Chapter 15 #2
At that moment, Julia approached their table. It was clear that she was on waitressing duty that day instead of simply working on the pub’s finances. She was wearing a black apron and she held a small notebook and pencil in her hand.
“Hey!” She smiled at Alexis and her husband. “Good to see you guys in the pub. We’ve missed you.” She turned to Lewis brightly. “Hi, I’m Julia.”
“Lewis.” He held out his hand for a handshake. “I’m visiting from L.A.”
“I heard.”
“Wow, news travels fast around here.”
“It does when you work with family and friends.” Julia grinned. “Glad you’re here. Have you gotten a chance to look at the menu?”
“Ah, not yet. Give me a second here.” Lewis looked down at the pub’s menu, and his eyes lifted in interest when he saw how many delicious options there were.
“What about you two?” Julia asked. “You just want your usuals? Something with peanut butter for Alexis?” Her grin was impish.
“Wow, that’s pretty impressive service,” Lewis said. “Will you remember what I like to eat if I come here again, Julia?”
She laughed. “Probably not, I’m afraid. Grayson usually gets the Reuben with waffle fries and our family’s secret sauce on the side, and Alexis usually gets crepes with peanut butter and sausages.”
“She remembers us so well because she’s my sister,” Alexis explained with a smile.
“Oh, of course!” Lewis gestured between the sisters. “I can see the resemblance now, absolutely. You’ve got a good-looking sister, Alexis.”
Noticing that Lewis was making flirtatious eyes at Julia, Grayson cleared his throat. “It’s nice to see you, Julia. I know you’ve been so busy planning your wedding. How’s that going?”
“Pretty good. It’s a lot, but Cooper’s helping me with it.” Julia smiled. “And it’s all fun work.”
“A wedding, huh?” Lewis leaned back in his seat. “I bet a wedding around here must be the social event of the year.”
For a second, there was a bit of a strange pause. Julia, Alexis, and Grayson blinked at Lewis, and it took him a moment to realize that his remark had been less than polite.
“I’m sorry you have to waitress right now, Julia,” Alexis said, swooping in to change the subject. “I should be able to get back to waitressing soon enough. Hopefully.” She made a goofy face at Cash.
“Don’t worry about it.” Julia smiled. “I enjoy it—it usually helps clear my head. And the tips are nice, that’s for sure.”
“I usually waitress here,” Alexis explained to Lewis. “Normally, Julia only does the marketing and the finances for The Lighthouse Grill. But she’s been waitressing recently since they need the extra help while I’m on maternity leave.”
“Huh.” Lewis looked interested. “Couldn’t they just hire someone new for a month or something?”
“Oh, I don’t think anyone would want to work for just a little bit like that, unless they’re a teenager and then they need to be in school most of the time,” Julia explained.
“Besides, good help is hard to find in a small town like this. Everyone who works here at The Lighthouse Grill needs to really be on their toes.”
“Hmm, busy place, huh?” Lewis smiled politely and returned his gaze to the menu in front of him.
“You read my mind, Julia,” Alexis said. “Crepes with peanut butter with a side of sausages sounds perfect. And can you add banana and strawberry slices too?”
“You got it.” Julia made a quick note on her notepad. “How about you, Grayson? Did I read your mind too?”
He laughed. “Actually, today I think I’m going to have that garlic mushroom cheeseburger. But you were right about the waffle fries.”
“Garlic mushroom cheeseburger with extra cheese, waffle fries with a side of secret sauce,” Julia said cheerfully, jotting it down—apparently still able to read Grayson’s mind when it came to cheese. “What about you, Lewis? Have you made up your mind yet?”
“Ah, so many options.” Lewis pushed his menu away with a sigh that was a touch on the dramatic side. “But I have made up my mind. I’m going to have the BLT with a side of mashed potatoes, please.”
“Would you like our secret sauce on the BLT?” Julia asked. “Most people say that’s the best version of a BLT they’ve ever had.”
“Mm, maybe on the side,” Lewis said. “And I’ll take a glass of iced tea, as well.”
