Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Hazel sat down in one of The Lighthouse Grill’s booths with a sigh of contentment. It had been a long, tiring day, and she was ravenously hungry. The sloppy joe with a side of French fries in front of her looked absolutely incredible.
“Mind if I sit with you?” Alexis appeared next to her at the booth just as she was taking her first bite.
Hazel shook her head, smiling, as she chewed on the delicious bite of sloppy joe. The bun was soft and soaked with the rich sauce, and she thought to herself that she could have cried, the food tasted so good to her.
Alexis slid into the booth opposite Hazel, emptying the contents of her apron onto the table. “I always like to count my tips before I leave. It’s a nice break for my feet before I go home.”
The pub was closed for the evening, since it was well after dinnertime. Hazel had just managed to put her order in before the kitchen was all cleaned up for the night. Since Samantha was spending the night at a friend’s house to work on a science project, Hazel only had the responsibility of feeding herself—and she’d procrastinated that task for far too long.
“I would do the same.” Hazel nodded as she swallowed. “I’d also want to know how much money I made right away.” She laughed.
“That’s nice too.” Alexis chuckled. “People tip well here, especially my regulars. It’s always fun to add up the cash tips at the end of a shift.”
Hazel and Alexis chatted while Alexis counted her money and Hazel ate her meal. Hazel savored every delicious, messy bite of the sloppy joe, thinking to herself that she was almost glad she’d waited so long to eat, since it meant that her food tasted so particularly good to her.
“You won’t believe what happened at the doctor’s office today,” Hazel said, laughing before popping a French fry into her mouth. “You remember Mrs. Tilney? She’s got a couple of grandkids who are twins. They’re pretty identical, I’m sure even their parents struggle to tell them apart sometimes. One of them was due for a checkup, but they were both there. I was sitting at my desk watching them, and while Mrs. Tilney was reading it was pretty clear that the one twin who was there for a check-up was trying to convince the other one to go to the appointment instead of him. He kept trying to pass him a five-dollar bill, and finally the other twin gave in. They switched baseball caps while their grandma wasn’t looking—and they almost got away with it. I had to point out that it was the wrong twin when they got called on by the nurse.” Hazel laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes. “I wish Dean and I had been able to get away with stuff like that when we were kids. We would have had so much fun with it.”
She had been staring into space while she spoke, remembering first the event with the twins and then her childhood with Dean. When she turned back to Alexis, she saw that her sister was frowning in concentration at the money and didn’t seem as though she’d been listening to her.
“Do you mind that I’m talking while you’re trying to count?” Hazel asked, taking a napkin and wiping the sloppy joe sauce from her fingers. “I remember you saying once that you can count even while people are having a conversation with you.”
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Alexis looked up with a brief smile, and then went back to her counting.
“Okay.” Hazel popped another fry into her mouth. “Anyway, you should have seen Mrs. Tilney’s face. It was really funny. I think she was more shocked than mad—I bet she thought they couldn’t get away with something like that with her but then they almost did.”
“Ah.” Alexis paused in her counting, exhaling in frustration.
“What happened?” Hazel asked.
“Nothing, that’s just the third time I’ve messed up my counting since I started.”
“I can stop talking to you, sorry. I’ll let you count without distracting you.”
Alexis shook her head. “No, it’s not your fault. You’re right, normally I can listen and count.”
Hazel could tell that something was stressing her sister out. She reached across the table and squeezed Alexis’s hand. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m really distracted. I just got some news, and it’s good news, but I—well, I’m totally overwhelmed. And I’m already tired and my brain feels foggy—and well, I’m really having trouble concentrating today.”
“What’s the news?” Hazel asked. “Something with your jewelry business?”
Alexis shook her head. “No, it’s—well, I’m… pregnant.” She flushed pink and smiled slightly.
Hazel leapt up, squealing. “Alexis!” She raced to hug her sister. “I’m so excited for you! Oh my gosh, this is amazing.” She clasped her hands, feeling overjoyed, as she wiggled into the booth seat next to Alexis.
“Thank you.” Alexis laughed breathlessly. “I feel like I just got handed a whole kingdom and I don’t know what to do with it. I’m happy but I’m also so completely overwhelmed. I’m so busy, with the pub and my new business. Not to mention this party! And in some ways, Grayson and I are still getting settled in our new house, and we’ve only just hit our stride again in our relationship. Throwing a baby into the mix is—well, it just feels like too much.”
Hazel looked her sister in the eyes. “It will be okay. You’ll figure out how to navigate it all. Some things will have to go to the back burner, so to speak, but it will be more than worth it, trust me. What does Grayson think?”
Alexis blushed a deeper shade of pink and coughed gently.
“You haven’t told him?” Hazel gasped.
