Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alexis tapped her fingers against the side of her coffee cup. On the kitchen table in front of her was her planner and a couple of colored pens. She was writing out her schedule for the day, a task she always enjoyed.
“Aunt Alexis, could you pass the hash browns?”
Alexis looked up and smiled at Samantha, who was wearing a pink hoodie and a t-shirt that said, I love dogs. “You mean these amazing hash browns that my niece made? I would love to.”
Samantha flushed at the praise as Alexis passed the steaming bowl filled with hash browns across the table, and Hazel scooped some onto her own plate too before passing them back to Alexis.
Breakfasts at Hazel’s house were always delicious, but Alexis had to admit that this was a particularly good one. They had breakfast sandwiches made of sausage, fried egg, avocado, and cheese on English muffins, with hash browns and sliced mangos on the side. They were all drinking orange juice, and Hazel and Alexis were drinking a rich, nutty coffee as well. Sunlight was spilling onto the table through the windows of the kitchen, and outside they could hear birds chirping in the trees.
It’s going to be a beautiful day, Alexis thought, smiling to herself.
She looked down at her to-do list for the day as she took another bite out of her sandwich. Before working the afternoon shift at the pub, she was going to accompany Vivian to a routine doctor’s appointment, buy supplies for The Lighthouse Grill, and complete a few easy but important housekeeping tasks at the pub before it opened. She loved working at the pub, and being a part of keeping it running gave her an immense sense of satisfaction.
She looked up and caught Hazel staring at the gift basket on top of the refrigerator with a dreamy expression. She chuckled, knowing that her sister was looking forward to giving the basket to Jacob.
“When are you going to talk to that man, huh?” Alexis grinned at Hazel, who started guiltily and began to blush.
“Soon.” Hazel laughed, running her fingers through her hair. “He’s out of town today, but he’ll be back tomorrow. I’m getting more and more excited all the time.”
“I can imagine.” Alexis smiled. “I can’t wait to hear about how it goes tomorrow.”
“It’s going to be so romantic.” Samantha sighed, looking dreamily into her glass of orange juice. “You’re going to tell him that you love him, and he’s going to get down on his knees and tell you that he’s always loved you and he wants to marry you.”
Both Alexis and Hazel burst out laughing, although Hazel began to blush furiously.
“No, it won’t happen like that, honey,” Hazel said, shaking her head. “But I do think he’ll agree to come to dinner with me. And I hope he likes the basket I made him.”
“I’m sure he will.” Alexis winked. “I bet he?—”
She was about to say more, but at that moment, there was a knock on the back door.
“Ooh, a visitor!” Samantha said eagerly, leaning back in her chair in hopes that she could see the person from the kitchen window. “Maybe it’s a package being delivered.”
“Only one way to find out.” Hazel brushed her hands together purposefully as she stood up and made her way to the back door. She pulled it open and froze for a second when she saw who it was.
Alexis peered past her sister’s shoulder, wondering what had prompted that reaction, and her stomach swooped as if she was on a rollercoaster.
Grayson was standing on the back steps, looking a little awkward. He cleared his throat gently.
“I’m sorry if I’m intruding, but I wanted to talk to Alexis. Is she here?”
Alexis felt her heart start beating faster at the sight of him. He was wearing dark jeans and a casual button-up shirt, and he looked handsome, standing there in the sunlight. Even so, she also felt a rush of nervousness, and she knew that the quiet, comfortable morning that she’d planned for herself was about to be disrupted.
“Of course, come on in.” Hazel smiled at him warmly, and as soon as he turned toward the table, she gave Alexis a look over his shoulder. She seemed to be saying, “Okay, give him a chance, Alexis,” with her eyes.
Grayson looked at Alexis and nodded. He didn’t smile, but she saw tenderness in his eyes. He stood awkwardly by the door and didn’t take any steps into the room.
“Come and sit down at the table.” Hazel made her way back to her chair, smiling encouragingly at him. “We’re just having breakfast, and you’re more than welcome to join us. Have you eaten?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t. Thank you very much.”
He sat down awkwardly in the empty chair at the end of the table, and Samantha hopped up to get him a plate, silverware, and a glass.
“Do you want coffee, Uncle Grayson?” she asked.
“Yes. Thank you. Coffee would be great.”
