Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Grayson sat in the armchair of his hotel room, gazing out the window. The place where he was staying was more of a bed and breakfast than a hotel—it was an old Victorian house converted into guest rooms. He had the window cracked open, and a cool breeze from the ocean blew against his face. Outside on the street below, he watched the people of Rosewood Beach biking past, walking their dogs, or strolling hand-in-hand through the gathering dusk.
He felt a sense of peace, of calm, that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He had enjoyed spending time with Alexis the other day, and he smiled as he remembered their conversation in the grocery store. He had found every part of their day to be fun and interesting, but the moments in which they started to rediscover their connection had been his favorites. He thought about how unexpectedly powerful it had been to just sit there and roll silverware with her. Sharing a simple task together had allowed them to talk freely in a way they hadn’t done in a long time.
I need to court her, just like Dean said , he thought, smiling a little. Show her that she’s special to me. I need to find ways of making it clear to her how much I care about her.
He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of his room. He knew that Alexis was working the evening shift at the pub that night, and he decided that he would show up there with a surprise for her. He stood up, suddenly feeling eager to enact his plan.
He left the hotel and made his way to the grocery store, where he picked up a box of chocolates and a gorgeous bouquet of pink and red roses. From the grocery store, it was only a short walk to The Lighthouse Grill, and he made his way there with a light heart, feeling excited to give his presents to his wife.
As soon as he stepped through the front door, his eyebrows lifted with surprise. It was noisy and crowded inside the restaurant, and he had never seen the staff looking so frazzled. He didn’t see a single open table or booth, and in the next moment, he heard a particularly loud peal of laughter coming from the back room.
“Excuse me?” he called to a passing waitress, who appeared to be a high school student. “Where’s Alexis?”
She hesitated for a moment, looking overwhelmed. “I don’t know. Kitchen, maybe?”
“Okay.”
The teenager noticed the presents in his arms, smiled slightly, and hurried on to take care of a table.
Grayson made his way toward the kitchen, being careful to stay out of the way of the servers who were hurrying back and forth. He pushed open the swinging doors and saw Alexis up to her elbows in soap suds, hurriedly scrubbing dishes in the sink.
“Alexis, your order is up!” called a voice, and she groaned and started to rinse off her arms. It wasn’t until she was hurrying toward the counter where the ready plates of food were placed that she noticed Grayson.
She stopped dead in her tracks, her cheeks flushing. In the next moment, she saw the flowers and chocolates in his hands and blushed even more.
“I take it now isn’t a good time?” Grayson chuckled.
She brushed a damp strand of hair back from her face and smiled. “Unfortunately, no. We knew tonight was going to be a whirlwind, but it’s proving to be more of a tornado. We’ve got the Rosewood Ladies Society in the back room, which was expected, and they always order a lot of different things. I swear all of them have at least two different kinds of drinks and so many appetizers—and anyway, then our dishwasher called in sick, which is really turning out to be a nightmare because we’re about five minutes away from running out of clean dishes, and then on top of everything else, a couple of buses full of high school basketball teams decided to stop here for dinner. And I mean, I’m glad they came here, but yikes!”
Grayson couldn’t help grinning. He was sorry she’d been feeling stressed, but he found the way she stopped to tell him all about it adorable and endearing.
“Don’t stress,” he told her, taking a few steps toward her. “It’s okay.”
“Thank you for the presents,” she said, gesturing to them. “They’re beautiful. At least—I assume they’re for me.” She laughed. “If you want to put them in the office? I’m sorry, I have to run.”
She reached out toward him for a second, and he thought she was going to hug him, and then she turned and hurried toward the plates of food.
He watched her go, smiling quietly to himself. He made his way through the kitchen to the office, being careful not to get in anyone’s way, and he left the flowers and the chocolates on the desk. He left his jacket on the back of the swivel chair, and as he stepped back into the kitchen, he started to roll up his sleeves.
Alexis hurried back inside the kitchen a moment later, making a beeline toward the sinks full of dirty dishes.
“Alexis!”
She turned to him in surprise. “Grayson! Did you?—”
“I can stay and help.” He smiled at her, admiring the way her eyes were bright with energy and her cheeks were flushed. “I used to be a dishwasher many years ago. I was pretty fast.”
Her jaw dropped, and she stared at him, dumbfounded, for a few seconds. “I—well, I mean—yes, that would be amazing. We absolutely need it.”
“Perfect.” He grinned. He felt a thrill over being useful that almost surprised him. “Any type of dishes you need more than the others?”
“Glasses! Those ladies have been downing iced tea and lemonade and those teenagers have been downing soft drinks like nobody’s business. Thank you, sweetheart.”
“You got it.” He grinned at her, and his heart thumped to hear her call him “sweetheart.” He wondered if she really meant it, or if it had just slipped off her tongue because she was so frazzled. “Go take care of your tables, I’ve got this handled.”
