Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Alexis was barely aware of the sounds of The Lighthouse Grill that were humming around her. She was sitting at a booth in the back of the pub, alongside a window that offered a breathtaking view of the ocean. A half-finished tuna melt with sweet potato fries was on the table at her elbow, but her attention was on something else besides her food.
It was her lunch break, and ever since she’d arrived at work that day, she’d been itching to open the fanny pack that she’d brought along with her and take out the things inside it. Those things were plastic strings, beads, and other tools that she needed to make a bracelet. She’d had the idea for a beautiful bracelet the previous evening as she’d been falling asleep, and ever since she’d been impatient to test out her idea.
She exhaled in a happy sigh as she gazed down at the progress she’d already made. For the bracelet, she was weaving three different strands of beads together in a lovely, whimsical pattern.
This was such a good idea to bring my jewelry-making supplies along with me to the pub , she thought as her fingers worked busily. I feel like I’m not even at work right now. This is so much fun.
She always enjoyed her waitressing shifts, unless she was particularly tired for some reason, but making jewelry was a whole new level of enjoyment for her. She felt both calm and uplifted, and although she had the patience to work carefully, she felt eager to see the finished product of her creation.
She glanced at her watch, noting that her lunch break was almost half over. She took another bite of her tuna melt, wiped off her fingers carefully, and then went back to work. In a few minutes, her bracelet was done, and she held it up to the light, feeling a surge of satisfaction.
She ate a little more of her food, and then started on another bracelet. Now that she was familiar with the pattern, she was able to join the beads and string them together much more quickly. In a few minutes, she’d finished a second bracelet and was moving on to her third.
All at once, she heard someone cough gently. She looked up, startled, and gasped softly when she saw her husband Grayson leaning against the side of the booth, smiling down at her.
“Grayson!” She laughed, surprised and pleasantly flustered. “I’ve been so wrapped up in my own world here, I had no idea you were there.”
“That’s okay.” He grinned at her. “I liked watching you work.”
She felt herself blushing. “How long have you been watching me?”
He glanced at his watch. “Oh, about four minutes.”
She threw her head back, laughing. “Well, either I’m just so comfortable with you that I’m able to not even notice when you’re watching me, or I was so engrossed in this work that I was blind to everything else.”
“I’d like to think it’s a combination of both.” He winked at her. “You were clearly engrossed in that work—you have the focus of a true professional—and I hope you’re comfortable around me. I am your husband, after all.”
She grinned at him. “Well, I know for sure that I’m very comfortable around you.” She picked up the fanny pack and her purse, which were resting on the seat next to her, and moved them to the other side of her so that he could sit down. “Why don’t you sit down here and help me finish these sweet potato fries?”
“Sure.” He sat down and gave her an affectionate peck on the lips. “You’re so nice to me. I startle you and then you let me sit next to you anyway.”
She laughed. “It was a surprise. A very pleasant surprise.”
“I was thinking that maybe we could eat together, but the table looks pretty full already.”
“Oh, we still can. I’m only half done with my food, and you know I eat twice as slowly as you anyway.”
“Well, okay, but I don’t think there’s room on this table for anything else.” He gestured to all of her jewelry-making supplies with a smile.
“I was just having some fun,” she said, laughing a little. “It’s not like I need to finish this project right now.” She swept her beads and strings and her half-finished bracelet into the fanny pack. She left the two finished bracelets on the table, and Grayson picked one of them up eagerly.
“This looks fantastic, Alexis,” he said, gazing at it admiringly. “You made this?”
“I did.” She nodded, her stomach fluttering. His praise made her happy. “You really think it’s good?”
“It’s more than good. It’s skillfully made and originally designed. I remember how you used to make jewelry sometimes when we were living in L.A. You said once that it was your favorite hobby, and I could always see that. You always have so much joy on your face when you’re making jewelry.”
“I do?” She watched his face, noticing how proud of her he looked. Her heart stirred with gratitude that she had such a supportive husband. “I do really love it, but in these past few years I kind of forgot all about it. I didn’t forget how to make jewelry though.” She gestured to the bracelets she’d made. “It’s like riding a bike. My fingers remember what they’re doing as much as my brain still understands how to do it.”