Alexis watched him, finding it odd to see him sitting there. Odd but also strangely pleasant, and the way both Hazel and Samantha were acting particularly friendly toward him warmed her heart. She wondered how he felt about the whole thing. He was clearly feeling a little awkward, and she wondered if he felt bad that Hazel had been the one to invite him to sit down to breakfast instead of her. He seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her, and then all at once he looked right at her, right into her eyes, and she felt her stomach jump as if she’d just taken a dip on a rollercoaster.
“Here you go, Uncle Grayson.” Samantha set down the dishes in front of him with a flourish. “You’re going to love this food. It’s really good.”
Grayson smiled at her a little awkwardly. “Thank you. I appreciate being invited.”
Alexis felt a twinge of guilt, since she herself could have invited him to any of their breakfasts ever since he’d arrived in town. The sight of him sitting there was making her see him in a whole new light. Although he seemed a little uncomfortable, since he hadn’t had a lot of time to get used to being in a family setting when he was so wrapped up in his career, he seemed touched by how sweet Hazel and Samantha were being. Alexis found herself picturing him sitting down to breakfast with her at a table of their own, something they hadn’t done in years since he’d always wanted to rush off to the office early.
Grayson helped himself to a breakfast sandwich and some of the hash browns and mango slices. For a while, everyone was quiet as they continued to eat. Alexis wrote down a few more notes in her planner, but she felt jittery and distracted. She found herself wanting to stare at Grayson, but felt that she couldn’t, as if he was some kind of stranger.
“This food is excellent, thank you,” Grayson said finally. “And you have a charming home here.”
“Thank you very much.” Hazel smiled, pleased, and Grayson looked around the kitchen as he chewed. His eyes lighted on the gift basket resting on the top of the refrigerator.
“That’s a nice gift basket. Did you pack it yourself?”
“I did.” Hazel blushed faintly. “Everything in it is picked out by me.”
“But we helped arrange it,” Samantha said proudly.
“It must be for someone special,” Grayson said, looking a little wistful.
“It is,” Hazel said, blushing more. “Oh, Samantha, look at the time! We need to get you to school and me to the office. Alexis, would you mind cleaning up when you and Grayson are done eating?”
Alexis nodded, feeling her stomach squirm. She knew that Hazel’s sudden departure had three reasons—one, it really was getting late, two, she wanted to stop talking about her gift basket in case Grayson asked who it was for, and three, she wanted to leave Alexis alone with her husband. “That’s fine. Have a good day, you two.”
“We will,” Samantha said cheerfully as she swung her backpack up onto her shoulders “You two have a good day too.”
Alexis felt herself blushing, since she didn’t plan on spending time with Grayson after breakfast was over, but she found the thought both wonderful and alarming.
Hazel and Samantha slipped out of the house through the back door, and Alexis and Grayson were left sitting across from each other, awkwardly poking their forks in their food.
“How are you this morning, Alexis?” he asked finally, and there was a tenderness in his voice that made her heart ache a little.
“I’m doing all right.” She cleared her throat. “How about you?”
“I’m doing fine. It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too.”
For a few moments, they looked across the table at each other. She felt her heart begin to beat faster, and finally she looked away.
“This food is great.” He picked up his sandwich again, but he didn’t take a bite yet. Even though he wasn’t looking directly at her anymore, she could sense that he was tuned in to her, listening intently to her body language.
“It is,” she agreed. “It’s been so nice living here with the two of them. We eat almost all our meals together and it’s always a team effort. That’s felt very nice.”
“I can imagine.” He smiled, but his eyes looked a little sad. She wondered if he was regretting all the times he’d eaten at the office or skipped meals altogether, leaving her to sit and eat in their mansion alone. “What are your plans for the day?”
“Uh, well, I’m doing a few things before working at the pub this afternoon.” She glanced down at her planner, feeling so jittery that for a moment, she forgot what her agenda for the day was. “I’m taking my mom to the doctor and ordering some supplies. Little things like that.”
“I can come with you,” he suggested, and she looked up, surprised.
“Oh! You—you don’t have to.”
“No, I insist. Whatever you need to do today, I’ll come along with you and help you get it done. We’ll do it together.” He smiled at her, and she felt her heart stir a little.
“Well, the first thing we should do is clean all this up and put the leftovers in the refrigerator.”
