Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
“What we need to do is stay on top of these numbers.”
Grayson nodded his head, pretending to be interested in what the stranger in front of him was saying. He was in the middle of one of his company’s most important meetings of the year. Various employees of his that he’d never even met were presenting, and there were a few spokesmen from companies that they were currently doing business with. The room was filled with men in suits, and a couple of women wearing pencil skirts and blazers.
They were seated around a long, metal table that gleamed coldly in the sunlight that was pouring in through a glass wall. The air hummed with the sound of the air conditioner blasting cold air, and after a moment Grayson realized that he was cold. He wondered who controlled the temperature in these meetings, and he thought that it was ironic that it wasn’t him, since he owned the company.
He was wearing one of his best suits, which had cost thousands of dollars. He’d dressed with care that morning, and slicked back his hair with an expensive product. Getting dressed for important meetings was the kind of thing he used to enjoy, since it made him feel as if he was getting ready for something exciting. Some kind of challenge, or duel. In the past, he’d gotten compliments from Alexis, kissed her goodbye at the door, and left the house feeling as if he was on some kind of mission. He’d felt like a knight in a suit of cloth instead of a suit of armor, going off and conquering the world for the woman he loved.
Today, however, he felt listless and distracted. He’d been going through the motions all day, but his heart hadn’t been in it. Now at this meeting, he was struggling to pay attention even though he kept reminding himself of how important the meeting was.
He’d called Alexis the night before, and she hadn’t picked up. Worse than that, she still hadn’t texted him back or returned his phone call. A pit had formed in his stomach that didn’t seem to be going away. Sometimes he could feel his heart beating, and it seemed like a drumbeat sounding a dirge. He could feel that he was losing her, and he didn’t know what to do.
He kept thinking about what Kay had said to him. She’d told him that he needed to make it clear to Alexis that he wanted to be with her. He’d been calling her and texting her more, but she’d been responding with less and less enthusiasm.
I’m running out of time, he thought, feeling his stomach twist. I need to take action to show her that I care about her.
“What do you think about that, Grayson?”
He looked up, realizing that someone had asked him a question, but he had no idea what had been said. He’d been too lost in thought to pay attention to what had been going on in the meeting.
“I’d need more data before I could offer a definite answer.” His expression remained undisturbed, and the man who’d asked the question nodded and hurried to present more data.
Grayson forced himself to pay attention to the meeting for the next few minutes. After all, many people depended on his company’s success, and he needed to make sure he didn’t let them down. In a meeting like this, he would be the one calling all of the shots and deciding how to move forward based on the information presented, although he had to admit to himself that most of the time, his company essentially ran itself. He was always seeking more profit, but if he stopped doing that, he could have a great deal of time on his hands.
He wondered to himself if he would ever feel that release, that sense that he’d finally become successful. Would he spend the rest of his life chasing a feeling that would never come? And in chasing it, would he lose what really mattered to him?
He swallowed, thinking to himself that he couldn’t lose Alexis. He needed to learn to let go of trying to succeed, to get ahead, to make even more money. It was getting him nowhere. He was like a hamster running around in circles on a hamster wheel, not getting any place worth going to.
I have to stop , he thought. I have to put her first. What can I do to show her I’m ready to change, and she means more to me than all this?
All at once, he recognized what he needed to do. His heart began to pound in his chest as he thought of what a big leap it would be. Despite his trepidation, he thought to himself that he had no choice. This was something he needed to do to repair his marriage.
Alexis typed rapidly on the keyboard of her mother’s computer. She was in the office at The Lighthouse Grill, making some finishing touches on a marketing campaign that she and Julia had been working on together. Julia had done most of the work, but she’d asked Alexis to look it over and jot down some of her opinions.
She sat back in the soft office chair and stretched. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and she was looking forward to getting outside and enjoying the weather. She thought longingly of being out on a boat, and smiled as she remembered how many fun times she and her family had had out on the water when she was a kid.
“Knock knock!”
Alexis looked up and saw Allison, the cook, grinning at her from the doorway.
“One of our tables had a mix-up. We made a side of sweet potato fries for them when they ordered waffle fries. The waitress swears the table said sweet potato fries, but I’m not blaming anybody.” She held up a plate of delicious looking orange fries. “You want these?”
“Um yes!” Alexis laughed. “They smell fantastic. Thank you, Allison.”
“They taste fantastic too. I brought you a side of garlic aioli to go with them.”
“Look at you, being so sweet to me! You don’t need to do all this.”
“I want to.” Allison beamed at her. “I mean it. You’ve been working so hard for this place, and we all see it.”
Alexis felt tears spring into her eyes. “Well, I love it. Thank you.”
“We love you. Eat your fries and I’ll talk to you later.” Grinning, Allison disappeared back out into the hallway.
Sighing happily, Alexis dipped one of the crispy fries into the creamy aioli and popped it into her mouth. She shut her eyes for a moment, savoring the fantastic taste.
There are definitely perks that come with working for a restaurant, she thought cheerfully.
