Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Ah, that’s such a pretty color, Julia! Your nails are going to look amazing.”
Julia smiled at Alexis, who was practically squealing with excitement again. All three of the Owens sisters were at the nail salon, getting manicures. Alexis had arranged the outing when she’d signed Julia up for a manicure, determined that her sister would have beautiful fingernails when she got proposed to by Cooper.
Julia loved going to the salon. She was not immune to the pleasures of being pampered and treated like a princess, and as much as she’d protested while Alexis was setting up the appointment, she was very fond of a good manicure.
After deliberating on what color to choose, she decided on royal blue. It was one of her favorite colors, and she wore it a great deal. It also went well with her other favorite clothing colors, such as lavender, light blue, and of course black and white. She had felt a little silly trying to plan what outfit she might be wearing when Cooper proposed, but that hadn’t stopped her from daydreaming about it.
“I also love this color,” said the nail technician doing Julia’s nails. “So bold. And it brings out your eyes.”
Julia thought to herself with a chuckle that she’d need to hold her hands up near her eyes a lot for that to be true, but she appreciated the compliment. She felt comfortable and a little sleepy, and she wanted to sit back and enjoy daydreaming about being proposed to.
She was soon distracted by the conversation Hazel and Alexis were having, however. They were talking about the article in the newspaper about the McCormick brewery expanding into a full restaurant.
“I think he’s just doing it to compete with us.” Alexis shook her head. “I mean, why didn’t they start out as a restaurant if that’s what he wanted to do? Or if they’re trying to increase their profits, why not start a new beer flavor or open up another location for their brewery? Seems pretty shady to me.”
Hazel sighed and nodded. “I see what you mean. I don’t think Judd McCormick is worried about hurting our feelings—or our business—that’s for sure.”
“Well, he’s not going to hurt either,” Alexis said firmly. “I’ll be nice and say I hope their restaurant works out great—but he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he’s going to take business away from us.”
“Hear hear!” Hazel said, and Julia grinned at her sisters. In her heart, however, she felt a flutter of worry that Alexis might not be right about the McCormicks’ new restaurant not having any impact on the pub. It would be a new dining establishment in town, which meant competition whether they liked it or not. And besides, the article had made it sound as though the new McCormick restaurant would be producing the same kind of homey comfort food that The Lighthouse Grill did, which meant that people who wanted to go somewhere for a good hamburger or cup of soup would be choosing between The Lighthouse Grill and the McCormicks’ new place.
She held back a sigh, wishing her family didn’t have to deal with an undercut from Judd McCormick yet again. Still, she reflected, there was nothing they could do besides put their best foot forward and continue to be the beloved, well-respected restaurant that they were. Their purpose wasn’t to make a great financial profit, so they could take a little bit of a hit.
Not too much though, she thought, staring into space with another twinge of worry. We’re still trying to pay off Dad’s debts and get the pub’s finances back on track. I hope it all works out in our favor.
She brushed her worries aside, telling herself that she could start refiguring the pub’s finances if she needed to once she had a better sense of how the McCormicks’ new restaurant might impact their business. Hazel and Alexis were still chatting companionably about the McCormicks’ restaurant and making theories about what might be on the menu. Their theories were based more on what they thought of Judd McCormick’s character than the actual nature of restaurant food. Spider Salad and Backstabbing Barbecue Burgers weren’t likely to actually show up on a menu anywhere.
Julia chuckled as she listened, and then her mind began to wander again, pulled toward daydreaming about Cooper and his potential proposal. She couldn’t stop thinking about how exciting it would be if he did get down on one knee and propose to her. Into her mind flocked colorful images of the two of them walking through a beautiful park together or eating dinner at a romantic restaurant. She smiled quietly to herself, feeling a swell of joy in her heart.
Alexis grinned at Julia. “What are you thinking about, hmm? Not the McCormick restaurant, if you’re smiling like that.”
Julia laughed. “I might have let my mind wander to more pleasant subjects. It’s hard not to think about getting proposed to when we’re here getting ready for it.”
“You should be thinking about it!” Hazel beamed at Julia.
“Absolutely.” Alexis nodded. “We’ll stop talking about business and this silly McCormick feud. Today is all about Julia.”
“Yes!” Hazel agreed. “I can’t wait to see a ring on your finger, Julia, and hear all about how Cooper proposes to you. I bet it’s something really sweet and thoughtful.”