“Sure.” He popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth, already seeming to have more energy. She got the impression that he was thrilled about getting to spend time with her.
Together they tidied up the kitchen table and placed the dishes in the sink. When they were finished, Alexis glanced at the clock on the wall. She’d wanted to retreat to her room for a few moments to collect herself, but it was time to leave to pick up Vivian. She didn’t want to be late, which meant they needed to leave right away.
“It’s time to go pick up my mom,” she said. “That’s the next thing on my agenda for the day.”
“Great.” He smiled at her, and she cleared her throat lightly as she went to pick up her purse. He seemed suddenly buoyant and cheerful, and she had no idea what to do with the fact that he was about to spend the whole day with her.
Grayson drummed his fingers on the arm rests of the waiting room chair he was sitting in. He smiled quietly to himself, looking around the comfortable doctor’s office waiting room.
Rosewood Beach had a pleasant doctor’s office, he thought. It was cheerfully decorated and smelled fresh and clean. Sparkling windows offered a beautiful view of the ocean, and one of them was cracked open, letting in a cool coastal breeze.
He glanced over at Alexis, feeling his heart warm. He could tell that she seemed a little taken aback by the way he’d invited himself along to her errands that day. He smiled at her, thinking to himself how beautiful she was, and how lucky he felt that he got to spend the day with her, even if they were just sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, waiting for Vivian to get out of her appointment.
“This is a nice place,” he observed.
She looked up from the magazine she’d been thumbing through and nodded. He thought he saw her cheeks flush slightly, and he told himself that they definitely needed to learn how to make conversation with each other again. It was as if they were a couple of strangers with nothing in common instead of two people who had been married to each other for years.
“Yes, it is. A lot of the places in Rosewood Beach are great like this. People really care here, you know? The town belongs to all of us, and we take pride in caring for it and making it the best place it can be.”
He nodded as he listened, noticing that she spoke of herself as a resident of the town even though she’d only recently returned. “I’ve been getting that sense. That’s nice.” For a few seconds, they were quiet again, and then he asked, “What are you reading?”
“Oh, just an article about the latest fashions. Silly stuff, honestly. I mean, I love hair and makeup and clothes, I always will, but the idea that some people get social points out of wearing certain kinds of things every season is like some silly game I don’t want to play anymore. People should just wear whatever makes them happy and comfortable.”
He smiled quietly at her, and then he felt a little sad. “We used to care about all of that. You were so intent on being fashionable, and I was so intent on being successful. We were so busy trying to be glamorous. Our careers ended up not doing any kind of service to what matters most, our relationship.”
She swallowed, looking up into his eyes as he spoke. “I know what you mean. L.A. is filled with flashing lights and glitz and glamour, but at the end of the day it’s also filled with
a lot of unhappy people rushing around trying to get the wrong things to make them feel less unhappy. I—I’m glad we both got out of that, Grayson.”
His heart lifted up, and he smiled at her. He wanted to lean over and kiss her, but he held himself back. He didn’t think she was ready for that kind of physical affection from him yet, and he was determined to take things slowly so that she was comfortable.
“I am too. I want?—”
He wanted to say more, but at that moment, Vivian returned to the waiting room, coming from her doctor’s appointment.
“I’ll all set.” She smiled cheerfully at the two of them, and he got the impression that she was happy he was there with Alexis. “There’s nothing wrong with me, well, besides getting old.” She laughed. “Come on, let’s get out of here. Thank you both for waiting for me.”
The three of them left the doctor’s office together, and Grayson noticed Vivian glancing surreptitiously at him and Alexis a few times. He knew his mother-in-law was wondering how things were going between him and his wife, and he wished that he had an answer for her. He was also wondering how things were going between him and his wife, although he had to admit that he felt more hopeful than he had in a long time. It seemed as though the distance between them was finally becoming smaller. Maybe soon he would be able to reach her. Maybe soon there would be no distance between them at all.
They dropped Vivian back off at her house and then continued on to the grocery store, where Alexis needed to pick up various items for The Lighthouse Grill. Grayson stepped inside the charming little grocery store feeling interested, since it was a place in Rosewood Beach that he had never been to before.
Alexis grabbed a cart, and he gently took it from her.
“I insist.” He winked at her. “I do the heavy lifting in this relationship.”
She tried to hide a smile. “Don’t you mean pushing?”
