Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Alexis knocked her shoulder against Dean’s as they strolled down the sidewalk of Rosewood Beach’s Main Street. Around them, cozy shops were filled with customers, and the wind rustled the leaves of the small flowering trees that bordered the road.
“Penny for your thoughts.” Alexis smiled at her brother. Privately she thought that he was looking much too tired, and a little pale. There were dark circles under his eyes and his shoulders seemed to be drooping a little, which wasn’t like him. She thought to herself that he definitely needed a woman to take care of him, and she should pick up her efforts to find him a match.
Dean turned to her with a smile. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m feeling pretty tired today.”
She reached a hand out sympathetically and rubbed his shoulder. “I can imagine. Things have been nonstop since Dad died. The funeral, and then the fundraiser, and now we’re all helping out at the pub as much as we can. We could all use an extended nap. Too bad people can’t hibernate like bears.”
He laughed, and she grinned at him.
“I bet I know what you’re thinking,” she said slyly.
“What am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking we should stop at Ocean Breeze Café and get some coffee and a couple of the doughnuts they always have on hand from Seaside Sweets Bakery.”
“Wow, how did you know? I’m so glad I had that idea. I love it.” He shot her a wink, amusement glinting in his eyes.
They strolled down the sidewalk a few more yards, and then reached Ocean Breeze Café. The bell on the door jingled overhead as they stepped inside the familiar coffee shop. It smelled fragrantly of ground coffee, and Alexis took a deep breath, feeling excited about purchasing a beverage.
Dean ordered a black coffee and a lemon-filled doughnut, and Alexis ordered a honey and lavender latte along with a chocolate éclair. They took their purchases out to the little café tables that were placed on the sidewalk outside the coffee shop.
“Mm, this doughnut is heaven,” Alexis said, closing her eyes as she savored her first bite. “I’ve missed these eclairs. There’s some great food in L.A., but none of it tastes quite like this.”
Dean smiled at her. “This is probably my favorite doughnut in the world. A lemon doughnut from Seaside Sweets Bakery.”
“I wonder if that’s because we grew up with them, or because their bakery is just that good?”
“Probably both.” He chuckled.
A Jeep with the top down drove past them on the road, and Alexis noticed that the driver was an attractive young woman with strawberry-blonde hair. She made a mental note that there were even more eligible young women in Rosewood Beach than she knew about.
Dean didn’t seem to be paying any attention to the girl, even though she was driving slowly and the Jeep was a highly noticeable lime-green.
“So, Dean.” Alexis leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table as she fixed him with a serious expression. “I think that maybe you should consider stepping into the dating scene.”
Dean blinked at her, and then coughed lightly. He took a sip of his coffee, clearly avoiding answering the question.
She laughed. “You can’t avoid all these attractive women your age forever. There are so many nice women here in Rosewood Beach. Why not try going on a few dates with some of them?”
Dean ran his fingers through his hair, looking clearly hesitant.
“Okay, fine, how about a few dates with one of them?”
Dean shook his head.
“Or one date with one of them?”
“Alexis.” He kept shaking his head, laughing a little. “If I wanted to date someone, I would. I think when the right girl comes along?—”
“But what if she already has come along and you just weren’t thinking about love, so you didn’t notice her in that way? I mean, what about all the girls we grew up with? A lot of them are very nice, and I know some of them are still single. Remember Rachel Stensberg? She’s still single. And she loves dogs, like you do. And Dana Taylor is still single too. She goes out hiking all the time. You would love to be in a relationship with someone like that.”
“I—Alexis! I barely remember those girls. Besides, how do you know I’d like to be in a relationship with someone who hikes?”
“Because you love hiking.”
“Well, sure, but maybe I want to marry a girl who only likes to stay inside and watch TV.”
Alexis laughed at his joke, and Dean cracked a smile, but she noticed that he looked a little troubled.
“And besides,” she added. “You may not remember them all that well, but I’m sure they remember you. You were a total heartthrob in high school. So many girls had crushes on you.”
“And Rachel and Dani were two of those girls, huh?”
“Dana. And yes, if I remember correctly. Besides, it doesn’t really matter. You’re a catch, and so are so many of the women around town. All you have to do is test the waters a little. You might love dating. The worst thing that can happen is you spend a little extra money taking women out to dinner.”
“I think that’s hardly the worst thing that could happen. I could hurt someone. Or I could get hurt. Dating isn’t a game.”
She cocked her head to one side, surprised by how serious his tone was. “I know,” she said. “And I know you know that too, but—well, do you want to be single forever, Dean?”
“No, I’d like a wife someday. I mean, that’s what I’ve always hoped for. But I don’t want to date right now.”
“Why? Why are you being so stubborn?”
He smiled at her. “I’m not being stubborn. It’s my life, remember? It’s just that dating isn’t something that I feel should be taking center stage in my life right now.”
She was about to protest again, but he deftly changed the subject.
“What about Hazel? She called me, all excited that she’s planning on asking Jacob Dorsey out. Have you helped her come up with a grand plan for that yet?”
