Chapter 6 Gillian #2
Grace’s face lit up. “Yes. That was our mermaid stage. I made us pretend we were mermaids. Well, not the boys. They refused. But Mia and Annie went along with it. We even had mermaid names.”
I chuckled, remembering how cute they’d all been that summer. It went too fast.
Alex listened as if nothing in the world mattered more than her words. “What were your mermaid names? Do you remember?”
“I was Seabreeze. Annie was Coral Belle. And Mia was Shelly Shimmer. I’ve no idea why. I made the girls act out a mermaid story, even though the others were reluctant actresses. And Tyler made me really mad because he wouldn’t play King Neptune.”
Alex laughed, not the polite kind but the genuine, belly-deep kind. God, I’d missed his laugh.
“Sounds like you were a little bossy,” Alex said.
Grace giggled, clearly not offended in the least. “Maybe a little.”
He leaned closer, still looking at the photo. “And who’s the other boy? The small one?”
“That’s Robbie. He’s a genius. For real.” Grace scrunched up her nose. “Kind of like you. I bet he’ll invent something that helps people just like you did.”
“You know about that?” Alex asked, sounding amused.
Grace sobered, her expressive face mournful. “I’m sorry about your sister. That’s so sad.”
“You know about that too, huh?” Alex asked, catching my gaze.
“Annie and I read a lot of things about you on the internet,” Grace said. “Mom told me not to snoop, but Annie and I couldn’t help ourselves.”
I watched them together, my heart swelling. Leave it to my Grace to completely charm him.
“You’ll meet the rest of them soon,” Grace said to Alex. “We have dinner together every weekend. It’s the best. Maybe you can come too?”
“I’d like that,” Alex said.
“Lila usually cooks most of the meal, because she’s like a gourmet chef. And in the summer we always go to Seraphina’s beach house because it’s like the perfect place to hang out. She’s kind of rich. Not like you, but pretty rich. People love her books.”
Alex turned and caught my gaze, a flicker of tenderness in his eyes. “You must be proud to have made such a wonderful home and life.”
The tension in my shoulders eased. This was Alex. He was still the sweet man I’d known all those years ago, despite being a billionaire.
“It feels like you in here,” Alex said. “Beautiful yet cozy.”
Grace grinned, clearly delighted. “Right? Was Mom super into being healthy back when you knew her?”She switched subjects as fast as she typed into that phone of hers.
Alex seemed to think for a moment. “We were both so poor back then, we ate what we could get cheap. I think anyway. Is that right, Gillie?”
Gillie. No one but Alex had ever called me that. A rush of affection and nostalgia soared through me.
“I was careful about what I ate, even back then,” I said. “I had to be to keep my scholarship.”
“Did you ever get to have ice cream?” Grace asked. “Because I think I might die if I couldn’t have it.”
I shook my head, laughing. “Some things were more important than ice cream.”
Grace rolled her eyes. “That’s the kind of stuff she says.”
“Soulful,” Alex said. “She was always like that.”
Grace looked like she wanted to ask more questions, but stopped herself. “You guys should go. You don’t want to be late.”
“Are you sure you’re okay here alone for a few minutes?” I asked.
“Annie and Mia are coming over to keep me company.” Grace glanced up at Alex. “I get kind of scared by myself. My friends tease me about being a scaredy cat.”
“Do you hear every creak and think it’s an axe murderer?” Alex asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Totally. Do you do that too?” Grace asked, sounding so hopeful that they shared something in common that it nearly broke my heart into a thousand pieces.
How could I have not seen how much she wanted a father figure in her life?
I’d thought she was fine with it being the two of us, but maybe I’d been wrong.
“I’m completely afraid of the dark,” Alex said. “I have to have night lights.”
“No way. Me too.” Grace said.
“Is that really true?” I asked, laughing.
“It most certainly is.” Alex grinned, catching my gaze and holding it in that way only he could do.
He’d been able to do a lot of things to me back in the day.
I’d met him as an innocent, but he’d taught me a lot that summer.
Even now, after all this time, I could still remember what his hands felt like on my skin.
How good it had felt to be loved by him.
“Shall we go?” I asked, cutting myself off from my wicked thoughts.
“Yes, we should.” Alex bobbed his head in Grace’s direction. “It was nice to meet you, Grace.”
“You too.”
The two of them grinned at each other, and everything tilted sideways for a second. I'd been here before. Not literally, but—I knew this moment. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear, the way he laughed. I'd already lived this.
The hostess led us through a hush of linen-draped tables and soft jazz, past a glittering wall of wine bottles.
I tried not to gape, but it was hard. I only came to Tidewater Grill when Seraphina insisted on treating me for my birthday.
