Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Vivian leaned back in her desk chair and let out a long sigh. She stretched, feeling and hearing her back pop. She winced and glanced at the clock.
“Ten o’clock already,” she muttered. “My goodness it’s late.”
She glanced out the window and smiled quietly to herself. She had a view of the ocean from her office at the pub, and for a few moments she watched the silver light of the moon dance on the tossing waves.
The pub had been closed for an hour already, since it was Sunday night and they didn’t stay open late on Sundays. Most of the staff had gone home already, although she could still hear faint clinking sounds coming from the kitchen as it was being cleaned up. Once the pub had closed, she’d gone to her office to try to get a few additional things done for the upcoming fundraiser. She’d managed to stay focused despite her fatigue, and she’d accomplished everything she’d intended to, which was a good feeling.
Her eyes began to roam slowly around the room. It was filled with memories. She and Frank had hung up various awards and photographs on the walls over the years until they were nearly covered with frames. Moonlight glinted on the glass of the photographs, adding a dreamlike quality to their appearance.
Across from her desk was a large photograph of her and Frank standing outside the pub on the day it opened.
“Oh, Frank,” she whispered, her eyes on the printed image of his face. “We were so full of dreams. We loved each other so much.” She inhaled shakily. “Why didn’t you tell me about your gambling?”
Sighing, she stood up and left the office, turning out the small lamp on the desk almost lovingly as she went. The hallway outside still smelled of salty, hearty food and she inhaled the comforting aroma, her mind on all of the things that had happened in the past few weeks.
She made her way to the dining room, which was empty of customers. The lights had been dimmed, and she found herself gazing around the room, filled with nostalgia. She had so many memories in that place—of some stressful days, certainly, and days of being exhausted, but for the most part her memories were full of joy. She’d worked there with her friends and her children and the man she loved. Most people, even rich people, weren’t lucky enough to have a life like that.
She strolled slowly from table to table, thinking of all the thought and care she and Frank had put into designing and setting up their restaurant. “We built this place together, Frank,” she murmured. “And I’m still grateful to you for that. Even though you weren’t honest with our money, I know you’d be proud of the way our kids are pulling together to save this old place.”
At that moment, Alexis stepped out of the kitchen, an affectionate smile on her face. She was wearing a big apron that was splashed with water and grease, and she looked very different from the fashionable, sad woman that Vivian had been seeing lately.
There was a hint of amusement in Alexis’s eyes as she grinned at her mother. “Talking to yourself, huh?”
Vivian smiled at her daughter. “I was getting a few things straight with Frank.”
A sympathetic look appeared on Alexis’s face and she nodded.
“Thanks for sticking around to help out so much, sweetheart.” Vivian put an arm around her daughter and gave her a tight squeeze.
“It’s my pleasure.” Alexis laid her head down on her mother’s shoulder. “I’ve been so wrapped up in my life in L.A. in recent years, and I think I kind of lost hold of who I am. It’s been good to get back to my roots. And I’ve been worried about Grayson for so long—it’s easier to put aside my worries about that here. It helps to be busy. I have next to nothing to do back there in our big mansion in L.A., and it’s like I can’t escape my fears there. Here, I get to keep my hands busy.”
Vivian nodded sympathetically. “Always better to keep your hands busy.”
“And planning this fundraiser has been especially helpful—it’s been really keeping me occupied. After it ends and we save the pub, I don’t know what I’m going to do. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”
Vivian looked into her daughter’s eyes and brushed a strand of hair back from her forehead. “I’m so proud of you, Alexis. I know that whatever you do, you’re going to be amazing at it.”
Alexis inhaled and smiled at her mother. “Thanks, Mom. For what it’s worth, I’m really proud of you too.”
“Oh, it’s worth a lot, honey.”
They hugged again and then continued the work of closing up the pub for the night.