Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
Alexis Bennett pressed her lips together in concentration as she worked on fixing one of The Lighthouse Grill’s neon signs. Her father had taught her a little bit about electrical work, and she knew enough to try to fix the sign, which hadn’t been working the night before.
A yawn overtook her, and she shook her head, chuckling. It was the middle of the afternoon, but she still felt sleepy.
I’ll wake up again once this lull is over, she thought. When I have hungry customers clamoring for food, that’ll give me the adrenaline I need.
She turned her attention back to the sign, carefully arranging some wires together. The sign she was working on read “YUM,” and although The Lighthouse Grill would still be a fully functional establishment without it, Alexis loved that sign. There were a few fun neon signs in the windows of the pub, but that one had always been her favorite when she was a kid, and she wanted to get it up and running again. Since the pub was so quiet at the moment, she figured it was as good a time as any to try to get it working.
She listened to the sound of the cooks talking and laughing in the kitchen, and she smiled. She loved working at the pub. It had always felt like a second home to her, and even when things got crazy and she felt tired and a little overwhelmed, she wouldn’t trade her time there for anything. She loved working with her family, keeping alive the restaurant that her parents had started together.
She would never have expected herself to be happy waitressing, but she was. When she’d left Rosewood Beach after high school, she’d had grand plans of becoming a model and living in the big city of Los Angeles for the rest of her life. And while she had loved her modeling career, and there had been many things about L.A. that she’d enjoyed, she’d always felt as though the people there didn’t know how to value what was really important. In the city, everyone was rushing around chasing success, but in Rosewood Beach, people seemed to know that they’d already found success. They had enough to eat and roofs over their heads, and they were surrounded by a community of people that was genuinely caring and kind. When Alexis had returned to her hometown for her father’s funeral, she’d found that not only her family but the entire community there made her feel supported in a way that she’d never felt in L.A.
She’d decided to stay in Rosewood Beach, even when her husband Grayson was still living in L.A. Grayson had become consumed by his company, and Alexis had worried that her marriage was doomed. When she’d remained in Rosewood Beach after the funeral, however, he’d realized that he was in danger of losing her and he’d sold his company and moved to the sleepy little town to rekindle their relationship. His grand gesture had worked wonders, and they were now more in love than ever, living in a beautiful red brick colonial house and spending a great deal of time together. He’d proven his devotion and his determination to her, and she couldn’t have been more grateful. Their new life together was so much better than their old life in L.A. had been. Grayson was happy working his new finance job even though it didn’t pay nearly as much as his former job had. He seemed to have realized what everyone in Rosewood Beach knew, that success wasn’t about money, it was about being able to spend time with family and friends.
As she worked carefully on the neon sign, she was reminded of making jewelry.
I guess I work with tiny wires a lot , she thought, chuckling to herself.
Her jewelry making had been the most exciting aspect of her life recently. She’d started making jewelry again as a means of scratching her creative itch, but Grayson had seen her work and insisted that she could make a business out of selling her pieces. At first, she’d been skeptical, but after he’d created a gorgeous website for her and crafted a careful business plan, she’d begun to realize that her dream could become a reality. Now, she was already making sales in her jewelry business, and it felt incredible. Grayson had been especially supportive of her the whole way, and the endeavor had brought them closer together.
She felt another yawn coming on, and she paused in her work for a moment as her body insisted on gulping down more oxygen.
What is going on with me? she thought. I’m so sleepy today. I should get myself more coffee.
There was a beverage station inside the dining area, and she went there to pour herself a hot cup of coffee. She added creamer and a splash of peppermint flavoring, something that they always had on hand at Christmastime as a way of making their beverages more festive.
She had to admit to herself, as she walked back to the booth where she’d been working, that she had been working harder than usual lately. Between working at the pub and making and selling her jewelry, she felt as if she’d been going constantly the past few weeks. Although it was all good work that brought her joy, it was beginning to wear on her body more than she’d thought it would. She thought with a chuckle that work was still work even if you enjoyed it. She couldn’t possibly have fit any more on her plate, but she had no reason to complain. She was busy, but it was from doing things that brought her joy.
She sat back down in front of the sign, thinking about some of the invitations she’d turned down in the past week. She’d been invited to go ice skating and get coffee with some of her Rosewood Beach friends, and she was part of a book club that she’d missed the last two meetings of. She took a sip of her coffee, thinking to herself that it couldn’t be helped. She was already getting tired, and she didn’t want to spread herself too thin. Her budding business, the pub, her family, and Grayson were her top priorities, and everything else would have to wait, at least for a while.
In the next moment, Hazel stepped inside the pub, and Alexis grinned when she saw her sister.
“Hey, you!” Alexis stood up hurriedly and ran over to hug Hazel. “Always nice when you drop in. You here for lunch?”
Hazel nodded, grinning back at her sister. “I’ve got a late lunch break today, and I’m starving. We had a whole bunch of appointments around noon, so I’m taking my lunch break later than usual.”
Alexis nodded. Hazel worked as a receptionist at the local doctor’s office, and her lunch breaks were often at unusual times, depending on when patients were scheduled to come in. “Did you order already?”
“No, I should have called ahead, but it’s been a bit of a hectic day. I just ran over here as soon as I was off the clock. I’m hoping Allison can whip me up a tuna melt, something really quick.”
“I’m sure she can. Or, worst case scenario, she gives you peanut butter and jelly.”