He chuckled. “Sure. Lifting and pushing. Besides, you’re going to be too busy studying that very detailed list in your hand and checking items off it. You don’t need to be burdened with a cart on top of it.”
She shook her head, laughing a little. “All right. I won’t protest. It will be nice to just move freely. You have to keep up with me, though,” she teased, noticing how he’d paused with interest in front of a display of different kinds of fruit juices.
“This place is amazing,” he said, catching up to her. “How do they manage to offer such a wide variety? Do people really buy all these different things? Like that—that brand of crackers. I’ve never seen those anywhere before, and that logo looks like it hasn’t been changed since the 1950s. Do people actually still buy that stuff?”
“Sure.” She laughed, and he felt his heart lift up. She had such a wonderful laugh, she always had. “Most small businesses sell a lot of niche things. That’s why they’re so much more fun to shop in than the big-name grocery or department stores.”
“I haven’t been to any kind of a grocery store in years.” He looked around the little store, fascinated. “Do they all smell this good? It’s like I can smell bread even though I don’t see bread anywhere. Bread and… spices? Whatever it is, it smells incredible.”
She was really laughing now, holding onto her list but clearly not thinking about it at all. She was watching Grayson with amusement. “No, not all grocery stores smell this good. Now come on, I said keep up, remember?”
He grinned at her. “How did you know I was going to slow you down?”
“You always did.” Her eyes got a faraway look for a moment, and she chuckled. “I think the last time we went shopping together was when we were dating, wasn’t it?”
“Wow.” He felt a pang of regret, but he smiled through it. “I think you’re right. It’s been a long time, huh?”
She nodded. “I think when we first got married, I wouldn’t let you come shopping with me. You always drove me nuts, because you over-analyzed everything. It would take you forever to choose something as simple as a water filter.”
Grayson lifted a finger in protest. “Water filters are not simple. And besides, that’s an important purchase. You need to read the boxes of all the available ones and see what they do or do not filter.”
“See? You’re at it again.” She laughed. “And it wasn’t just you reading the box—then you went online and started reading reviews.”
He grinned. “Well, you could always go on ahead and pick out other things while I checked out the water filters.”
“I tried! I would suggest that, and then you would say, ‘No, don’t leave me’ and like a sap, I would stand there and wait for you.”
As soon as she stopped speaking, a kind of quietness settled over them. They stood there looking at each other, and Grayson felt his heart thumping in his chest.
Don’t leave me, Alexis, he thought.
Out loud, he said, “Well, sorry. I guess I was pretty unreasonably clingy then.”
She nodded, looking a little pained. He understood how hard it must have been for her to be suddenly living with someone who was acting so differently from the man she’d dated. He had to admit to himself that he’d become too complacent. Because he’d won her heart, and she was his wife, he’d turned his attention to the things he felt needed “conquering,” like his business. As they stood there in the grocery store, he vowed to himself that he would never be foolish like that again. He knew now that her heart was something that needed to be tended to even after it was won.
“Alexis?” His voice was soft.
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for a lot of things.”
She nodded. “I know.”
They stood there smiling sadly at each other, and then the bells hanging on the front door jangled. Alexis glanced at her watch and squeaked.
“Oh my goodness! I need to keep moving here. See, you’re slowing me down again.”
He grinned at her teasing, glad that the mood between them had been lightened again. They continued to shop together, and she continued to tease him about the way he was wandering through the aisles eagerly, acting as though the grocery store was a fun place to be.
“It is fun,” he protested. “I’ve never seen so many different kinds of noodles in my life. It makes me wish I had better pasta-making skills.”
When they’d made their purchases, they went back outside to Alexis’s car and loaded it up. Grayson became quiet and thoughtful as they carried the bags from the cart to the trunk of her car. When they had finished loading the trunk and they sat down in the front seats next to each other, he turned to his wife.
“It was fun. Because I was there with you. I loved spending time with you in there. I think the fact that we didn’t do simple, everyday things together like that contributed to the distance between us. I wish I’d eaten meals with you, and gone shopping with you, and sat down to pay the bills with you. I never understood how important all that was in getting to know a person, and staying close to a person.”
She nodded, looking straight ahead. She looked sad, but when she turned to him, there was a tenderness in her eyes that made him feel relieved. “I think that’s true.”