Alexis shook her head. “Not yet. I will, obviously. And I think he’ll be really happy. I think. Children were always more of a hypothetical conversation for us. We’ve never really talked seriously about starting a family—not in terms of actual, real-life details.”
“He’s going to be thrilled. And remember, he’s your partner in all this. It’s his job to reassure you and walk with you through this new journey. I know he wants to be there for you in all this, but you need to let him be.”
“You’re right.” Alexis sighed. “I guess I just feel as though I need some time to process it myself before I tell him. Right now, it still kind of feels like a dream to me.”
Hazel kissed her sister on the side of the head and went back to her seat on the other side of the table. “I hear that! I remember feeling that way when I found out I was pregnant with Samantha. I also didn’t feel ready—I was so young. But you just have to take it one day at a time. I know it feels like a lot, but you have nothing to be worried about.”
“Thanks, Hazel.” Alexis took a deep breath and smiled. “That’s all good advice.”
Hazel smiled back at her sister, and they shared a moment of understanding. Then Alexis laughed breathlessly and went back to counting her money. Hazel picked up what remained of her sloppy joe and took a big bite out of it.
At that moment, Jacob Dorsey walked into the pub.
Hazel froze, mid-bite, as she watched Jacob stroll into The Lighthouse Grill. She felt surprised to see him, and for a moment she couldn’t understand what on earth he was doing there after closing hours, but then she remembered that the air vents needed to be replaced.
He must be here to start work on that or something , she thought. It makes sense that Mom hired him.
She set down her sloppy joe and wiped her messy face and hands as Jacob strode toward her and Alexis with a smile.
“Hey, Hazel! Hey, Alexis.” He grinned at them.
“Hey.” Hazel cleared her throat, feeling a little awkward since she hadn’t been expecting to see him and she’d been such a mess a few moments earlier. She had to admit to herself though, she remembered a time when her current situation would have made her feel mortified. As it was, she felt a little uncomfortable but not nearly as self-conscious as she used to feel around the handsome handyman.
“Sorry to barge in on you both while you’re busy,” Jacob said. He was as friendly and easygoing as ever, and his manner made Hazel feel less uncomfortable right away. “I’m here to look at the air vents.”
“Sure.” Alexis glanced at Hazel as if worried she was upset by Jacob’s presence, and Hazel wished she hadn’t done it. Jacob had no idea that she’d been planning on asking him out not that long ago, and she wanted to keep it that way. “Thanks for coming in, Jacob. We appreciate your help.”
“Oh, of course.” Jacob nodded. “Sorry I got here so late. I got held up at another job.”
“No, you’re all good.” Alexis smiled and stood up. “I’ll show you where to find the vents.”
Alexis led Jacob away from the table, glancing back at Hazel in concern as she went. Hazel found herself chuckling. Although Jacob was as handsome and kind as ever, and she could easily remember why she’d had such a crush on him, being near him wasn’t upsetting her in the slightest. She smiled quietly to herself and finished eating her sloppy joe and French fries.
“Hey.” Alexis returned to the booth, biting her lip. She sat down across from Hazel and looked at her sister sympathetically. “I’m sorry about this. Mom hired him because she didn’t have anyone else who could do the job.”
Hazel shook her head, smiling. “It’s totally fine, Alexis. Jacob and I have always been friends, and we still are. I’m not upset to see him.”
“Good for you.” Alexis reached across the table and squeezed Hazel’s hand, even though it was covered in sloppy joe sauce. They both laughed as Alexis wiped her hand with a clean napkin. “You’re being so chill about this whole thing.”
Hazel laughed. “There’s no reason for me not to be. Yes, Jacob has a girlfriend and I’d wanted to ask him out, but it’s not as though I need him in my life. And I’m happy for him. He seems really happy, and I want that for him.”
Alexis gave her a proud smile. “Way to go, Hazel.”
The sisters finished up their tasks—Alexis finished counting her money and Hazel finished her meal—and then Hazel stood up to go.
“See you soon,” she said, bending down to give Alexis a hug. “Good luck with everything. Call me if you need to talk.”
“I will. Thank you.” Alexis looked a little nervous still, but there was a sparkle of excitement in her eyes now.
Hazel dropped off her dirty dishes in the kitchen, saying goodnight to the dishwasher. As she was making her way to the front door, she passed Jacob as he was inspecting one of the vents.
“Have a good night, Jacob!” she called. “Good to see you.”
“You too!” He looked up with a grin. “Have a good night, Hazel.”
Hazel pushed open the front doors of The Lighthouse Grill and stepped out into the cold night. She tucked her hands into the warm, fleece-lined pockets of her coat and smiled. She was proud of herself for being able to call a casual goodbye to Jacob like that. She made her way to her car, glancing up at the glittering stars as she went, and feeling more content than ever.