Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Hazel hummed quietly to herself as she bustled about her kitchen, concocting a batch of peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies. She had the windows open, and she could clearly hear birds chirping outside, even over the sound of the folk music that she had playing on a small speaker.
She looked around the kitchen with a smile. Alexis’s renovations were all finished, and there was no doubt that the room had never looked better. She and Alexis and Samantha had done a little rearranging as well, and the tidy little kitchen looked more cozy and inviting than ever before. They’d hung a three-tier hanging basket from the ceiling and filled it with fresh produce, and there was a line of herbs growing in pots on the windowsill. She took a deep breath, savoring the smells of sage and basil as they mixed with the sweet aroma of the cookie dough.
Her eyes roamed over the refrigerator area and she swallowed, thinking about the pipe that Jacob had fixed and the day that he’d been there in her kitchen. She’d been so hopeful at the time, believing that things were going to work out between them. She was grateful that Jacob had fixed so many things in her house, but sometimes she wished that she didn’t have so many reminders of him in her own home. She was happy for him and she wished him the best with his new relationship, but she didn’t want to think about him multiple times a day—not anymore. She felt a slight ache in her chest, but she pushed her sad thoughts aside.
I’m sure it’ll all be for the best, she thought. Maybe Dean is right, and I will get another chance with Jacob. Or maybe I’ll move on and find someone new. I feel ready to start dating again, and that’s an exciting thing.
She smiled to herself, wondering what the future was going to hold for her. She wondered if she would end up with a relationship as sweet and fun as the relationship that Julia and Cooper had. She hoped that things continued to get better and better for them, and that Alexis and Grayson’s relationship continued to heal as well.
She started to hum again, thinking to herself that Dean was next on the list. She was on board with Alexis’s matchmaking schemes, hoping that her brother would soon find someone who brightened up his world. She felt strongly that he deserved that kind of love and care in his life, especially now that things were more difficult for him than they used to be.
She began to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet, being careful to make them all the same size. She’d added generous amounts of peanut butter chips and chocolate chips to the dough, and she grinned, knowing that Dean was going to love the cookies she was making for him.
Once she’d placed the cookie sheet in the oven, she went upstairs to change into a nicer shirt and brush her teeth. By the time she got back downstairs, the cookies were done. She tidied up while they cooled on a rack, and then she placed them into a brightly colored Tupperware dish. She wanted to give them to Dean while they were still a little warm.
She grabbed her purse and hurried outside to her car, which she drove to Dean’s auto repair shop. She parked on the street outside and stepped into the lobby, which smelled strongly of oil and grease and the rubber of tires. She wrinkled her nose, never having liked the smell, although Dean had always loved it because of how much he liked cars.
There was no one at the reception desk, but Dean saw her in the next moment through the glass that looked out into the garage. He waved, grinning eagerly, and hurried toward her.
“Hey, twin.” He stepped into the waiting room and pulled her into a bear hug before releasing her. “What’s the occasion?”
“I brought you cookies,” she said, “since I promised to bake you cookies once a week.”
He laughed. “No, that was a joke! But I’ll take it.” He accepted the Tupperware she handed him eagerly. “What kind are they?”
“Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies. I know you love that kind.”
His jaw dropped into a goofy grin. “I absolutely do. Thank you! That’s so sweet of you. Pun intended.”
She shook her head, chuckling. “Well, I wanted to do something to show you that I have your back. Now and forever.”
He hugged her again. “I know you do. And I’ve got your back too. And just to prove it—” He opened the Tupperware and handed her a cookie. “Eat this.”
She laughed and took a bite out of the soft, warm cookie. “Okay, wow, I make a mean cookie. That’s amazing.”
“It is,” he said, nodding through his own mouthful of cookie. “You mind if I share these with the guys? None of them have a peanut allergy.”
“They’re your cookies, you can do whatever you like with them. I’m sure the guys will appreciate them. I know being a mechanic is hard work.”
“It sure is. And speaking of that, I was just about to take a break when you arrived. You want to come sit in the office with me for a little while?”
“I’d love to.”
They went into the office together, and she sat down in a chair placed against the wall near the desk. She thought to herself that Dean’s office was tidy but fairly dirty, and she made a mental note to come by sometime and clean it for him.
“I’m proud of you for taking a break,” she told him. “That’s good that you’re taking it easier.”
He smiled. “Yeah, it’s what the doctor suggested, and it seems to be helping. As long as I don’t push myself, my symptoms don’t get bad at all. I had to hire on a new guy to take on some of the workload, but business is always great so I can afford it. It’s been much easier to get everything done now.” He chuckled.
