A moment later the movie star blew in along with a strong gust of spring wind. She was wearing a green cashmere scarf,and as soon as she’d gotten the door closed, she adjusted its placement while laughing.
“What brings you in?” Vivian asked, standing up to give her a hug. “Would you like some pie?”
“Oh, thank you, but I just had some ice cream with Tom so I’m all good,” Delilah said, grinning and hugging Faith in turn. “I saw that your lights were on so I decided to knock and see if you need any help distributing food tomorrow.”
Vivian shook her head, smiling. “No, actually we don’t. As soon as word spread that we’ve been passing out meals to our needy families, we got a surge of volunteers. We’ve got all the help we need tomorrow.”
“Oh, that’s great.” Delilah’s smile was dazzling. “That’s why I love this town so much. People are always ready to help each other out.”
“Speaking of loving our town,” Faith said, bouncing up and down on her heels and unable to keep back her excitement over her idea for the town party, “Vivian and I were just talking about a gathering here at The Lighthouse Grill that would celebrate the whole town and bring people together after the storm.”
“It’s all Faith’s idea,” Vivian said proudly. “She came up with it. We’ll just be hosting it here. I think it’s a lovely thought.”
“So do I!” Delilah said warmly.
Faith grinned. “I’ve felt so welcomed by the people of our town, and I wanted to give back. This place allowed me to become the woman I am now, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
Delilah placed her hand on her heart, looking touched. “I feel the same way,” she said earnestly. “I can completely relate to what you just said. Rosewood Beach was so wholly accepting of me, even though I’m an outsider. I think that having a gathering to celebrate the spirit of Rosewood Beach is just the thing, especially now that people are struggling with the aftermath of the storm. Sounds perfect.”
All three women shared a smile, and Faith knew instinctively that the party was going to be a wonderful success, and just what everyone in town needed.
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 glasson 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 outfor 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.”