Alexis grinned. “We’re working on it. The details are still TBD, especially since she isn’t sure when she’s going to see him again. He had to rush off right away the other morning when he finished the drywall at her house. But she’s determined to say something, and that’s the important thing. I know she really cares about him, and I think there’s a definite spark between those two.”
“Well, he’s a really great guy. I’d love to see him dating Hazel.”
“He is a great guy.” She smiled at him affectionately. “And see? That’s how I feel about you dating someone.”
Dean opened his mouth to protest, but at that moment, they heard the sound of a cheer in the distance.
“What’s that?” Alexis asked curiously.
Dean popped the rest of his doughnut into his mouth. “Only one way to find out.”
She grinned, and the two of them stood up together. They’d both finished their doughnuts, but they picked up their coffee cups and started off together down the sidewalk in the direction they’d heard the cheering coming from.
As soon as they turned the corner at the end of the street, they saw what was happening. A stretch of road had been closed off for the annual bike sprint fundraiser.
“Oh, the school’s bike sprint fundraiser!” she said excitedly, grabbing Dean’s arm. “I loved doing this with you guys when we were kids. We’ve been so busy we must have missed the posters this year.”
The bike sprint fundraiser was held every year as a means of donating toward cancer research. The participants “bike sprinted” with others, and each time they joined in a race, their sprint was counted toward the total number of participants. People sprinted only a few times or over and over again for hours, trying to add onto the number of dollars that the main donor of the event had promised to give, based on the total number of participants. It had always been a fun time, charged with energy and excitement. Alexis remembered trying to bike as fast as she could when she was a teenager, hearing the crowds cheering around her as she and the other bikes sped past the finish line.
“Let’s do it!” She turned toward him excitedly. “Look over there, there’s a sign-up table. We should absolutely join the next race!”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Dean looked out at the bike sprint with a frown of concern. “I’m feeling pretty tired, Alexis.”
“Tired? Don’t you have the day off today? Come on!”
He smiled at her. “I do feel better than I did yesterday, but I don’t think I’m up for sprinting on a bike.”
“They say that exercise is good for fatigue. Try at least one with me? Then if you’re still too tired, I can keep racing without you.”
He grinned at her. “Okay. That sounds fair enough. I have missed participating in these things, and it’s for a great cause.”
“Perfect!” She quickly drank the last of her coffee. “Now let’s go over there and sign up for the next race.”
She and Dean wove their way through the crowd. The people around them were smiling and cheering, and there was an almost wild sense of excitement in the air.
She and Dean put their names down for the next race, and in a few minutes, they were climbing onto bikes with the other participants.
“Oh, I’m ready for this.” Alexis grinned at her brother, feeling a wave of adrenaline. “It’s been such a long time since I did anything really exciting like this.”
He pursed his lips, cocking his head. “You won’t feel so excited when I beat you.”
She shook her head as she strapped on her helmet. “Not a chance, Dean Owens. This is my sport. I was made to bike sprint.”
The horn sounded, and the bikers took off. Alexis felt the wind rush past her face, and the crowd around her passed in a blur. She pedaled as fast as she could toward the finish line, and in what felt like only a few seconds, she was zooming across it.
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Alexis heard her name read off the list as having come in second. Dean came in fourth, and as he approached her, she bowed.
“See?” She laughed. “I told you.”
“You were magnificent.” He was panting, but he looked exhilarated. “I’m going to sit this next one out, but you go get ’em, kiddo.”
“Okay.” She thumped him on the back. “I’ll race this one for you.”
For a moment, she thought she saw an almost pained expression on his face, but then it vanished into a supportive smile.
“I’ll be cheering louder than anyone,” he told her.
She made her way to the sign-up table to put her name down for the race following the one that had started only moments after she and Dean had raced. As she wove her way through the crowd to the starting line, she thought to herself how nostalgic the event felt to her. Even a few weeks ago, she might have felt a little silly competing in a bike sprint, especially because it was something she’d done as a child, but now she was feeling competitive and rejuvenated by connecting with her past memories.
The bike sprint is like a little bit of Rosewood’s essence , she thought, smiling as she climbed onto her bike. It’s such a wholesome, heartfelt event that the whole town is putting their spirits into. We might not all be athletes, but everyone’s having a great time.
The horn sounded and she took off again. This time, it was even easier for her to lean forward into her speed and pedal with all her might. The road whipped by underneath her, and the next thing she knew, she was rushing across the finish line.
“In first place,” called out the announcer over a microphone, “is Alexis Bennett!”
The crowd cheered and a huge grin appeared on her face. She remembered winning once or twice in high school, but in that moment, she felt even more triumphant than she had back then.
She started to look through the crowd for Dean, to find someone to share in her excitement with her. She stepped forward a few paces, her eyes scanning the crowd, and then she turned around.
What she saw made her jaw drop and her heart seemed to skip a beat.
Standing in the middle of the crowd, staring at her, was Grayson.