“Cooper is a really thoughtful guy, isn’t he?” Alexis’s eyes twinkled. “He’s perfect for you, Julia. You’re both considerate and careful and good planners. And he really cares about you, and I know he’s going to make sure the two of you have a happy marriage.”
“Slow down!” Julia laughed, feeling as though she was blushing, especially because the nail technicians were all smiling knowingly. “He hasn’t proposed yet.”
“He will, though.” Hazel nodded emphatically. “How do you think he’ll do it? Somewhere public, or someplace private with just the two of you there?”
“I bet he chooses somewhere more private,” Alexis said. “I’m sure it’ll be something romantic. Maybe he’ll take you somewhere that’s meaningful to your relationship, or he’ll cook you a fancy dinner. Maybe he’ll take you out walking on the beach?—”
“It’s winter,” Hazel pointed out with a laugh.
“Hey, the beach is still beautiful this time of year. Cold, but beautiful.” Alexis grinned. “What do you think, Julia? Where do you think he’s going to propose?”
Julia smiled. “I have no idea.” Her mind was filled with beautiful pictures of Cooper getting down on one knee, but the backgrounds of all her imaginings were blurry and unformed. She realized that she didn’t care all that much about how or where Cooper proposed, as long as it happened. She just wanted to be asked the question so that she could say yes and spend the rest of her life with him.
“Mm, I’d give it a second thought if I were you,” teased Alexis’s nail technician. Since all three sisters were seated next to each other, all three of their nail technicians were listening in on the conversation. “Men are generally not worth the trouble.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s quite fair,” said Julia’s nail technician in a sweet tone. Her smile became impish. “Sometimes they’re worth the trouble.”
All of the women laughed.
“Oof,” Hazel said, grinning.
“And sometimes they’re not,” her nail technician teased with a grave shake of her head. “You don’t have any idea how gross men can be until you marry them. I mean, truly, remarkably disgusting. Have you ever lived with a man with toe fungus?” She shuddered. “Just awful.”
Everyone laughed again.
“And think about how many marriages end in divorce,” said Alexis’s nail technician, shaking her head. “Obviously, lots of things can go wrong. But I think most of the time it happens because women wake up and they think, ‘Why am I wasting my time cleaning up after this pig?’”
Alexis, who had been blessed with a tidy husband, chortled. “Well, luckily for Julia, Cooper’s a single parent and he runs a tight ship. He’s already really good at cleaning up after himself.”
“Mm, until he has a wife to clean up after him!”
The women continued to tease and joke about men and the less romantic sides of marriage. Julia listened with a smile on her face, but she had to admit to herself that the conversation made her feel wary.
Maybe she had been right to be nervous about marrying Cooper. Marriage really was a huge commitment, and maybe she didn’t know Cooper as well as she thought she did. Maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did. Maybe after they’d been married for a while, her careful, precise ways would start to get on his nerves. Or maybe they would fight about how to raise Macey—they’d already had some very different ideas about how to take care of her.
She did her best to keep a smile on her face, since she didn’t want any of the other women to realize that the lighthearted conversation had made her nervous.
I do love him, she thought. But what if we’re not ready? What if this isn’t really right for us, and I just want it to be?
She thought about all of the things she would have to give up if she married him. She wouldn’t be able to stay up late reading in bed if she wanted to. She would always be responsible for taking care of Macey, instead of caring for the little girl only when she’d volunteered to. She had all kinds of little daily rituals and habits she maintained religiously, and she knew that many of those would have to go out the window if she was sharing a home with a new husband and a toddler. She liked to keep her things organized and tidy, but if she married Cooper, she would have to start sharing her spaces with him—and in many cases, with Macey too.
She held back a sigh. The things she was thinking about didn’t really matter. They were all little things, things she didn’t care all that much about, certainly not compared with the gain of having a whole new home shared with two people she adored. It was as if her fear was fixating unreasonably on the little things and turning them into excuses for being less excited about marrying Cooper.
She reminded herself that he hadn’t even asked her yet, and she didn’t know what was going to happen. She steadied herself, resolving to not worry about it. She knew she loved Cooper, and even if she was nervous, that didn’t mean they were wrong for each other.
I’ll just have to wait and see what happens, she thought. After all, it’s his decision too. It’s something we would be doing together. And I trust his judgement just as much as I trust my own.