She darted off, smiling at him gratefully, and he jumped into the task at hand. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant job, especially since many of the plates were particularly greasy or sticky, but he soon got the hang of it. He remembered to soak the extra dirty plates in hot water before trying to scrub them clean, and before long he had settled into a rhythm.
“I’m so sorry,” one of the waitresses said as she set down another stack of dirty dishes next to the sink. “They’re going to keep coming for a while.”
He laughed. “It’s okay. I know what I signed up for.”
Soon he was beginning to enjoy himself. The cooks, both of them seeming to be perfectly cheerful despite the rush, kept up a steady stream of banter and soon were including him in it.
“I bet we get fifteen more orders of tea before the end of the night,” joked Allison. “But that won’t be my problem—all I’ve got to worry about is the food. It will be your problem, sorry, Grayson.”
He chuckled, shrugging. “Doesn’t sound too hard to clean out a teacup.”
“No, it’s the teapots you’ve got to worry about. That spout is hard to wash out.”
After he’d been working for about half an hour, Vivian appeared at his side, looking tired but smiling.
“Oh, it’s a madhouse out there.” She laughed. “Thank you so much for stepping in, Grayson. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
He grinned at her. “Happy to help. I’ve made quite a dent in the mountain, if you can tell.”
“I certainly can, and I’m sorry the mountain keeps growing. You’re taking breaks, right? Take five minutes every once in a while. I’ve been a dishwasher myself plenty of times, I know how overwhelming it can get.”
“Thank you. I’m okay for now, but I’ll take a break soon. I know we’re still low on glasses and plates, so I want to wash more of those before I take a break.”
She nodded, and then called to the cooks, “Isn’t he a treasure?”
“Fastest dishwasher I’ve ever seen.” Allison nudged him with her elbow as she walked by on her way to the fridge.
Grayson smiled, feeling his heart warm. It had been a long time since he’d been surrounded by people like this, people who were genuinely kind and caring. He found himself understanding why Alexis had wanted to stay in Rosewood Beach more than ever before. The attitudes of the people in that small town were something that he’d never seen in L.A. They seemed to value their lives and the people around them in a way that people who were chasing “success” never did.
Fifteen minutes later, Vivian approached him again, carrying a root beer float.
“This is for you.” She patted his shoulder. “You take a break now, son, all right? I’ll take over washing the dishes for a few minutes. Go sit in the office and relax.”
“Okay, thank you.” He agreed reluctantly, even though he was touched by her sweet gesture. He took the root beer float and went to sit in the quiet, comfortable office. He could faintly hear the sounds of the bustling restaurant, and he smiled, feeling a sense of happiness like he hadn’t known in a long time. He took a long, refreshing sip of his cool, sweet drink and sighed.
He finished the root beer float quickly and went back out into the kitchen. Vivian was still washing dishes, moving just as quickly as he had been despite her age.
“I can take over again, thank you, Vivian.”
“Actually, those basketball kids are taking off. It’s going to be a huge job clearing those tables—would you go help Alexis with that?”
“Absolutely.” He grinned. He loved the idea of getting to help his wife with a task.
“Take a tray with you, and a couple of wet cleaning towels.”
He grabbed the supplies Vivian had mentioned and went out into the dining room, where Alexis was beginning to pile dishes onto a tray she already had. Her expression changed from focused to shy when she caught sight of Grayson.
“I’m here to help you,” he said, smiling warmly at her. “I should just pile dishes onto the tray, yeah?”
“Yes, that would be amazing. The trays are non-slip, but be careful anyway, especially with the glasses. And a lot of them are only half-drunk.” She sighed and chuckled, shaking her head. “Those kids. I think they were actually from the zoo, not a high school.”
He laughed. “It’ll be fine. We’ll be done with this in no time, you’ll see.”
She smiled at him gratefully and began to coach him as he started to load his tray with dishes.
“Start in the center and work your way out. I’d recommend plates and bowls together, and glasses on a separate trip. You don’t ever want to pile too much onto the tray at once, in case you lose your balance and it’s too heavy to right it in time.”
“How does that look?” he asked, showing her the tray he’d piled with a stack of plates and a couple of bowls.
“Looks balanced to me,” she said, giving an encouraging nod. “‘A’ plus.”
Feeling cheerful, he carried his tray to the kitchen and she followed him with hers. By the time they were coming back from their third load of dishes, he found himself gazing at her in adoration. He’d always admired her, but he found himself admiring her in a new way that night. He could tell that she was tired and had had a long, stressful day, but she hadn’t let it squash her spirits. She was still moving forward with energy and determination, and even though there were stress lines on her flushed face, he thought she’d never looked more beautiful.
When they reached the table, he set his tray down and pulled her toward him.
“What—” she began, but she didn’t get any farther because in the next moment he kissed her.
“Oh,” she stammered, blushing like a schoolgirl. “I… oh.”
He smiled at her, feeling a wave of tenderness for his wife. “Alexis, I just wanted to tell you how much I?—”
“Whoa, this place is nuts tonight!”
Grayson and Alexis turned to see Dean and Hazel stepping inside the pub. Both of them looked surprised to see how busy the restaurant was.
