Chapter 9 #3
“I do.” Alexis went to the refrigerator and opened it.
There was a half-empty bottle she no longer trusted because it had been open for a week already, but she still hadn’t emptied it and put it in the recycling.
Thankfully, Grayson had picked up a fresh bottle the night before, along with peanut butter and frozen, pre-cooked hamburger patties in case they needed a quick, easy meal.
She pulled the correct milk out of the refrigerator and opened it. “You want some too, Julia?”
“Yes please.” Julia poured hot water into each of the mugs. “I love milk with chai.”
“Isn’t that a chai latte then?” Vivian said with a smile as she picked up her mug and tea bag.
“No, for it to be a latte the milk needs to be frothy,” Julia said.
“I have a frother,” Alexis offered. “I can?—”
“Nope.” Julia held up her hand. “I’m good, Tired Mommy. You sit down and drink your tea.”
Alexis laughed. “It’s not like I’m an invalid. I was cleaning the house before you got here.” She gestured to the piles of objects as she obeyed Julia and sat down at the kitchen table.
“Yeah, but you look really tired,” Julia said, setting Alexis’s mug of tea down in front of her.
“I mean, yeah, but it’s been better than—” A huge yawn overtook Alexis, and Julia laughed and thumped her back.
“I think what Julia is trying to say is that we know you have a lot going on,” Vivian said as she sat down. “We’re here to help you out, not ask you to do extra work hosting us.”
“I know, but I like to host.” Alexis smiled. “If I’d known you were coming, I would have tried to whip up a batch of cookies or something. Or—” She laughed. “I guess I would have wanted to, but it’s unlikely I would have found the time for it.”
“See?” Julia chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, Alexis. We know you’re overwhelmed?—”
“Oh!” Alexis stood up, looking excited.
“What is it?” Vivian asked, almost concerned. “Did you hear Cash wake up?”
“No.” Alexis scampered into her pantry, which was still beautifully organized because she’d worked on it manically during her pregnancy. “I have a box of cookies.”
Julia and Vivian laughed as Alexis stepped out of the pantry, triumphantly holding up the box of cookies.
“Let me guess,” Julia teased. “They’re peanut butter?”
“No.” Alexis laughed. “I already ate all the peanut butter ones. These are chocolate and mint. I stopped liking mint for a little while just before Cash was born—thankfully, that has passed.” She plopped the box down in the center of the kitchen table. “Now I love mint again.”
“Good. I’m thinking about having mint cupcakes at our wedding,” Julia said. “Although, if we do decide on that, it’ll mean we’re having some kind of dessert bar, which means there will be plenty of options.”
“That’s good,” Vivian said, opening the box of cookies. “I actually know a few people who don’t like mint. I, thankfully, am not one of them.” She laughed and popped a cookie into her mouth.
“I wonder if that’s why restaurants are so popular?
” Julia said as she took a cookie for herself.
“I mean, there’s the appeal of not having to cook, obviously, but it’s also a place where everyone can get whatever they want.
If one kid hates spaghetti sauce, Mom doesn’t have to worry about how he’s going to react to the lasagna she made. ”
Alexis laughed. “Look at you, waxing philosophical about the restaurant business over tea.”
“She’s got a great point,” Vivian said. “I’m lucky that you kids didn’t have any allergies to food and none of you hated anything so much you wouldn’t really eat it—well—” She glanced at Alexis and burst out laughing.
Julia and Alexis laughed too.
“Oh, I really did put up a fight about peanut butter for a while there, didn’t I?” Alexis said.
Vivian chuckled. “Thankfully, it was never in the main course for dinner or anything like that, so it was easy to avoid it for you. I just made you different sandwiches when your siblings were eating peanut butter and jelly. Although I remember there was a peanut butter and chocolate pie that you always missed out on. I felt a little bad about making it, but your siblings and your father loved it so much.”
“Aww, don’t worry about it, Mom. You always got me a little piece of lemon cake from Seaside Sweets Bakery, don’t you remember?”
“I did? Oh, that’s right.” Vivian smiled fondly at the memory.
“Dean tried to buy it from me once for fifty cents,” Alexis said, laughing. “I think I almost took him up on his offer too.”
“Dean was always trying to sneak extra dessert.” Julia laughed. “He used to try to buy our Halloween candy. Do you remember that?”