He glanced at the time. “We’d better get going. I don’t want you to be late.”
“Thanks.” She started the engine of the car. “Do you want me to drop you off at your hotel on my way to the pub?”
“Oh.” He hadn’t realized that she was unaware he planned on going with her to the pub. “No, I’d like to come with you.”
“To the pub? I’m working a shift. I thought this was where we were going to part ways.”
“I know, but… well, I’m sure I’ll be of some use there. There’s always stuff to be done around a restaurant, right?”
“That’s for sure. Before my shift starts, I have some things to do around the pub, like put away plates and roll silverware. Are you sure you want to help with stuff like that?”
“What, are you worried I can’t put some plates away?”
She laughed. “No, it’s just—well, you’re used to working for a prestigious company. Are you sure you’re up for getting your hands dirty like that?”
“You just watch me.” He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
They parked outside the pub and went inside. The Lighthouse Grill was due to open for lunch in an hour, and so far, no employees besides Alexis had arrived. Grayson looked around the cheerful, pleasant-smelling restaurant and smiled, finding it odd to see it so quiet and empty.
“The calm before the storm, huh?” he teased her.
She shook her head. “It’s not a storm, it’s a rollercoaster. Come and help me unload the supplies into the pantry.”
They unloaded everything they’d purchased at the grocery store, and then Alexis guided Grayson through helping her put away all the clean dishes that had been washed the night before.
“Have you ever shown up and found dirty dishes in the sink?” Grayson asked, mostly teasing, but as soon as he saw Alexis’s expression, he knew that there was a story about to be told.
“I wasn’t there,” she said, “but when I was in high school, they had this guy from the football team working here. He was supposed to finish washing the dishes and lock up, but then some friends of his showed up and he just ditched. Dad walked into the kitchen the next morning, saw all the dishes that this guy didn’t finish, and immediately fired him.”
“Wow. Your dad didn’t mess around.”
“Not about his restaurant!” Alexis laughed, but he noticed that her eyes looked sad, and he guessed that she missed her father. “I guess the guy was planning on waking up early to finish them before anyone else got here. But he slept through his alarm and then Dad got here way before he expected him to. The funny thing was, I’d kind of had a crush on that guy until I heard the story. Then I was never interested in him again.”
Grayson laughed. “You don’t mess around either. I’ll have to be careful to never leave any dirty dishes here overnight.”
She chuckled as she set the last stack of plates onto the shelf. “Don’t worry, I would still be interested in you.”
She didn’t look at him after she said the words, but he saw her blush a little. His heart warmed, and he wanted to ask her if he could hug her, but in the next instant she went over to a cupboard and took out a couple of baskets. One was filled with white napkins and light blue paper napkin bands, and the other was filled with silverware. Grayson hurried forward when he saw her struggling to lift the basket filled with clean silverware.
“I got it,” she told him, laughing. “It’s heavy, but it’s not too heavy. Go ahead and carry that other basket out to the dining room. This is easier if we do it at a booth.”
They took the baskets out to one of the booths and sat across from each other as they started to roll silverware. It was a mindless task, easy to repeat over and over again, and Grayson found it a little fun.
“I love working here,” Alexis said with a pleased sigh as she set down another finished roll. “It’s new every day, but also filled with lots of little rituals that I enjoy doing. Things like this. I like being a part of keeping the pub going strong.”
He nodded, but he didn’t understand how she could feel that way. After all, she’d been a model once, and lived a glamorous life in L.A. Was she really content to be here in this little town, rolling silverware and getting chapped hands?
“Do you really feel fulfilled being a waitress?” he asked her.
“I really do.” She paused in her work to look up at him and smile. “I never thought I would, but I do. I think everyone, at some point in their lives, should have a job where good old-fashioned teamwork and a hometown feel are the focus.”
“Huh.” Grayson considered her words, pondering them as he continued to roll silverware. He thought about his first job, which had been for a Mom-and-Pop ice cream shop during high school. At the time, he’d felt impatient to move on and get a better job. He’d underestimated how precious and formative that sort of experience could have been for him, if he’d let it shape him. He remembered wise things that the owners had said to him now and again as they were training him, and he wished he’d paid their words more heed.
He looked up at his wife as she worked, and he thought to himself that he still had a lot to learn. He had a feeling that the woman sitting across from him was going to teach him a great deal.