Moonlit Harbor Nights (Rosewood Beach #5)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Vivian Owens looked around The Lighthouse Grill and smiled. The cozy, savory-smelling pub had been packed with customers during a particularly hectic lunch rush only half an hour before. Her adrenaline was still racing a little in the best way, and she thought to herself contentedly that they’d all done a wonderful job of handling the swarm of guests.

The Lighthouse Grill was the most popular restaurant in Rosewood Beach, Connecticut, and Vivian had always felt sure that was due to more than just their delicious, award-winning food. The pub offered a friendly, genuinely warm environment that people loved to go to. The people of Rosewood Beach knew they could go there for a good laugh and a good meal, and tourists passing through saw the reviews online and felt they had to stop to check the place out.

We’ve done well, Frank, she thought, feeling an ache well up in her chest when she thought of her departed husband.

She crossed the room to look at one of the photographs hanging on the wall above the fireplace. The picture was of herself and Frank when they’d first started the pub together. Back when their four wonderful children were just hopes for the future in Vivian’s heart, and she and Frank were attempting to make their dream of owning a pub together a reality.

She looked at Frank’s huge grin in the picture, and the way he held his arm around her protectively. She had always felt that he kept her safe, never guessing that he had a gambling addiction that he’d hidden from her during their entire marriage. Following the painful news of his death had come the painful revelation that he’d put the pub into terrible jeopardy with his gambling debts.

For a little while, she’d thought that they might lose the pub, and she’d felt that she could hardly bear that. But her two oldest daughters, Alexis and Julia, had returned to Rosewood Beach from L.A. and New York for their father’s funeral, and they’d both decided to stay. Having the extra help at the pub had been the first step in turning their circumstances around—and then the children had organized a fundraiser that saved The Lighthouse Grill through the generosity of the local community.

She turned to look at the photograph hanging beside the one of her and Frank. It had been taken when the children were little, and it always made her smile. She was holding both of the twins in her arms—back when they were babies, Hazel and Dean had looked almost exactly the same, although now they’d grown into attractive and very different-looking adults. When they’d been very little, they’d both had blond hair, but as he’d grown up, Dean’s had darkened to a deep brown.

In the picture, Frank was holding Alexis in his arms, and her reddish-brown hair was in two neat little braids. Vivian thought to herself with a chuckle that Alexis had always been a tidy child when it came to her appearance, and she’d hardly been surprised when her daughter had moved off to L.A. to pursue a career in modeling for a few years. In the picture, little Julia was standing between her parents, a determined smile on her face. Just as fashionable and put-together as her sister, Julia had always been the leader of the little Owens pack, and she’d used her sharp organizational skills to launch a successful career in New York before moving back to Rosewood Beach and taking over the pub’s finances.

My wonderful children, Vivian thought, looking at the picture and feeling a glow of gratitude. They’ve come together to save this pub in such a beautiful way. I couldn’t have done it without them.

In addition to helping the pub stay afloat after they’d learned about Frank’s gambling debts, the Owens siblings had pulled together during the Christmas season to help host a community Christmas event at the pub. It had been a splendid evening for everyone, and they’d gotten to show Judd McCormick, a brewery owner who wanted to outdo the Owens family in everything, that their business was more about community than profit, and that the rewards of that were far greater than money.

Vivian began to hum as she walked over to an empty table. She took the cleaning rag that was lying on it and wiped it down with quick, efficient strokes. She wandered through the dining room for a few more minutes, cleaning off the rest of the empty tables. Before they knew it, it would be the dinner rush, and the mad, thrilling dance of getting food out to tables on time would start all over again.

She glanced out the window, noticing that snow was beginning to fall again. It had been a good year for snow, she thought, smiling. Ever since December, they’d been getting light dustings here and there. Now in February, they had a great deal of snow, but most of it had come down gradually. There’d been one or two blizzards in January, but nothing the town couldn’t pull together to handle efficiently.

She thought to herself that although the days were darker for longer at that time of year, her heart felt full of light in a way that made her life feel bright. She’d emerged from a dark time after Frank’s death, and was getting to enjoy the love of her children and her community. It hadn’t been easy to learn that her husband, who she’d trusted with all her heart, had been gambling away the security of their pub. If Julia and Alexis hadn’t returned to Rosewood Beach to stay, her life might have been very different, and she felt incredibly grateful that they had decided to remain in their hometown. Having all four of her children there with her in Rosewood Beach had done wonders for her strength. They had weekly Sunday breakfasts together, and they were as close-knit as they had been when the kids were growing up, if not more so.

Vivian looked around the dining room one more time, making sure she hadn’t missed any tables. She felt a sense of pride in her work. The pub ran efficiently and was tidy, and the customers who were still seated at tables eating their meals looked happy and content.

