Chapter 26
Alexis pressed her fingertips against her mouth, squirming slightly in her seat. She glanced over at Julia, who was sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, grinning at her.
A warm sunset breeze was ruffling through the open windows of the vehicle, and golden sunlight fell across Alexis’s lap, lighting up the diamonds on her wedding ring. The car was parked on the street near a flowering crabapple tree, and the fragrance that filled the air was fresh and sweet.
“You look nervous.” Dean, who was sitting in the back seat next to Hazel, tapped Alexis on the shoulder. He was grinning as well, and his eyes crinkled affectionately at the corners. “Have one of these granola bites that Hazel made. They’re almost as good as her cookies, I’m telling you.”
Alexis smiled weakly and accepted the granola bite he handed her. “I am nervous. My heart is pounding.” She popped the granola bite into her mouth and her eyes widened. “Oh, wow. That is really good.”
“Don’t be nervous!” Hazel reached forward and rubbed her sister’s shoulder. “You have nothing to be worried about.”
Alexis sighed, looking out the window as she chewed her granola bite. The crunchy sweetness of it had a nutty aftertaste that she enjoyed, and she found herself wanting to make something similar for Grayson. She imagined packing him a lunch that he could take with him to his new job, and she smiled slightly.
“Hey, she smiled! That’s a good sign.” Dean grinned.
Alexis groaned, shaking her head and laughing. “You three! Stop watching my every move. I’m regretting asking you to come with me.”
“No, you’re not,” Dean said complacently.
“Not only are we fun to have around, but we brought snacks.” Hazel gestured to them. “Here, have another granola bite.”
Chuckling, Alexis took the granola bite that Hazel handed her. Dean was right, she thought to herself, she wasn’t sorry. She was very grateful to have her siblings there with her while she waited. Their moral support meant a great deal to her.
She glanced at her watch, letting out a long sigh. “Uh, it’s five minutes after seven now. Maybe this isn’t a good idea. Do you think this is really a good idea?”
“Yes!” Hazel nodded firmly.
“Of course it is!” Julia reached over and squeezed Alexis’s hand.
“Alexis, that has to be the thousandth time you’ve asked us that question. We still think it’s a good idea.” Dean laughed, looking as carefree and happy as he always had. Alexis smiled at him, feeling overjoyed that her brother was doing so well.
“You need to stop worrying.” Julia shook her head, chuckling. “Take some deep breaths.”
Alexis took a long, deep breath but she still felt jittery afterward. “But why is Grayson so late?”
“Five minutes late isn’t very late,” Dean said, popping another granola bite into his mouth.
“But he’s usually early.” Alexis shook her head. “And he hasn’t texted me to let me know that he’s going to be late.”
“Well, probably because he’s driving—hey, there he is!” Julia grinned, pointing to the car that was parking along the sidewalk behind them.
“Ah!” Alexis spilled out of the car, grabbing her purse in a rush. She hurried along the sidewalk toward her husband’s car, feeling butterflies swirling in her chest. Behind her she heard Hazel say, “Should we just stay in the car?” but she was too excited to see Grayson to turn around and reply to her sister.
Grayson stepped out of his car, smiling at her. There was a sweet tenderness in his eyes that made her heart skip a beat. He was wearing a deep blue dress shirt and black slacks, a work outfit that looked almost casual on him compared to the expensive suits that he’d worn in L.A.
“You look beautiful,” he said, reaching for her and pulling her into a hug as soon as she reached his side. “I love that dress. Is it new?”
She looked down at the yellow sundress that she’d had for several years and smiled. He’d never noticed it before, and it felt wonderful that he was noticing it now. “No, but I’m glad you like it.” She grabbed his hand, feeling a surge of excitement. “Come with me.”
“Um, okay, but—hey, are those your siblings?”
Dean, Hazel, and Julia got out of the car, all smiling widely and looking slightly impish. Dean was still holding the bag of granola bites and he offered one to Grayson.