“I’m so glad to hear that, Dean.” She smiled at him, feeling relieved that things were getting so much better for him. “You can still have a very full life.”
He nodded. “I realize that now, and I’m looking forward to it. I just might take Alexis up on that matchmaking scheme of hers. Maybe I’ll go out on a date with one of the girls on her list.”
She grinned at her brother. “You should! She mentioned a few of the girls that are on that list, and there’s some really lovely people on it. You should absolutely give it a shot.”
He shrugged. “I’ve never really been one for dating, but I guess I’ll give it a try. Alexis and Julia make it all look worth it, don’t they? With their relationships?”
“They sure do.” She smiled. “We all deserve to be hopeful.”
“You too.” He nodded at her. “Even after your disappointment.”
She sighed briefly at the reminder, and then smiled bravely. “Yes. And I am hopeful. I know that whatever’s coming next for me will be good. I may not know what that is, but I believe it.” She laughed. “I’m not going to let myself get downhearted.”
“I won’t either.” He leaned over and shook her hand, making their words a promise. She chuckled and squeezed his hand affectionately.
They both had another cookie and continued to talk for a while, discussing how happy they were for their siblings and the fact that The Lighthouse Grill was doing very well financially. Finally, Dean glanced at the clock and said that he’d taken long enough of a break.
“I should get going too,” she said, standing up. “I’ve got work in a little bit. Good to see you!”
“Good to see you! Thanks for the cookies and for stopping by.”
She gave him another hug, and as they parted from it he looked her right in the eye.
“When you get sad about Jacob,” he told her, “just picture yourself being happy. Not with any person in particular. Just you, being happy. Because that’s what’s going to happen, okay?”
She nodded, smiling at him gratefully. “That’s great advice, thank you, Dean. I will. You keep me posted on how that date goes!”
He groaned. “I said maybe!”
“Mm, we’ll see about that.”
Grinning, they waved goodbye to each other and she stepped back out into the sunlight. She got back into her car and made her way home again, feeling lighthearted and full of hope for the future.
Grayson heard the sound of a car passing and he looked up in alarm. When he saw that the car didn’t belong to Alexis, he breathed a sigh of relief and then chuckled at himself.
Stop being so jittery, he thought. She told her mother she’d be here at seven-fifteen, which gives me roughly half an hour.
He went back to the setup he was creating on Vivian’s front porch. So far, he had a table covered in a white tablecloth, two chairs, and a bouquet of vibrant red roses resting on the table. He worked hurriedly, wanting to make sure everything was ready by the time Alexis arrived. He set up a cheese fondue fountain on a corner of the table, and then placed an artfully-arranged charcuterie board next to it. He placed a speaker underneath the table and synced it to his phone. He’d created a playlist of serene, romantic music and he smiled as he hit play and heard the first chords of a song coming from the speaker.
He glanced nervously at the road again, worrying that Alexis would arrive early. After all, she thought she was coming to her mother’s house to eat a casual dinner with Vivian and Julia. She had no idea that she was about to be surprised with a romantic dinner with her husband.
He hurried to put the rest of the things he’d brought onto the table. He set down a bottle of expensive Merlot and arranged white pillar candles in the center of the table. He lit them carefully, and then, for a finishing touch, sprinkled red rose petals across the rest of the tablecloth and onto the floor of the porch itself.
He took a step back, admiring his work, and a grin spread across his face. It looked perfect, he thought, and he couldn’t wait to see the look on Alexis’s face when she saw it.
He hurried inside the house to the kitchen, where Julia was creating the dinner he’d asked her to.
“Hey!” She gave him a sideways hug, grinning at him. “You look nervous. Don’t be nervous. She’s going to be totally swept off her feet, and this dinner is going to be amazing if I do say so myself. I’ve got the garlic mashed potatoes and the lemon green beans all ready, and I just need another couple of minutes to get the parmesan cream sauce on the salmon.”
“Thank you so much. It smells amazing. I couldn’t have done this without your help. I’m serious, I want to pay you.”
She shook her head firmly, smiling. “You paid for the ingredients! I love cooking, and this was a perfect excuse to try out something fancy. Besides, family helps family. I’m always going to jump on board with any plan that helps out you and Alexis.”
“Well, thank you?—”
At that moment, Vivian hurried into the kitchen, looking flustered. She was on the phone with someone, and she waved at Grayson urgently.
“Yes, sweetheart, that’s fine,” she said into the phone. “We’d love for you to get here a few minutes early. We’ll see you in a couple of minutes.”