“It really is,” Alexis said, still blushing a little from the kiss. “It’s going to be a minute before we can get you guys a table, sorry. These have opened up—we had a couple of basketball teams in here just now—but it’ll be a minute before we have them ready for more guests.”
“That’s okay!” Hazel said, smiling at her sister. Grayson noticed that Hazel’s eyes looked a little red, but she seemed calm and determined. “We can help you. What needs doing?”
“Hey, easy for you to say,” Dean protested. “You already had cookies for dinner. I’m hungry. I’m just kidding—I’m in too.”
Grayson and Alexis looked at the twins in confusion for a second, and then Alexis laughed.
“Thank you. You guys are amazing. Things really have been crazy. We’ve got the Rosewood Ladies Society here tonight, we didn’t have a dishwasher until Grayson stepped in about an hour ago, and we’ve just been unusually busy all day. I think a lot of people are passing through town today, maybe on the way back from those basketball games.”
“Oof, sounds like quite the day,” Hazel said, wasting no time and starting to pick up dishes from the table.
“The Rosewood Ladies Society?” Dean pretended to shudder. “I remember serving them in high school. They’re so nice and they tip great, but I’ve never seen so many teacups at once in my life. I had nightmares for weeks.”
Alexis swatted him in the arm, and a few moments later, they were all on their way into the kitchen, bearing dirty dishes. Grayson jumped back into the dishwashing, and Dean stayed to help him by rinsing the dishes after Grayson had washed them. Together, they moved twice as fast, and Dean kept up a steady stream of banter and jokes that Grayson found amusing and impressive.
Hazel jumped on as a waitress, and before long, everyone coming in and out of the kitchen seemed less stressed. A couple of hours of busy work passed, and then finally the dinner rush began to slow down.
“The dining room is half empty,” Hazel said with a sigh of satisfaction as she came back into the kitchen. “Everyone has their food and has been checked on. I think we can finally take a breather here.”
“I am so proud of you all,” Vivian said, just as Alexis stepped into the kitchen. “What amazing teamwork you pulled off together tonight.”
Grayson looked at his wife with a huge smile. She met his gaze with sparkling eyes and hurried toward him.
“We did it!” she said, and the next thing he knew, she was kissing him.
Dean hooted gleefully, but he was soon shushed by Vivian. Grayson heard Hazel whisper, “We should give them some privacy,” and he heard the other members of the Owens family hurry away.
Slowly, Alexis and Grayson parted from their embrace. He felt his heart thumping in his chest, and she looked almost dazed. They locked eyes, and he could feel that they’d reached a pivotal moment.
“Alexis, ever since I came here to Rosewood, I have seen more and more how unhealthy my lifestyle was back in L.A. I neglected you and I didn’t focus on the things that truly matter. I should have spent more time developing our relationship by doing things with you. Having adventures with you like this means so much to me. Would you be up for giving our marriage a shot here in Rosewood?”
She nodded, blinking back tears. “Yes, I would.” She kissed him again, and he held her tightly, feeling a rush of joy.
In the next moment, Hazel burst into the kitchen, looking scared.
“What happened?” Grayson asked her, immediately feeling worried.
“It’s Dean,” Hazel said. “He’s in a lot of pain. I’m not really sure what happened, but he says it’s his back. All of a sudden he just doubled over and then he had to sit down.”
“Oh, no,” Alexis whispered.
“We need to take him to the doctor,” Hazel said. “Mom wants us to talk about who should go with him and who should stay.”
Grayson and Alexis hurried after Hazel into the office, where Dean was sitting in the desk chair, looking as white as a sheet.
“Oh, no, Dean,” Alexis said, hurrying to her brother’s side.
“I want to go with him,” Vivian said.
“Me too,” Hazel chimed in immediately.
Grayson swallowed, not liking the way that Dean was clearly in a lot of pain. He could tell that the other man was trying to hide it from his family members.
“We can keep things going here,” Alexis said.
“Yes, we can,” Grayson agreed. “Keep us posted on how everything’s going at the hospital.”
Julia was standing off to the side, biting her lip in concern with her arms crossed nervously. Grayson noticed her make eye contact with Dean for a brief moment, and then Dean shook his head slightly.
“Come on, let’s go to the hospital,” Dean said, standing up with a marked effort. He grinned through his pain. “I bet all they do is give me a couple of over-the-counter pain pills and send me on my way.”
Hazel shook her head at his bravado, and she and Vivian ushered him out of the back door of the pub.
“We should get back to work,” Julia said with a sigh.
Grayson took his wife’s hand as they walked back into the kitchen. “He’ll be okay,” he told her, noticing the way she was pressing her lips together in worry.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him. “Thanks for noticing that I needed to hear that.”
He kissed her forehead. “Absolutely. You want to tackle some more dishes with me? Something to keep our brains busy?”
“Yes.” She squeezed his hand. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
He smiled down at her, feeling a mixture of worry for Dean and a surge of happiness over the fact that he had a second chance with his wife.