“Yeah, that he succeeded in.” Alexis grinned.
“He had actual money from mowing people’s lawns or fixing things, even when he was a kid.
I definitely sold him some of my candy more than once, and Hazel did too.
I remember thinking one year, ‘If I get enough candy tonight, I can sell it to Dean and get that pair of shoes I really want.’”
The three women laughed again and then were quiet for a few moments.
They all seemed to be lost in thought about the past, smiling to themselves.
Alexis’s heart filled with a glow of happiness.
She’d had a wonderful childhood, and she was excited about giving Cash the same kind of childhood that she’d had.
But his will be even better, she thought. He’ll be surrounded by aunts and uncles and cousins who love him.
“Thank you both again so much for coming over and bringing the casserole,” Alexis said, reaching across the table to squeeze her mother’s hand. “It’s so thoughtful of you, and it really means a lot to me.”
“Of course!” Julia patted her sister’s back. “We’ve got you. Is it malicious of me to hope that Cash wakes up before we leave?”
Alexis laughed. “Not at all. He should be up soon. I’m slowly starting to learn what his rhythms are. Not that he always follows them, but this is all becoming easier as I’m recognizing patterns that I can usually depend on.”
“It will get easier,” Vivian assured her. “And the first kid is always the most overwhelming. You’re learning so many new things at once.”
“I’ll say we are.” Alexis shook her head, laughing. “Grayson and I are learning together, which has been a sweet experience. He’s really a wonderful father. So good at taking care of Cash and so good at supporting me.”
Her eyes almost filled with tears again as she remembered the time when she’d thought she’d lost Grayson for good.
She’d left L.A. to come to her father’s funeral and then decided to stay in Rosewood Beach.
Grayson had been so distant and absorbed with his job before and during that time that she’d begun to feel as though her marriage was over.
She had just about given up hope that they would ever have any kind of real relationship again when he’d come to Rosewood Beach to stay and prove his love for her.
Ever since then, their marriage had been even better than it had been when they’d first fallen in love and gotten married.
“I’m so glad,” Vivian said. “I’ve been thinking lately about how lucky we are to have our family.
We should never take relationships and family for granted.
What we have is something that a lot of people don’t have.
I’ve been becoming much better friends with Sally, and it’s clear that she wishes she had a support system like ours. I think she’s rather lonely.”
“That’s such a shame,” Julia said, shaking her head. “I think a lot of people like solitude and are okay with not having a big community, as long as they have some kind of support system. But Sally would thrive on a family like ours. She’s so fun and extroverted.”
“I’ve told her she’s welcome to be a part of our community,” Vivian said. “I hope she takes me up on the offer. I’d love having her around more often.”
“I would too,” Alexis agreed. “I’ve always thought she was such a nice person—she always makes me feel better whenever I talk to her. She’s so kind and considerate. It’s like she always sees you, you know? She’s never so focused on herself that she doesn’t have her eyes open for other people.”
“That’s a great way of putting it,” Julia said. “Look at you, waxing philosophical about Sally over tea.”
The three of them laughed, and then the sound of a baby making cooing sounds came through the baby monitor.
“He’s awake!” Alexis sprang up, excited to go get her son. “Time for some grandma and auntie cuddle time.”
“How about we watch him for an hour or so while you take a nap?” Vivian suggested.
Alexis’s eyes widened. “Would you? That’s even better than the casserole.”
“Oh, we’d love to,” Julia assured her. “And you definitely need more sleep.”
“If you want, I could babysit him for a whole day sometime,” Vivian offered. “That would give you and Grayson a break, and I would get some time with my adorable grandson. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
“That would be amazing.” Alexis smiled. “The thought of all that time to nap makes me want to melt.”
Vivian and Julia laughed. The three of them went upstairs to Cash’s nursery, where he was blinking and wiggling in his crib.
“Rise and shine, handsome,” Alexis said in a soft voice as she lifted him up into her arms. “Your auntie and grandma are here! Say hi.” She handed Cash to Vivian and watched happily as he snuggled contentedly in his grandmother’s arms.
It’s so good to have a family like mine, she thought. Having support like this is such a relief.
She thought about Sally, and what Vivian had said about her being a little lonely. She hoped that soon, Sally would become a regular part of their community.