For me, it was a once-a-year indulgence.
For Alex, I guessed, it was just another Tuesday night.
We were seated near the window, where the glass stretched wide across the length of the room.
Outside, the sun was sinking toward the horizon, gilding the waves in molten gold.
The beach was nearly deserted except for a lone couple walking barefoot in the surf.
I tried to focus on the menu but couldn’t stop sneaking glances at Alex.
He was so handsome in the amber light that it took my breath away.
“I’ve been here a few times.” Alex scanned his own menu. “Everything’s always good. Do you come here often?”
“Not really. Special occasions,” I said.
“Should I order us a bottle of white to start?” Alex asked. “There’s a good pinot grigio on the wine list.”
I nodded, feeling very spoiled.
When the waiter came, Alex ordered the wine without hesitation, his voice smooth and sure. “We’ll start with this. But we might want something else later.”
For the first course, he suggested we split the oysters on the half shell, and I agreed, even though the prices were ridiculous. Once, in New York, we’d shared teriyaki or a slice of pizza because it was all we could afford. Now everything was different.
For the main course, Alex chose the lobster risotto, and I ordered the pan-seared halibut with lemon beurre blanc and roasted asparagus. My stomach fluttered when he smiled at me across the table, as if the act of ordering a meal together was a kind of intimacy.
As we waited for the server to return with our wine, he leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Grace is adorable.”
“I think so too. She can be a little dramatic at times.”
“I have one of those too.” His eyes dimmed. “Bella’s been a handful lately.”
“Anything you care to talk about?” I asked. “Girls can be tricky. Especially at fourteen.”
He exhaled, slow and heavy. “I’m worried to tell you too much. I don’t want to scare you away.”
“It’s all right. I have a teenager of my own. I doubt you can surprise me.”
“Last night, after I told her I’d met you for a drink, she didn’t handle it well. She told me she wished it was me who’d died instead of her mom.”
“Oh, Alex, I’m sorry. That’s awful.”
“Shook me up, that’s for sure. She didn’t mean it. Not really anyway. She’s just struggling with the idea of me moving on.”
“Clearly I don’t have that problem with Grace. But she isn’t comparing you to anyone because there’s never been anyone. And Bella’s missing her mom. Of course it’s difficult for her.”
“She and Mattie were very close. And she lost her just when she needed her most. I don’t really know what I’m doing. There are just certain things a man doesn't know.”
“It occurred to me tonight, watching you with Grace, how much she’s craved a father figure. I didn’t think she minded. She’s never said much about it.”
“Kids want family,” Alex said. “Even if they won’t admit it.”
“What about Peter? Is he okay with you dating?”
“He’s supportive. In fact, he’s the reason I reached out to you—he talked me into it.”
“Really? Why did you hesitate?”
“I didn’t know how you’d feel about seeing me again after all this time.” He wiped the condensation from the wine glass with his thumb. “I never forgot you. But I wasn’t sure you’d even remember me.”
“Alex, what we had was really special. I couldn’t forget you. Even if I’d wanted to.”
“That’s nice to hear.”
I glanced toward the water, watching the sun descend under the horizon, bit by bit. “My memories are like that view. Tinged with gold. I’m sure part of it’s a nostalgia for a simpler time in my life. But it was also the only time I’ve been head over heels in love.”
The oysters arrived, glistening on a bed of ice. He squeezed lemon over them and slid the tray closer to me, his fingers brushing mine, sending a shiver down my arm.
“Is it really true that you’ve not been in love since … us?” Alex asked.
“It sounds sadder than it is. That summer was the last of my youth. After that, I became a mother, and it was diapers and sleep schedules. I had no time for love. But God, I missed you. But I talked myself out of reaching out because I knew, in the end, we were on very different paths.”
His eyes held mine across the candlelight. “Timing’s everything, right?”
“Yes, it really is.”
“Am I crazy to think this could be our time?” Alex asked.
“We have a lot of complications. The kids. Our very different lifestyles.”
“Are you willing to see what’s here?”
I looked into his eyes for a second or two, my chest aching with all that could have been and could perhaps be now. Finally. “I’m willing if you are.”
He lifted his glass, and I did the same. “Then here’s to us.”
I clinked my glass with his, pulse quickening. This was happening. It was not a sweet dream of the past.
“Now, have an oyster,” Alex said.
I lifted the oyster to my lips. The salt of the sea burst on my tongue—cold and sharp. Across from me, Alex watched, his gaze igniting something that made my skin warm. Outside, the sun slipped lower, setting the water ablaze. Inside, I felt the same fire beginning to burn.