"Look, as far as your baby knows, you're her mother. You feed her, you comfort her, you talk to her. There will be no lasting effects."
Meg dried her eyes. Julie felt like she wanted to squeeze her daughter tight in that moment. She had no idea how Meg had even been holding it together this long.
"What kind of treatment are we looking at?" Julie asked.
“Well, we definitely recommend some counseling. There are some great new mother group sessions here at the hospital. But there are also individual counseling opportunities if you don't want to be in a group setting."
"I think I would like a group. I don't really have any friends here yet, so maybe that would help me."
"I think that would be good for you. The other thing we can try is some hormone therapy. Very simple stuff that you won't need long-term. Of course, there's also the option of doing an antidepressant, although there may be some side effects. And, honestly, some women can't tolerate those."
"I think I'd like to know more about the hormone therapy first."
Dr. Miller smiled. "Great. Let me go get you some informational flyers and some samples. I'll show you how to use the hormones, and then we’ll set up an appointment to meet again in a couple of weeks."
As the doctor left the office, Julie could see a change in Meg’s demeanor. The baby started fussing a bit, so Julie picked her up and held her close to her chest.
"That all sounds very promising," Julie said.
Meg nodded. "Yeah. I finally feel like there may be some light at the end of the tunnel."
Julie nodded and looked down at her granddaughter. “Vivi is such a blessing."
Meg leaned her head over onto her mother's shoulder. "Thanks for coming with me."
Dixie took another bite of her fried catfish. She hadn’t eaten this much in years. Having someone who wanted to spend time with her and take her on real dates was new for her. When Johnny died, she gave up the idea of growing old with someone, but when she met Harry at one of her Parkinson’s support group meetings, she felt a weird butterfly feeling in her stomach.
“How’s your food, pretty lady?” Harry asked, winking at her across the table. They’d traveled two towns over to try out a new seafood restaurant right by the ocean. She loved hearing the seagulls squawking overhead, and the smell of sea air was always a welcome aroma. She never got tired of living by the ocean.
“It’s scrumptious, doll,” she said, winking back. They were sickening, even to her sometimes, but she loved it. No one would ever replace Johnny, but Harry was in a league all his own. A retired airline pilot and former Marine, he was a man’s man, just like Johnny had been. He was also very handsome, with silver hair, broad shoulders and that rugged look one would’ve seen in an old cigarette ad. But he also had a heart of gold, and he treated her like she was his most prized possession.
“Tell me again why we had to travel almost half an hour away from Seagrove?”
She smiled. “My friends are a bit…”
“Nosy?”
“You could say that. They love me to pieces, but they worry. And the last thing I want is for them to be worried about me.”
She thought back to how she’d told a little white lie to Julie and Janine the other day. Pretending she was dating multiple men had been a spur a the moment decision. It was better for them to think she was having the time of her life dating lots of fellas than know she was falling hard and fast for a man she’d met just a few weeks ago.
“Are you embarrassed of me?”
She waved her hand at him. “No! Of course not. I’m just not ready for them to meet you.”
“I thought we were getting kind of serious, Dix,” he said, a slight frown on his face.
She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Darlin’, you’re the first man who has ever captured my heart since Johnny died. This is all new to me. I haven’t felt this way about another man in my life.”
Harry also had a Parkinson’s diagnosis, but his medications were working well at the moment. Still, he had plans to take Dixie on trips around the world while they both still had their health. They wanted to go to Ireland and Scotland to dig into Dixie’s ancestry. They wanted to see Alaska together on a cruise. There were so many things to do while she still had life left in her and a new partner to enjoy things with again.
“I’ll be as patient as you need me to be,” he said, smiling at her.
Dixie’s heart skipped a beat, and not because it was getting older and less efficient. Nope, this was love, and she was as scared as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Chapter Six
Julie stood out on the deck Dawson had built and marveled at the scene in front of her. Residents from the island and the mainland had all come together to celebrate the opening of The Inn at Seagrove.
She was so proud as she watched Dawson work the crowd, going from person to person, shaking hands and giving hugs. The smile on his face warmed her heart. As he shook yet another hand, he smiled at her and waved from across the deck. She gave him a wink, letting him know it was okay that he was socializing while she sort of took a back seat, opting to stand near the dessert table to get the first crack at Lucy’s peach cobbler when the time came.
“Great party, huh?” Janine said from behind her.
“It really is. Dawson hired a party planner from town, and I think she did a great job. Did you see the buffet?”
“Yes. I ate most of it,” Janine said, shoving a stuffed mushroom in her mouth. As tiny as she was, William leaving had caused her to start eating a lot more food than Julie had ever seen her eat before. Julie swiped the last mushroom from Janine’s hand and popped it in her own mouth. “Hey!”
“I’m hungry.”
“Then go eat and stop lurking like some weirdo.”
“I can’t. I don’t want to leave this peach cobbler.”
Janine laughed. “Just take some now.”
“It’s rude. Everyone is still eating lunch. It’s like cutting the wedding cake before the bride and groom get to the reception.”
“Hey!” Colleen walked up with Tucker on her arm.
“Hey, you two. How’s it going?” Janine asked.
“Just enjoying the party. This place looks amazing. Dawson has done a great job getting it ready.”
“I know. I’m so proud of him. Did you see the renovated kitchen?”
“Yes. It’s beautiful. And this deck is awesome. I mean, look at the view!”
“How are you, Tucker?” Julie asked.
He chuckled. “I’m fine, thanks. Don’t worry. I won’t propose to any of you and steal the focus of today’s festivities.”
“Tucker…” Colleen groaned. “He thinks these proposal jokes are funny, but they aren’t!”
Tucker laughed. “Sorry, dear.”
“We’re going to go get some pasta salad. Want anything?” Colleen asked.
“Hey, see if they have more stuffed mushrooms,” Janine said. Julie rolled her eyes.
As Colleen walked off, Julie looked at her sister. Her eyes were a million miles away, like she was searching for William in the crowd. He’d only been gone a few days, but she could tell Janine wasn’t herself.