Although Julia had taken a great many of the managerial aspects of the pub off Vivian’s plate, Vivian still loved to come into The Lighthouse Grill to help out as often as she could. Her children often tried to get her to rest, and in the warmer months her garden took up a great deal of her time. But in the winter, she could only sit and read a book with a cup of tea during daylight hours for so long before she started getting restless.

She enjoyed coming into the pub to help out, since The Lighthouse Grill had been the center of her life for so many years. It was like a second home to her, and being able to care for it meant a great deal to her.

She made her way into the kitchen, where she tossed the rag into a sanitizing bucket and washed her hands. She decided to get herself a fresh cup of coffee, since she was starting to get a tad tired but she didn’t want to go home yet.

As she was weaving her way through the kitchen toward the coffee maker, she paused and stopped to sample one of The Lighthouse Grill’s special sauces. It was a secret family recipe, a salmon-colored cream sauce that was rich and slightly spicy. Guests had the option of ordering it on the side for any meal, and it was used on a few of the sandwiches that the pub served, and it always transformed them from tasty to extraordinary. She dipped a spoon into the dish and tasted just a little of the creamy mixture.

“Mm, Allison, this secret sauce is perfection as always!” she called to the chef, who was bustling around the kitchen with her sleeves rolled up and a big smile on her face.

“You got it, boss.” Allison winked. “I know I’ve got to keep up the pub’s good name here. Almost half our five-star reviews mention how incredible the secret sauce is. That and the homey atmosphere of the place.”

Vivian couldn’t help the swell of pride in her chest. She loved to be reminded of how much the people of Rosewood Beach, as well as the tourists who had eaten there, loved the pub. On an obvious level, the secret family recipes set them apart from other restaurants, but she loved to hear that their guests had picked up on the other thing that made the pub so special—its warm and homey vibe.

Vivian got herself a hot cup of rich, nutty coffee and went back out into the dining room. There wasn’t anything for her to do at the moment, but she liked to be in the dining room to greet any potential guests.

As she stood near the front door, she started to hear voices coming from the kitchen. She turned around and a moment later saw her daughters Julia and Alexis step into the dining room. They were clearly in the throes of an important conversation, because Julia was shaking her head and gesturing emphatically while she spoke.

Vivian chuckled, always happy to see her daughters. Julia was wearing a trim royal blue blazer, black slacks, and heels, since she was working in the office that day and still liked to dress nicely even for a place that had a more informal atmosphere. Alexis was wearing her waitressing uniform, and her pregnant belly was still too small to be visible under the black apron.

“No, Julia, you’re not listening to me,” Alexis said. “Having Brussels sprouts on the menu is a great idea.”

Vivian walked up to her daughters, laughing. “You two sound just like you did when you were teenagers. Squabbling about something and both acting like it’s the end of the world.”

Julia shook her head, laughing, and her ponytail of long dark hair swung back and forth. “It is the end of the world. Alexis here wants to bring the pub down into ruin. She’s proposed adding Brussels sprouts to the list of available sides.”

“Hear me out!” Alexis squealed with protest, but she was laughing as well. “They’re dirt cheap, extremely good for you, and I remember seeing that Grandma had a recipe for them in the secret family cookbook. I’m sure they’ll taste great prepared that way.”

“I have to agree with Alexis.” Vivian nodded, liking the idea very much. “I’ve never tried that recipe myself, but Brussels sprouts really are delicious if prepared the right way. I’ll talk to Allison later and see what she thinks.”

“Yes!” Alexis twirled and bowed, and Julia groaned.

“When the pub lies in a crumble of dust, I will say that I told you so,” she said, shaking her head. “I shudder at the very thought of Brussels sprouts.”

“It’s not like we’d be forcing anyone to eat them.” Alexis laughed. “If no one ever orders them or likes them, we’ll just take them off the menu.”

“I agree,” Vivian said. “We’ve changed our menu a whole bunch of times. Once your father tried to promote a shrimp sandwich which did not go over well. The shrimp kept falling out of the bread, and nobody really liked it.”

Julia wrinkled her nose. “At least shrimp still sounds better than Brussels sprouts.”

At that moment, the front door of the pub jingled behind them. Vivian turned, ready to greet the new customers, and she found herself grinning widely a moment later.

“Hazel!” she said, hurrying forward to hug her daughter. “And Jacob and Samantha! It’s lovely to see all three of you.”

“Hey, Mom.” Hazel’s cheeks were flushed, and she was smiling widely, revealing her adorable dimples. “We figured we’d wait to get lunch until a little later in the afternoon and avoid the rush.”

“Smart.” Vivian winked at her.

“See?” Jacob Dorsey, Hazel’s boyfriend and the local handyman, turned to Hazel with a grin. “You’re brilliant.”