She finished up looking over the marketing plan, munching on the fries as she worked. When she was done, she sat comfortably at the desk and looked out the window for a little while. She found her mind turning to Dean, and she smiled as she remembered the way the girl at the hardware store had seemed so smitten by him.
She thought to herself that her brother needed a little nudge toward finding the perfect girl for him. After all, what was he waiting for? He was in his prime, wasn’t he?
Alexis popped another fry into her mouth and grinned. There were plenty of wonderful women who lived there in Rosewood Beach, and she knew a lot of them were still single. Many of the women she’d known while she was growing up were still in town. She thought to herself with a surge of excitement that many of them might be a good match for her brother.
She pulled an old notepad out of a drawer and started to jot down the names of women that she knew were still in town and were unmarried. Many of them she’d run into when working at the pub, and although she hadn’t been checking for wedding rings when she’d seen them, she felt confident that she had a good sense of whether they were single or not.
I can always call them up later and catch up, she thought cheerfully. That would be a good way of making sure they’re unattached . For now, I’ll just write up a list of potentials.
She grinned to herself as she jotted down the names of women she knew still lived in town. She thought of a girl who she remembered as being particularly cheerful, like Dean was, and a girl that she knew loved going for hikes, like Dean did. There were quite a few girls on the list who she thought might make a good match for her brother, and she felt almost gleeful with excitement as she plotted out how she might introduce them to Dean.
“What are you up to, sweetheart?”
Alexis looked up in surprise to see her mother standing in the doorway. She’d been so engrossed in her work that she hadn’t noticed Vivian come in.
“Mom!” she protested. “What are you doing here? You’re not scheduled to come in today.”
Vivian shook her head, laughing. “You’re like my watchdog, always making sure I’m getting enough rest. I’m not planning on bussing tables, don’t worry.”
Alexis shook her head at her mother. “I saw you start washing dishes the last time you were here. I have to keep a close eye on you.”
“I’m not an invalid!” Vivian continued to chuckle. “I wanted to come check on things. It is my restaurant, after all.”
“Oh, I suppose.” Alexis lifted a brow as she asked, “So, how are we doing?”
“Everything seems to be running smoothly. Smells incredible as usual. And the guests are all smiling.”
“Good.” Alexis handed the dish of sweet potato fries to her mother. “Try a sweet potato fry. They’re magnificent.”
Vivian bit into one of the fries and smiled. “Oh, wonderful. I remember when I tried to talk Frank out of putting these on the menu. I thought they were some silly fad.” She sighed. “I hope I can keep this place going without him. He always had a knack for knowing what would be popular.”
Alexis reached out and squeezed her mother’s hand. “You’re doing great. I’m sure The Lighthouse Grill will stay every bit as popular as ever.”
Vivian smiled warmly at her daughter. Then her eyes traveled down to the desk, where Alexis’s notebook was lying.
“What are you up to?” Vivian asked curiously. “Is… is that a list of names?”
“Yes.” Alexis laughed. “I noticed a girl checking Dean out at the hardware store the other day, and he seemed completely oblivious. I’ve come up with a scheme to help him find a woman.”
“Oh, have you?” Vivian laughed. “What does he say to this?”
“He doesn’t know yet.” Alexis shrugged, an innocent look on her face. “I’ve got to narrow down the list first. Some of these girls might not live in town anymore, and some of them might not be single.”
“Well, your heart’s in the right place, I’ll give you that.” Vivian peered over Alexis’s shoulder, reading the list. “You should add Caitlin Harrison to this list, I think she’s still in town.”
Alexis grinned. “Duly noted. I think she was one of the ones that was particularly smitten with Dean in high school, right?”
“That’s what I remember. She was a cutie. Really loved animals, if I’m not mixing her up with someone else.”
“Perfect, Dean loves animals.” Alexis scribbled down Caitlin’s name onto her list.
“Look at us, scheming away behind his back!” Vivian shook her head, but she was still laughing. “We should be ashamed of ourselves.”
“Oh, I’m not ashamed. This just might work, and then our boy will have someone to come home to at night. Sounds like a worthy cause for scheming to me.”
Vivian stayed to talk with Alexis for a few more minutes, and then she excused herself, saying that she wanted to check up on the kitchens.
“You show me that list later,” she teased as she stepped back out into the hallway.
“I will!” Alexis called cheerfully. She turned back to her list with a smile, popping the last sweet potato fry into her mouth.
She had a contented, glowing feeling in her chest, and she thought to herself how nice it was that she could do something worthwhile and meaningful with her time. She hadn’t been able to do anything for anyone when she was back in L.A. She’d been stuck inside her mansion, feeling like a doll inside a dollhouse.
She knew that it was her return to Rosewood Beach that allowed her to be able to help out her family and do things that she could be proud of. Even though the strain between herself and her husband was what had caused her to stay there in her hometown, she felt content with the fact that fate had led her to where she was. For the first time in a while, she felt at peace with the distance between herself and Grayson.