make smart decisions about things like that. You seem like a cautious person.”

She smiled as she signed the document. “I am careful. My job hinges so much around safety. I usually have safety on my brain.”

“Me too.” He chuckled.

For a moment, they sat there smiling at each other, and then finally she snapped herself out of it.

“Well, here you go.” She stood up, handing him the papers. She felt as though she’d like to stay and talk to him longer, but she guessed that he was busy and had a great deal to do. Besides, if she was going to go out and explore Rosewood Beach on foot, she should get a move on so that she could locate some picturesque spot by lunchtime.

“We’ll give you a call. Have a good time exploring our town.”

She smiled. “I will! I’ll just have to explore the Sea Captain’s Closet another time.”

“You should. I’ve been there, it’s pretty cool.”

She thanked him again as she left his office and made her way outside. As she stepped back out into the sunshine, she found herself wondering about Dean. When had he gone to the cave? Had he been there a lot? Did he enjoy hiking as much as he seemed to enjoy working on cars and playing baseball?

She strolled along the sidewalk, swinging her lunch box from her hand and deciding she would just let her feet take her where they would. It was pleasant, she realized, to just let herself wander around without a specific agenda. She found herself noticing more of the details surrounding her than she normally would, such as a little gnome holding a pie in a front garden, and the smell of cinnamon and coffee wafting out of a gift shop.

She ended up in a small park at lunch time, where she ate her meal sitting at a picnic bench and looking out across the sparkling waves.

She found herself thinking about Dean again. She’d really admired the way he ran his business, and she could tell that he’d put a lot of years of hard work into it. She felt determined to help his quality of life improve, so that he had the energy to do all the things he liked to do.

When she was done with her lunch, she continued to wander around Rosewood Beach. She saw many beautiful things, and had an energizing, relaxing afternoon. No matter where she went or what she did, however, she kept thinking about Dean.