“Would you like a granola bite?”
Grayson took it, frowning a little in confusion. “Uh, sure. What’s going on? Why did you ask to meet me here, Alexis?” He gestured to all of the charming houses that lined the street on either side. “Is there a coffee shop in here or something?”
She shook her head, trying not to grin too hard. She didn’t want him to guess before she told him. She still felt fluttery with nervousness, but now that the moment had arrived, she was also full to bursting with anticipation.
“Come with me,” she said. She squeezed his hand and started leading him down the sidewalk. Her siblings followed, whispering together and grinning. Grayson kept glancing over his shoulder at them, still looking confused but chuckling a little.
“They clearly know something I don’t know,” he said. “What’s the conspiracy?”
She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. Just come with me.”
She led him up the walkway of a charming red brick colonial house. Flower beds bordered the front of the house, and the leaves of a maple tree whispered together in the light breeze. The windows of the house were dark, but the whole place looked clean, well-cared for, and inviting.
“Do we know the person who lives here?” Grayson asked, following Alexis up to the front door.
“Um, yes,” she said, hiding a smile. She pulled a key from her pocket and opened the green front door.
It swung open, revealing an open living room to the left and glimpses of a kitchen at the end of the hallway. The whole house smelled fresh and faintly of cedar.
“It’s… it’s empty,” Grayson said, looking around. His eyes traced the house with admiration. It was clearly well-constructed and had charming dormer windows and arched doorways.
“Mm,” she said. “You want to see the rest of it?”
“We do!”
Alexis’s siblings appeared in the doorway behind them.
“I’m dying to check it out,” Hazel said. “Is that okay with you, Alexis?”
“Oh, sure.” She grinned at her sister. “The more the merrier.”
The five of them took off across the house. While her siblings went tramping about the various empty rooms, uttering exclamations of delight, Alexis led Grayson more slowly around the house. They went through the kitchen, the downstairs bathroom, the dining room, and the living room. She took him down to the basement, and even though it was clear that the house had been built a long time ago, the basement was in good condition and had a new washer and dryer tucked into one corner.
“It would be nice to refurbish that room over there, don’t you think?” she asked, pointing to a little room just off the bottom of the stairs. “Maybe a guest bedroom or a movie room.”
“That would be nice,” he said slowly. “But, Alexis?—”
She held up a finger before he could finish. “Just hush and follow me.”
He chuckled, squeezing her hand. She could tell that he was excited and curious, and her feeling of anticipation swirled again.
They went back up to the kitchen, where Dean, Hazel, and Julia were gathered around the cupboards. As soon as Alexis and Grayson emerged from the basement, the three of them turned around hurriedly.
“Wow, what great cupboards!” Hazel hurried over to a cupboard next to the refrigerator that was already open. “I love this color, it’s so warm, isn’t it? And they’re lined with this cute pattern of paper.”
“They are nice,” Alexis said, smiling. She glanced over her shoulder at Dean and Julia, wondering if they were hiding something, but she didn’t see anything. Chuckling, she took Grayson’s hand again and led him toward the staircase by the front door.
“There’s an upstairs too, huh?” he said, teasing her. “This place feels like some giant doll’s house. A little too good to be true.”
She turned around and grinned at him. “That’s a cute comparison. I see what you’re saying—it is very charming. And it’s odd to see a big empty house like this.”
As they reached the top of the landing, she thought, But it isn’t too good to be true. It is true. Just look at this place.
She and Grayson began to walk down the upstairs hallway together. She felt almost gleeful as she showed him the two upstairs bedrooms, the bathroom, and the little balcony overlooking the backyard. She decided as they stood there together that the balcony was her favorite part of the whole house. She could just imagine sitting there in the dusk in summertime, watching the fireflies light up the yard.
“Well,” she said, taking a deep breath and smiling at him. “What do you think?”