“You got it,” Julia said, and hurried off to put in their order.
Alexis took another sip of her coffee, enjoying the velvety richness of the dark liquid. Beside her, Cash began to tap the edge of the table with his pudgy little fingers as if he was playing the drums.
“Wow, this really is a small town,” Lewis said with a laugh. “This restaurant has a secret sauce that everyone thinks is the best thing ever?” He shook his head.
Alexis cleared her throat. “Actually, that secret sauce is a family recipe. My grandmother’s. And it really is out of this world. Wait until you try it.”
Lewis bowed gallantly. “I spoke too soon. I will reserve my judgement until I’ve tasted it.”
Despite his apology, Alexis could tell that he still wasn’t convinced. He clearly thought that she and Grayson had settled down amidst a bunch of country bumpkins.
“Our town is small, you’re right, Lewis.
” Grayson cocked a brow as he took a sip of his own coffee.
“But we love it here. We’ve been really enjoying living in Rosewood Beach.
It’s wonderful to be so close to Alexis’s family, and it’s a really great community.
I mean, you can drive anywhere you want without traffic. ” He laughed.
Lewis groaned appreciatively. “Oh, you got me there. So, speaking of commuting, what are you doing for work these days?”
“I’m still in finance,” Grayson said, “but I work with a small local firm now. Nothing too impressive, but it allows me to have a lot more time for myself and for Alexis. And now I’ve got this little monster to deal with too.” Grayson grinned at Cash, who made a noise like a penguin.
“And Alexis is a stay-at-home mom—no, you said waitress.” Lewis smiled. Alexis had a feeling that he didn’t intend to be patronizing, but his tone gave that impression regardless. “And I’m still with Galvan Tech, of course. Climbing that ladder more every month, it feels like.”
He straightened his tie a little, an unintentionally dramatic gesture.
Alexis remembered that a lot of people in L.A.
had been like that—almost showy whenever they talked about themselves.
Lewis wasn’t a bad guy or even a particularly arrogant one, he was simply still part of a culture that she no longer liked to be around.
“Congratulations,” Grayson said without a touch of envy in his voice.
“You two must miss the city,” Lewis said. “I mean, it’s cute out here, but what do you have to do?”
“Oh, lots of things.” Alexis laughed. “I have more to do here than I did in L.A. I mean, there are still yoga and Pilates classes, and there are so many places to hike to. We have coffee shops where we meet up with friends, and the local board game store lets you test out the board games before buying them so sometimes we hang out there, and there are all kinds of local festivals and parties to go to. And since moving here, I’ve started my own online jewelry store.
It’s going very well—Grayson helped me with setting up the website and with marketing. ”
“You didn’t need much help,” Grayson said proudly. “Your jewelry is wonderful—the reviews make that perfectly clear.”
“Good for you, Alexis,” Lewis said, sounding genuinely impressed. “But wouldn’t you rather have had an actual store somewhere in the city? With your connections to the fashion world through modeling, you could have been making actual money by now.”
Grayson cleared his throat, looking somewhat irritated with Lewis for the first time. “She is making actual money.”
“And besides, Lewis,” Alexis said, “that’s not the kind of business I want. I want something that still allows me to live a quiet life with my family. This way I can sell here and there whenever I have the time to make new pieces. It’s just fun for me, not something that takes over my life.”
She and Grayson met eyes for a moment across the table. They both remembered well how his work had consumed his life, and with it, their marriage. Being overburdened by an unending workload was no way to be truly successful.
“Oh sure, sure.” Lewis smiled. “I understand. I just always get so excited about new businesses opening up. Don’t you miss that about the city? The developments in the city are so interesting. Life is always evolving there.”
Alexis smiled politely, but she couldn’t help feeling that Lewis was trying to outshine their little town.
I don’t want to read into things, though, she thought, determined to maintain a generous spirit. After all, we do live a very different kind of life here. He’s probably just saying all the things that are popping into his head.
She glanced up as Tom Norris, one of their longtime cooks, emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming plate.
He headed over to a nearby table with his characteristic warm smile, setting down what looked like their famous fish and chips special.