Samantha, Hazel’s precocious twelve-year-old daughter, watched the couple with a gleam of delight in her eyes. Samantha had been hoping that her mother would get together with Jacob long before the two of them had decided to start dating at The Lighthouse Grill’s Christmas event.

“I agree!” Samantha grinned. “Look, we’ve practically got the place to ourselves. Can I get a tuna melt, Grandma?”

Vivian laughed. “Of course you can, sweetheart.”

“But the waitress will take our orders, honey, not Grandma,” Hazel said as she hung her coat up on one of the hooks placed by the front door. “Grandma isn’t one of the waitresses.”

“Maybe not, but I like to bring the drinks out every now and again.” Vivian smiled. “What do you all want to drink? We made some excellent iced tea earlier today.”

“Iced tea sounds fantastic,” Jacob said.

“I’ll take iced tea too,” Hazel said.

“Me too!” Samantha chimed in.

Smiling, Vivian disappeared into the kitchen, where she prepared four glasses of iced tea—one for Hazel, Jacob, and Samantha, and one for herself. She brought them out to the booth where the three of them had seated themselves.

“There you are,” Vivian said, setting down the tall, cold glasses. “And I’ll sit down and join you for lunch. I haven’t had anything to eat yet.”

“Perfect.” Hazel kissed her mother on the cheek. “How was the lunch rush?”

“Busy.” Vivian laughed. “But everything turned out fine. We’ve got a great team here, that’s for sure.”

“Yes, we do,” Samantha said proudly, and Vivian and Hazel shared a smile.

Alexis stepped up to their table a moment later to take their order, grinning cheerfully.

“Let me guess,” she said. “Jacob wants mashed potatoes and meatloaf with a side salad, Hazel wants a chicken sandwich with the secret sauce and a side of sweet potato fries, Samantha wants a tuna melt with regular fries and honey mustard on the side, and Mom wants a cup of tomato bisque soup with a BLT.”

The four of them seated at the table all started laughing.

“Right by me,” Jacob said.

“Me too,” said Hazel.

“Did you overhear me?” Samantha asked, wrinkling her nose.

“I didn’t know what I was going to order, but that sounds delicious,” Vivian said. “I guess I do order that a lot, don’t I?”

Alexis tapped the side of her head playfully. “Mind like a steel trap. Also, I’m a little bit psychic. I’ll put those orders in. Anything else while you’re waiting?”

“No, I think we should be good with the tea for now. Thanks, Alexis.” Hazel smiled at her sister.

“She looks really happy,” Samantha said as soon as Alexis had disappeared into the kitchen. “Being pregnant suits her.”

Vivian and Hazel laughed out loud that time, and Jacob chuckled.

“What?” Samantha asked, laughing too even though she was cocking her head to one side in confusion. “Why is that funny?”

“I’m not sure,” Hazel admitted. “I think it’s just because you’re so young, but you said it like you’re some sage grandmother or something.”

They continued to chat and banter while they sipped their iced teas and waited for their food. Julia stopped by their booth for a few minutes to talk and snitch a few sips of Hazel’s tea. It wasn’t long before Alexis returned with their entrees, and they began to eat the delicious food.

This is wonderful, Vivian thought. Us eating together like this. Most of my children are here at work with me, and Dean might stop by any minute.

She thought to herself that she had so much to be thankful for, and that there was nothing else in the world she could possibly want.

Then why did she feel as though she was missing something?

She looked up at Hazel and Jacob, and the way they were making eyes at each other across the table. She thought about how much all of her children loved their significant others—Alexis and Grayson had a bond that had been repaired and strengthened when Grayson moved to Rosewood Beach from L.A. to be with her, giving up his extremely lucrative company; Julia and her boyfriend Cooper had been head over heels for each other ever since he’d caught her from literally falling head over heels in the mud, and his little daughter Macey made their relationship even stronger because of the teamwork it involved; Dean had met his sweet, good-hearted girlfriend Noelle when she was his physical therapist, and the two of them were the best of friends, always going off on adventures together; and now Hazel had started to date Jacob, a good, hard-working man she’d had a crush on since high school. All of the Owens children seemed to have found someone wonderful, and Vivian couldn’t have been happier for them.

But in that moment, she realized what she felt was missing from her life. She wanted a special someone of her own again. She missed coming home to Frank and having a partner who she could talk to about her day. She missed having someone to care for, and she missed having a man around who was protective of her and looked out for her.

She sighed quietly to herself, reflecting that although she missed that kind of companionship, she needed to simply carry on with her already full, wonderful life. Surely the time for romance had passed for her. She was entering her older years, and she was blessed beyond measure. She told herself firmly that she should just be grateful for the time that she’d had with Frank and be content with the way her life was now.

She smiled quietly to herself and took another bite out of her crispy BLT. That was the right attitude, she felt sure of it. She would simply enjoy her children and her grandchildren during this phase of her life, and not have any more silly thoughts about romance.