The Wedding At Seagrove - Rachel Hanna Page 0,1

loved those sweet little moments with Dawson. Michael had never been the type to cuddle or snuggle, but Dawson was all about those things.

“Hey. I thought you were helping Lucy with dinner?”

He laughed. “She kicked me out of the kitchen.”

“Kicked you out? What was the infraction?”

Dawson reached over and picked up Vivi, swinging her into the air and then blowing raspberries on her cheek. “Apparently, my momma never taught me any manners because I stuck my finger in her apple butter to taste it.”

“Oh, Dawson… You know better!”

“That’s what she said.” He chuckled as he handed Vivi back to Julie. She loved seeing him interact with her granddaughter. He treated her like she was his own, and sometimes that made Julie a little sad. Knowing that Dawson may never be a father tugged at her heartstrings. He never said anything about it, but she knew he felt a void in his heart after losing his only child so many years ago.

“Meg should be picking Vivi up in an hour or so, and then we can have the evening together,” Julie said, smiling up at him.

“Sounds perfect. How about a movie under the blankets on the porch?” Since installing an outdoor theatre area, they often spent evenings watching their favorite films together. Julie had forced him to watch “Gone With The Wind”, and he’d made her watch every John Wayne movie known to man. But she didn’t mind. Spending her evenings cuddled up to a handsome Southern man by a fire pit wasn’t a bad way to spend her time.

“As long as you feed me first, of course,” Julie joked. She’d already gone up a pant size from eating Lucy’s food, so she needed to start adding more salad to her diet before she had to buy a whole new wardrobe. Dawson hadn’t seemed to notice.

“Of course,” he said, taking Vivi from her arms again and hoisting her up into the air. Vivi giggled the whole time. “Let’s head to the house. Lucy might question your manners too if we’re late.”

William stared at the computer screen, his new reading glasses on the tip of his nose. Sometimes, he felt like he was aging way too fast. The gray hairs coming in around his sideburns wasn’t a welcome thing to see, although Janine had told him salt and pepper hair made him look sexy and distinguished. He wasn’t sure he believed her.

“You look deep in thought,” Janine said as she walked up behind him. He often worked in her office at the yoga studio since he didn’t have an office of his own anymore. She didn’t really need it anyway. He did most of her bookkeeping for her, and she much preferred being on the hardwood floor teaching her students to bend in the oddest directions.

He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The stupid new glasses might have been necessary, but they were leaving a permanent red imprint. He’d have to take them back for the second time to get them adjusted.

“Oh, just trying to make sense of these numbers. I have a client who wants to spend way less to market her new skincare line, but wants to make twice what she did last year. Those numbers don’t add up.”

Janine smiled sadly. “You work so hard. Why don’t you do a meditation with me? I promise it’ll make you feel better.”

William pulled her arm until she was seated on his lap. “I know what will make me feel better,” he said, pressing his lips to hers. Janine giggled and stood up.

“Oh, no you don’t! I have a class in a few minutes, and they aren’t going to catch me in here making out with my bookkeeper!”

William’s eyes widened. “Oh, is that what I am to you? A bookkeeper?” he said, standing up and poking her in the side. Janine cackled. He’d never met anyone as ticklish as she was, and he liked to take advantage of that as often as possible.

Janine laughed as she trotted back toward the front door of the studio. She was like a little butterfly, always flitting about here and there. Nobody in his life had ever had more energy than that woman. Of course, she attributed it to her yoga and meditation, as well as her healthy eating. But, he thought maybe God just made her that way, so full of life and enthusiasm.

He sure could use some of that enthusiasm right now. The few clients that he’d signed to his