Hazel laughed. “Hey, that sounds incredible right now. I always loved peanut butter and jelly.”
Hazel popped into the kitchen and was gone for a few minutes. When she came back out, she was holding a plate laden with a hot tuna melt sandwich and a side of crispy French fries.
“Mind if I sit with you while I eat?” Hazel asked, sliding into the seat across from Alexis. “I’m not going to make you hungry, am I?”
Alexis shook her head, smiling. “No, ma’am, I already ate. I might steal a few fries though.”
“Be my guest.” Hazel gestured to them. “Allison gave me some garlic aioli to go with them and it’s divine.”
“Ooh, I will, thanks.” Alexis dipped a fry into the aioli and then popped it into her mouth. She nodded emphatically as soon as she tasted the creamy, golden flavor. “Oh, that’s amazing. The perfect mixture of creamy and salty.”
Hazel nodded and heaved a sigh of satisfaction as she took a big bite out of her sandwich. “I’m so hungry,” she said with her mouth full. “This food tastes like heaven right now.”
Alexis smiled, thinking about all of the amazing meals she’d had with Hazel and Samantha when she’d first moved back to Rosewood Beach. She’d lived with them in their house for a while, and it had been a joyful experience for all three of them. Although she loved her new house and living with Grayson, sometimes she missed the gleeful atmosphere that pervaded Hazel and Samantha’s home.
“We’ll have to make a meal together again sometime soon,” Alexis said. “I miss eating with you.”
“Sounds fantastic. Samantha would love that. And I would too, obviously. I miss eating with you too! You and Grayson can come to our place, or we could go over there. Whatever’s easier.”
“I think we should do whatever’s easier for you! You’re the one juggling both work and caring for your daughter.”
Hazel shook her head. “She’s at the point where she helps me more than she causes work for me, you know? Well, at least for the most part.” She laughed. “And besides, I know how busy you’ve been with your new business!”
Alexis nodded. “I’m sorry I turned down your ice-skating invitation. I would have loved to go with you both, but I needed to catch up on orders. I didn’t expect to be doing this well this quickly.”
“No worries at all. I completely understand.” Hazel smiled affectionately at her sister and took another big bite out of her sandwich.
“How was it?” Alexis asked. “Saturday was such beautiful weather—sunny and not too cold. Well, at least before it started to snow.”
“Yeah, it really was perfect weather. It didn’t start to snow until we got back inside our cozy little house. We had a lot of fun. Samantha’s getting so good on her ice skates, she was literally skating in circles around me.” Hazel laughed, and there was a warm glow of love in her eyes as she talked about her daughter. “And then we got lunch here and wandered around shopping for a while. We found so many cute things. Samantha has such a great taste in Christmas stuff—she picks out things that I would think are too cutesy, but then we put them in our house and they totally work. I love it.”
Alexis smiled as she listened to her sister, marveling at how much joy Hazel took in her daughter. Hazel certainly hadn’t had an easy time of it, raising a daughter all by herself, but it seemed that having Samantha in her life had made up for all of it.
Alexis had always felt daunted by the idea of having a child of her own. It seemed like an enormous amount of work and pressure, but listening to the way Hazel talked about Samantha, she realized that what most people said about children must be true—that they were an extreme blessing. There seemed to be something almost magical about the way Samantha made Hazel feel, and Alexis found herself wanting to feel that way about someone.
As soon as she imagined herself having a child, however, she hastily retreated from the idea. Her life was already so full and so busy, she couldn’t imagine being able to fit a child into it. She knew that children required a great deal of time and care, especially at the beginning of their lives, and she knew that at the moment, she didn’t have anywhere near enough time to be a parent.
Someday I’ll be ready for a child, she thought. And when I am, I’ll find a way to make the time and enjoy the process. That’s how it works, right?
She and Hazel continued to chat while Hazel ate her meal and Alexis carried on her work on the sign. Although she was enjoying their conversation, Alexis kept being distracted by thoughts about having a child. She had a squirming, restless feeling in her heart. She wanted a baby, but she felt completely overwhelmed by the prospect. She kept telling herself that it wasn’t the right time, and she wouldn’t be able to make time for a baby at that stage in her life. She simply had too many other things going on.
“You’re going to be at Mom’s for the family dinner tomorrow night, right?” Hazel asked before popping the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth.
“I will. Wouldn’t miss it.” Alexis smiled. She loved family dinner nights. It was a wonderful time to relax and have fun with her family while eating a delicious meal together. For a moment, she thought about how wonderful it might be to have family dinner nights of her own someday, with her own children.
“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” Hazel stood up and kissed Alexis on the cheek before picking up her dishes and carrying them into the kitchen.
Alexis turned back to her work on the sign, concentrating so intently that all other thoughts—even thoughts about starting a family of her own—were banished from her mind. Finally, she nodded to herself in approval, feeling confident that she’d fixed the issue. She carried the sign back to the window and plugged it in. A grin spread across her face as she saw it glow to life.
“I did it!” she called out to no one in particular, since the dining room was empty at the moment.
She smiled at the sign with satisfaction, feeling proud of her accomplishment. Just as she was stepping away from the window, she saw a group of six people walking up to the pub, talking and laughing.
She realized she’d fixed the sign just before business at the pub picked up again, and she felt another surge of satisfaction. She almost felt as though she’d summoned the customers by getting the sign working again. Chuckling to herself, she walked over to the front of the store to greet the newcomers as soon as they walked inside.