Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Hazel set down a plate of snacks on the coffee table in the living room before settling down on the couch next to Jacob.
He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek, and Hazel thought to herself that it was so lovely that Jacob didn’t treat her any differently even though they had guests in the house.
“Oh, what a beautiful plate,” Shannon said in delight, looking down at the green iridescent tray that had various sections on it, sections that were filled with trail mix, salted almonds, dried banana slices, chocolate chip cookies, and fresh strawberries.
“I love that—it makes me think of mermaids.”
Hazel laughed. Shannon was becoming a good friend, and Hazel was learning that she had a fun, colorful imagination.
The two women had already shared several wonderful heart-to-heart chats over morning coffee, and Hazel was grateful that life had put Shannon in her path, even if the circumstances were less than ideal.
“Thank you!” Hazel gushed, thrilled she liked the plate.
“My mother gave me that for Christmas a few years ago. It’s funny you said it reminds you of a mermaid, because that’s kind of why she bought it for me.
I had a stained-glass art piece of a mermaid hanging in my room when I was a kid, and the glass on the mermaid’s tail looked just like that.
I loved it, but it fell and shattered when I was moving stuff around as a teenager.
My mom bought me the plate because she said it reminded her of that art piece. ”
“That’s amazing,” Shannon said, looking touched. “I love how life has a way of doing that—bringing things we love back to us in new ways.”
Hazel nodded, smiling. She was glad that Shannon was able to stay so optimistic in the middle of her troubling circumstances.
“Speaking of things you love coming back to you,” Jacob said with a grin as he reached for one of the chocolate chip cookies, “my guys and I are making great progress on restoring your home.”
“Thrilled to hear it,” Weston said, nodding. Hazel noticed that he looked tired, but there was a fresh energy in his posture after hearing Jacob’s good news. “We appreciate everything you’re doing so much. Both of you.”
“Happy to help,” Jacob said warmly, and Hazel nodded.
“We’re so grateful,” Shannon said. “To you and this entire town. I can’t imagine what this experience would have been like if we still lived in the city we moved from.
Rosewood Beach has pulled together so beautifully to help everyone, and it’s one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever experienced. ”
Hazel smiled, feeling proud of her town and of her husband, who was leading all of the repair efforts. “Nothing like this would have happened in the city you lived in?”
Shannon shook her head, and Weston grunted to agree with her gesture.
“We might have gotten some kind of government assistance eventually,” she said, “but that kind of help always has to pass through so much red tape and it’s never of all that much use.
This kind of neighborly behavior, with people looking out for each other and giving freely without expecting anything in return?
This sort of thing was virtually unheard of there. ”
“Rosewood Beach is definitely special in that way,” Hazel said softly.
“Everyone does such a good job of caring for everyone else. Even my brother Dean’s new wedding venue is the result of someone looking out for other people.
My brother-in-law Cooper and Delilah Bates went to the Turners’ place to give them some food after the storm, and Cedric Turner offered his beautiful old barn for my brother’s wedding.
Their original venue got damaged in the storm, so this feels like a miracle of some kind. ”
“That’s wonderful,” Weston said, putting a hand on his wife’s arm. “I think we would have been frantic if we’d had to wait to get married because of an issue with our venue.”
“They’ve already had to wait,” Jacob said, grimacing sympathetically, and he explained about Dean’s condition and surgery.
“Oh my,” Shannon said. “Then I’m so glad this worked out for them. I bet the whole town is rooting for them by now.”
“Definitely,” Hazel said with a smile. “Everyone knows either Dean because of his auto repair shop or Noelle because of her work as a P.T.—but most people know both of them.”
“They’re such a nice couple,” Jacob said. “They really care about each other, and about the people around them. Tomorrow night we’re all headed over to the Turners’ barn to help set up their wedding reception.”
“Yup, full steam ahead,” Hazel said with a laugh. “They’ve had some setbacks trying to switch everything over to the new venue but it looks like everything’s still on schedule. We’ve been working hard to help them out.”
Weston shook his head. “Even that isn’t something that normally happens in the city. Everyone there is out for themselves. I’ve never heard of a whole family helping out with a wedding before.” He exchanged a smile with his wife. “You were right, dear.”
Shannon laughed and turned to Jacob and Hazel to explain. “When we first started talking about moving our family to a small town, Weston wasn’t totally sold on the idea. It had been mine, since I wanted Camille to grow up in a place with fresh air and less crime.”
“I was sure it would be a disappointment after the fast pace of city life,” Weston said, shaking his head. “I’ve only ever lived in cities, and I thought I’d be bored to death in a small town—no offense.”
“None taken.” Jacob shook his head. “I completely understand the expectation.”
“But I couldn’t have been more wrong,” Weston said. “Thank goodness we moved here. This place has been like a guardian angel, watching over us.”
Hazel felt Jacob’s fingers slip around hers, and he squeezed her hand. She turned to him with a smile, seeing in his eyes that he was just as touched by the Fishers’ words as she was.
At that moment, they all heard the sound of two approaching voices, one of which sounded especially high-pitched and exuberant. Hazel chuckled, loving the way Camille had started to blossom now that she had Samantha as a kind of big sister playmate.
Those two get along famously, she thought. And I’m so proud of Samantha for spending her time making sure our little guest feels welcome!
All of the adults stopped their conversation for a few moments, listening to the companionable chatter of the approaching kids.
“That dress is magnificent on you, my lady,” Samantha was saying. “No princess could look more elegant.”
Camille giggled happily just before the two girls entered the living room.
As soon as they did, it became clear why Samantha had told Camille that she looked elegant.
Camille was dressed up in an assortment of Samantha’s clothes, most notably a striped, pink t-shirt that the little girl was wearing over a white cheerleading skirt, which came down nearly to her ankles.
She had on a red silk scarf looped with bracelets as a belt, and sideways on top of her head sat a gold hairclip in lieu of a crown.
“Oh my, who is this beautiful princess?” Shannon cried out, and Weston pretended to faint from the splendor of the sight of Camille.
The little girl giggled and clambered onto the couch where her parents were. “I’m a princess!” she exclaimed happily. “Sam helped me dress up.”
“You are a princess,” Shannon said, kissing her on the nose. “And I love your outfit. But you might need to do a little more growing before you can wear these particular clothes to the royal ball.”
Samantha smiled fondly at the little girl as she leaned against the couch, looking happy and amused. “That’s true—but I think that t-shirt makes a pretty nice tunic for her, and I’ve already told her she can keep it for when she’s big enough to wear it for real.”
Shannon turned to her with surprise. “Are you really okay with that? That’s a very generous offer, but I wouldn’t want you to feel pressured into anything. Five-year-olds can be pretty persuasive.”
Samantha chuckled. “They can, but I’m absolutely sure. I like the idea of giving her my hand-me-downs. That’s something I would love to do if I had a little sister.”
As soon as the words left Samantha’s mouth, a lightbulb went off inside Hazel. Her heart started to beat faster as she considered the possibility of something that had been dancing around in the back of her mind for months.
What if she and Jacob had another kid?
Samantha would make an incredible older sister, Hazel thought eagerly. And I so miss having a little one. Camille being here has reminded me so much of the fun times Samantha and I had when she was little.
She kept her thoughts to herself for the moment, feeling that despite how close they’d gotten to the Fishers, some ideas needed to stay between her and Jacob, at least at first. For the rest of the evening, her thoughts about having another baby glowed in her chest like a sweet secret, and she wondered joyfully if they would come to fruition.