Page 24 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach (Rosewood Beach #7)

CHAPTER TWENTY

Vivian stepped back from her mirror, biting her lip as she inspected her appearance.

She’d never done her hair like this before, and although she liked the style on other people, she wasn’t sure it suited her.

Normally when she went to play tennis, she left her short hair the way she always wore it, simply adding a couple of clips to help hold it back.

Today, however, she’d given herself a couple of short French braids that ended in a pair of pink clips.

The clips matched the new leggings and workout top she was wearing.

Is it too much? she wondered, turning from side to side. Am I too old to be wearing this much pink?

She wondered if the French braids made the gray streaks in her hair too noticeable. She stepped closer to the mirror, looking at them intently. She decided that the braids did look nice, and that the way they showed off the shape of her face was flattering.

And she loved pink. What did it matter if some people thought she was too old to wear an outfit like that? Life was too short to care that much about what other people thought of you. She thought she looked wonderful in the pink, and it was a color that made her feel happy and confident.

She smiled at her reflection and then grabbed her makeup case out of the bathroom cupboard. She applied mascara, something she hardly ever bothered with, and then dabbed two delicate strokes of blush onto her cheeks.

She told herself that her sudden interest in her personal appearance had nothing to do with the fact that she was going to play tennis with Terrence, but she knew deep down that it had everything to do with him.

Now that they were exploring the idea of being more than friends, she suddenly cared a great deal about looking her best for him.

She loved the idea of him finding her attractive, and she wanted to lean into her attractive qualities more than usual, hoping to catch his eye.

Just as she was putting her makeup case away, she heard the front door of her home open.

“Hi, Grandma! Are you here?” Samantha called.

Surprised, Vivian stuck her head out of the bathroom and called down the hallway. “Yes, I’m in here.”

A moment later, Hazel and Samantha appeared in the hallway. The moment Samantha saw Vivian, she let out a whoop of delight and scampered toward her grandmother.

“Grandma! You look so cute.”

Vivian laughed and blushed. “Oh, thank you, honey. Do you like the pink?”

“I love the pink,” Samantha said emphatically, as if it was one of the most wonderful things she’d ever seen. “It looks amazing on you.”

Vivian felt thrilled that her granddaughter liked her outfit, even if the opinions of a twelve-year-old were unlikely to match those of the rest of the world. “You look very cute yourself, Sam. That cheerleading outfit is adorable on you.”

“Ahh!” Samantha grinned and spun in a circle. “I love the skirt. I can’t wait to do cool moves like backflips.”

Hazel laughed nervously. “No backflips yet, please.”

Samantha patted her on the back. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll make sure I really know what I’m doing before I try anything like that.”

“And only try it with the coach watching you and being involved, right? Promise?”

“Of course.”

Samantha and Hazel exchanged a pinkie promise, and Vivian chuckled.

“I’m sure you’re going to make a wonderful cheerleader, Sam. I’m so proud of you for making the team.”

“Thanks, Grandma. I’m so excited about going to practice today. It’s all I’ve been talking about. Right, Mom?”

Hazel laughed. “Just about. You talked a little bit about the book you’ve been reading too.”

“Isn’t summer kind of early for cheerleading practice?” Vivian asked. “I would have thought that practices would start in the fall when school starts up again.”

“I guess the plan is for the cheerleaders to be totally ready for the fall football season.” Hazel smiled. “The coach likes to start the practices in the summer, and I think it’s a great idea. Sam is so excited to have something fun to do right now.”

“I mean, all summer has been fun,” Samantha said. “But cheerleading is the most fun.”

“Speaking of fun,” Hazel said with a sly smile, “are you going out to play tennis? With Terrence?”

“Yes.” Vivian cleared her throat, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

“You look really good, Mom.” Hazel’s grin became even more gleeful. “Your outfit is really cute, and I love the way you did your hair.”

“Oh, thank you.” Vivian was just about to ask Hazel why they had stopped by her house, as a way of taking attention off herself, but Hazel was too quick for her.

“Is that a new perfume?” Hazel asked curiously, taking an eager sniff near Vivian’s shoulder. “It smells fantastic.”

“It is a new one.” Vivian cleared her throat. “I just happened to be at the store earlier today, and I realized that it’s been a while since I bought myself some new perfume. I thought this was a nice, summery scent.”

“Mmhmm.” Hazel nodded. “I can smell citrus and florals—and maybe a little sandalwood.”

“Something like that.” Vivian smiled. “I can let you borrow it if you want.”

“Oh, no, that’s okay.” Hazel grinned. “I’m just loving the way you’ve given yourself a makeover, Mom.”

Vivian flushed bashfully. “Well, there’s no reason not to look one’s best.”

“Well, sure, but you never put in this much effort when I was your tennis partner.” Hazel cocked an eyebrow.

“You must be trying to impress Terrence!” Samantha exclaimed eagerly. “You are, aren’t you, Grandma?”

Vivian lifted her chin. “And what if I am?”

Hazel gave her mother a hug. “I would say that is absolutely great.”

Vivian didn’t know what to say. All at once she felt as tongue-tied as a schoolgirl. “What on earth are the two of you doing here?” she said finally, feeling flustered.

“I made some of your favorite coconut croissants.” Hazel held up the tote bag that she was carrying. “We wanted to drop some off on our way to Samantha’s practice.”

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart. I do love those.”

“I’ll just drop this bag off in the kitchen and then Sam and I will be on our way. Have fun on your—I mean, have fun playing tennis.”

Hazel laughed and scampered away with Samantha, who was also giggling impishly. Vivian knew that Hazel had almost said “have fun on your date.”

She shook her head, chuckling, and then turned back toward the mirror. She took another long look at her reflection, seeing herself through Hazel and Samantha’s eyes. She realized that she did look particularly becoming, and the thought lifted her heart.

Am I getting too hopeful about all this? she wondered. Should I not be letting myself get this excited about whatever is happening between me and Terrence?

She glanced at her watch and lifted her eyebrows. Too hopeful or not, it was time for her to leave for the tennis courts.