“I think it’s more than that.” He turned the bracelet over in his hand, examining it closely. “Look at how you’ve managed to weave these different strands of beads together without exposing the string underneath, even when you make the strands turn at a sharp angle. It’s really well done. This is some genuinely impressive craftsmanship. And I’m not a woman, but I bet if we went out onto the sidewalk right now and showed this to all the women passing by, they would all tell you it’s absolutely gorgeous.”
She laughed. “Why can’t you just tell me it’s absolutely gorgeous?”
He shook his head ruefully. “Because I have no instinct for these things, so you can’t trust my word for it.” Warmth filled his expression as he added, “Besides, the only absolutely gorgeous thing in my eyes is you.”
She blew him a kiss, feeling her heart stir with joy at his compliment. “Well, thank you, but this is just for fun. I have some skill, I guess, but I’m an amateur. I’ll probably give everyone bracelets for Christmas or something as a way of getting rid of all the jewelry I just know I’m going to end up making.”
He shook his head, looking into her eyes.
“What, no bracelets for Christmas?” she teased. “You don’t want one?”
“I mean, go ahead and give out jewelry for Christmas if you want to. I’m sure everyone would be thrilled to get something you made as a gift. But I’m serious.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “I’ve been noticing that you seemed a bit melancholy lately, as if you felt like something was missing. And I’ve been wondering how I can help you stop feeling that way, but it looks like you’ve reached a solution all by yourself.”
She squeezed his hand. “Thank you. I appreciate you looking out for me. You’re right, I have been feeling kind of restless. I realized it was because I missed having a creative outlet, and I think this hobby will be just the thing. I’m enjoying myself so much.”
“I think this can be more than a hobby, Alexis.”
For a few seconds, she blinked at her husband, not quite processing what he was saying. “What do you mean?” she asked finally.
“I think it’s really important for a person to have a job that they love.”
“But this is just a hobby, Grayson—I can’t sell my bracelets. I mean, at least not enough of them to make a living.”
“Maybe not a full living, not enough to cover a mortgage and cars and food and everything, but I think that your jewelry could bring in an income. And you’d be really happy doing it, and that’s what’s most important, I think. It’s better to have a job you love and less money than do a job you hate and be rolling in wealth. Trust me, I know.”
He made a playful grimace, referring to the extremely lucrative company he’d run before moving to Rosewood Beach to repair his relationship with Alexis.
“I was so busy and stressed that I wasn’t appreciating the truly good things in my life at all,” he continued. “Like my wife. I’m much happier here making less money and having the time to spend with you and do things that I truly enjoy.”
She smiled at him. “I’m so proud of you for making that decision. I was so afraid I was going to lose you back then. Our life together now feels like a dream come true.”
“And I think it can feel even more like a dream come true. What do you say to trying to turn your hobby into a job?”
“I—I don’t know,” she stammered. “I mean, it sounds incredible, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“I understand, but all great accomplishments require risk. How about you let me show you what your options are? I can create a list of business strategies to show you the possibilities. How does that sound?”
She found herself laughing, both from joy and a kind of delighted amusement that her husband, the successful businessman, was so ready to take her little bracelets and turn them into a full-blown business operation. “Okay. Yes. Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Of course.” He leaned forward for a kiss, and instead she fed him one of the sweet potato fries. “Mmpf. Delicious, but I’d rather have a kiss.”
“You can have that too.” She leaned forward and gave him an affectionate peck on the lips.
A waitress came by, and Grayson ordered a cup of soup and another tuna melt. He and Alexis ate together for the remainder of her lunch break, beginning to discuss the details of what a jewelry making business might look like.
She felt her excitement growing as they talked about it. In many ways, the whole concept seemed too good to be true, but Grayson seemed to think that it was more than plausible.
He’s being so sweet, but I don’t think anything will come of this, she thought. But even if it doesn’t, I feel so blessed that Grayson noticed that I was feeling down and that he cares this much. He’s a good partner in so many different ways.
When Alexis’s lunch break was over, she left the booth, but Grayson stayed to finish his meal. As she started to take care of other tables in the dining room, she kept glancing at her husband as she worked. Often, he was looking at her too, and they’d share a smile. But sometimes, she saw him sitting there staring at the bracelets that she’d made with a proud expression on his face.