“Of this house? It’s incredible,” he said, looking down at the flower garden and a row of pine trees. “I love it. But I don’t understand why we’re walking around through it. There’s no ‘for sale’ sign out front, and clearly no one lives here. But you said you know the people who do? Come on, Alexis, please tell me what is going on.”
“You want to know what’s going on, huh?” She laced her fingers with his and smiled up at him playfully.
“I do.” He took a deep breath, gazing down into her eyes. “I can’t—this whole time, I haven’t been able to stop picturing the two of us together here. I can’t stop wishing that we could have a house like this together someday.”
Joy rushed into her chest. “You like it? You wouldn’t miss our big mansion out in L.A.?”
He shook his head. “No, that house was way too big. Our relationship got lost in it. I want to live in a house where I can reach you easily. Where you’re usually with me, but if you’re not, you’re only a room or two away.”
Her heart thumped a few times, and she knew that now was the moment for her to tell him her secret, the reason why she’d brought him to see the house.
“Grayson, I have something to tell you. I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about it, or at least, I’m not sure how you’re going to feel about how sudden it is, or—well anyway.” She laughed breathlessly. “The people that I know who live here are us. I bought the house. I put in an offer on it and it was accepted.”
Grayson’s eyes widened and he stared at her, his face blank.
“You made a grand gesture by quitting your job and coming here to Rosewood Beach.” She squeezed his hands gently as she spoke, looking up into his eyes. “You’ve shown me through your actions that you’re committed to me and to our marriage. I know that you’re ready to give our relationship another try, especially now that you’ve gotten a job here in Rosewood Beach. Now it’s my turn to show you how committed I am. I wanted to buy us a house, and this one used to belong to a friend of my parents. When I saw that it was on the market, I reached out right away. I want this to be the place where we restart our marriage together.” She stammered a little as she watched his face. It was still blank, and he looked stunned. She started to wonder if she had somehow gone too far—maybe he wasn’t ready for this kind of step yet, or he wished that she’d consulted him first before buying the house. “I—I mean, do you like it? I can withdraw the offer if you want, it’s not too late.”
He immediately shook his head, looking into her eyes. “No, it’s perfect. I love it. I’m just so overwhelmed, Alexis. This has made me so incredibly happy.”
A grin spread across her face, and she felt relief and happiness wash over her. “I’m so happy you’re happy!”
He took her in his arms and kissed her gently. “Thank you for doing this for us. I can’t wait to move in here with you and begin our fresh start together.”
“You’re so welcome. I can’t wait either. I?—”
She was about to say more, when Hazel, Dean, and Julia burst out onto the balcony.
“Surprise!” Julia said, holding up a large gift basket filled with goodies. “Welcome to your new home!”
“What—how—” Alexis stammered, and Grayson laughed.
“We made this for you,” Hazel said proudly. “We were hiding it in the cupboards downstairs when you almost caught us. As you know, I’ve been perfecting my gift basket making skills recently, and we all chipped in to buy little things for you. There’s scented hand soap for the bathrooms, little towels, tea, coffee, chocolates, cookies already in this adorable cookie jar we found, fridge magnets, and all kinds of other little things we thought you might need.”
“Thank you so much,” Grayson said, taking it from her. “Look, Alexis, this is your favorite type of chocolate.”
“We love you guys,” Dean said, beaming at them. “We’re so happy you found this place. We know you’re going to be very happy here.”
“And you’ll have to be sure to invite us over for meals a lot, because I’m going to miss eating with you,” Hazel said, laughing and wiping away a tear.
Alexis pulled her siblings and Grayson into a group hug. “Of course we will. Thank you guys so much. We love you too.”
Everyone murmured expressions of love and well-wishes, and Alexis met Grayson’s eyes through the hug. They smiled at each other, and she felt almost overwhelmed with happiness. She knew that the next chapter of her life was going to be wonderful, and she felt so grateful that she was going to have not only her husband but also her family by her side.
The series continues in A Place for Daydreams !