The elderly couple at the table lit up when they saw him, and Tom paused to chat with them for a moment, asking about their grandchildren and laughing at something the woman said.
Lewis glanced over at the interaction with a slightly bemused expression. “Is he one of the chefs here? He looks charmingly… rustic,” he said in a tone that was clearly meant to sound sophisticated.
Alexis bit back a frown at that. Tom was one of the kindest people she knew, someone who remembered every regular customer’s favorite order and always had an encouraging word. So what if he had a rustic, small-town demeanor? That was one of her favorite things about him.
Tom returned to the kitchen, and Julia appeared a moment later, carrying a tray covered in steaming hot plates.
“Here you are!” she said cheerfully, beginning to set the plates down on the table. “Crepes for Alexis, a BLT for Lewis, and a cheeseburger for Grayson. And you should all have your sides and sauces. Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“I think we’re good,” Alexis said, surveying her crepes and sausages with satisfaction. “You’re a dreamboat.”
“Wow, thanks.” Julia pretended to bow. “More coffee for anyone?”
“I’m good.” Lewis smiled. “I’m a bit of a coffee snob, so I don’t usually try diner coffee.”
Alexis couldn’t hold back a sigh that time. “Lewis,” she said, passing him her coffee cup. “Stop making assumptions and try this coffee.”
He seemed somewhat surprised by her direct manner, but he shrugged and took a sip of the coffee. His eyebrows lifted when he tasted how excellent it was.
“It’s good, right? Our local health inspector approved it and everything,” Julia said.
Alexis and Grayson laughed, while Lewis cocked his head to one side in confusion.
“Our mother Vivian is dating the local health inspector,” Alexis explained. “Before they started going out, he helped her pick out a new coffee for The Lighthouse Grill. He’s also a coffee connoisseur, so he knew about a whole bunch of high-quality roasts.”
“Mm.” Lewis grunted and took another sip.
“He likes it,” Alexis said to Julia. “Get him his own cup please.” She reached across the table and took her coffee cup back from Lewis.
Lewis laughed. “You’re right. I’ll take a cup. Thank you, Julia.”
“No problem at all,” she said breezily, and went off to get him coffee.
They continued to chat while they enjoyed their food and beverages.
Soon their conversation turned toward remembering times past, and they reminisced together for a while.
Alexis loved seeing the way Grayson and Lewis laughed together.
It was clear that the time and distance that had separated them hadn’t managed to quench their friendship at all.
“Oh wow, that was good,” Lewis said, pushing his plate away once they’d finally finished their meal. “It’s true—that sauce turned that sandwich into the best BLT I’ve ever had.”
Alexis grinned triumphantly. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“We should all meet up again while I’m still here in town,” Lewis said. “I’m working long distance here for a moment.”
“Oh, sure.” Grayson looked delighted by the prospect. “Do you?—”
He stopped talking as Lewis’s phone began to ring. Lewis looked down at the screen expectantly and then stood up.
“I’ve got to take this,” he said apologetically.
He rummaged quickly in his wallet and threw a hundred-dollar bill down onto the table.
“Let me take care of lunch—no, I insist. We’ll be in touch about meeting up again.
” Flashing a charismatic smile and giving them a wink, Lewis slipped out of the pub.
Alexis and Grayson watched the doors swing closed behind him before turning to each other.
“Well,” she said slowly.
“That’s Lewis.” Grayson laughed. “Wow, he seems so much more arrogant out here than he did in L.A. I guess it’s because almost everybody is like that back there. Always making a point of proving their worth.”
Alexis shook her head. “I don’t miss that, that’s for sure. But it was nice to see Lewis again. I think our itty-bitty little town managed to impress him in spite of himself.”
Grayson laughed. “I think you’re right. And he wants to meet up again! I’m not really sure what to think of the way he was behaving, but I do know that I’d like to see him again.”
“I think he was flaunting his feathers a little bit.” Alexis smiled. “But underneath it all, he’s a good-natured guy. And at any rate—Julia will be thrilled that she just got a sixty-dollar tip.”