Grayson, realizing what was going on, mouthed “thank you” at his mother-in-law and hurried out of the kitchen. Before he went through the front door, he heard Julia say, “Well, thank goodness she called to ask you!”
Grayson stepped onto the front porch and stood next to the table, feeling a little out of breath even though he hadn’t even been running. His heart thumped in his chest, and he found himself grinning with excitement despite how nervous he felt. He turned to look at the table one more time, adjusted the placement of one of the candles, and then stepped back.
“Here!” Julia burst out of the house, laughing as if they were playing some kind of game. She was holding a covered dish, and Vivian followed her out of the house with two more.
“There you go.” Vivian set down the dishes she was carrying, then straightened, brushing off her hands. “Have a great time. We’re going to the pub for dinner, to give you two some privacy. We’ll sneak out the back.”
“Thank you both so much.” Grayson smiled at them gratefully, and they grinned and hurried back inside the house.
A moment later, Alexis’s car pulled up onto the street in front of him. He couldn’t see her until she got out of the car, but it was clear from the nonchalant way that she was moving that she hadn’t seen his surprise yet. She started to walk toward the house, looking almost dreamily at the ground as if she was lost in thought.
She was halfway up the driveway before she saw him. Her jaw dropped, and she froze as she took in the sight before her.
“Good evening.” He smiled at her, thinking that she looked absolutely gorgeous in her jeans and comfily oversized blouse. “Would you have dinner with me, Mrs. Bennett?”
“I would love to.” She smiled at him, sounding a little breathless. She looked admiringly at his suit. “You look wonderful. I wish I’d known to wear something a little more elegant.”
He shook his head. “You look absolutely perfect.”
She flushed, and he pulled out a chair for her to sit down in. “Did you do all this?”
He nodded. “Julia made the dinner.”
“You did everything else?” She looked a little starstruck as she gazed at the flower petals and flickering candles. “Are—are Mom and Julia joining us for dinner?”
He shook his head. “They went to the pub to eat. They wanted to give us some privacy.”
She nodded, smiling at him shyly. “Thank you for this, Grayson. It’s—well, it makes me feel like I’m very important to you.”
“You are.” He smiled at her, feeling a glow of love for her in his chest. “And I’m going to keep making sure that you know that. I don’t ever want you to feel as though I’m neglecting you again. I want to do things with you. I want to do life together with you every day.”
She reached for his hand and squeezed it tenderly. “That sounds wonderful.”
“And I have some news I’d like to share with you.”
“Oh?” Her eyebrows lifted curiously. “What is it?”
He took a deep breath, wondering how she was going to feel about his news. “I’ve been offered a finance job. The pay is good, and it starts in a week.”
She blinked at him for a couple of seconds, and then nodded slowly. She looked worried, and his heart sank a little.
“And I’ve taken it,” he said. “But I’m not going to let it affect our relationship, Alexis. This time I’m going to make our marriage my priority.”
“Where is it?” she asked. “Back in L.A.?”
“What? No.” He shook his head, laughing a little and realizing why she’d looked worried. “No, it’s here in Rosewood Beach. Actually, it’s right next door to the doctor’s office where Hazel works. You could walk to it from here if you wanted to.” He smiled, loving the way happiness was breaking over her face like a sunrise.
“You want to stay here?” she asked breathlessly. “Are you sure? Isn’t Rosewood Beach too provincial for you? I mean, there’s no glitz and glamour out here.”
He shook his head smiling. “I don’t want glitz and glamour. I thought I wanted success, but I don’t think success is what I thought it was all these years. I think a successful life is one spent doing work you enjoy and cherishing the company of your loved ones. I don’t need L.A. for that kind of life. That kind of life is here for me, in Rosewood Beach.”
She blinked rapidly, and he wondered if she was blinking back tears. “Do you really mean that?” she whispered.
He nodded, taking her hands in his and squeezing them gently. “It’s been so eye-opening for me to move at a simpler pace. It’s been allowing me to soak in life, and being able to spend time with you has been wonderful. I feel as though I’ve been able to really get to know you. I know I’d lost sight of our relationship, but I’ve never lost sight of what an incredible person you are, and I feel like I’m learning more and more about you every day. Now that I’m here, living a slower life with you, I’m able to focus on what’s important. And what’s most important to me is you.”
A tear slid down her cheek, glimmering slightly in the fading sunlight. She laughed breathlessly and brushed it aside. “I don’t even know what to say. I’m so happy.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “You don’t need to say anything. I’m here. We’re together. We get to start over again.”
She lifted her face to his, and as they shared a sweet kiss, his heart swelled with happiness.
He knew that what was in store for them was going to be incredible.