Page 23 of State of Grace

You did. You so did that.

“Well,” Alexis ran her hand through her hair nervously, “I’m going to go inside now and tunnel a hole to the center of the earth so that I can die from embarrassment.”

“Please…” Blake reached out and grabbed her arm, “don’t be embarrassed.”

“Too late for that.”

“Would it help if I said I found it endearing?”

“No, it most certainly would not.” Her nervous giggle escaped from her mouth before Alexis could stop it. The twinkle in Blake’s eyes told her she was enjoying making her nervous. If Alexis was honest with herself, she was enjoying it on some level as well.

“Well, then I won’t.” With a wink, Blake turned to leave but stopped and turned around a few steps away. “Good night, Alexis.”

“Good night, Blake.”

Alexis watched her disappear around the corner before she leaned up against the cool metal door to the apartment. Her heart was racing, and she could still feel the warmth on her cheeks. She heard a catcall from Sophia and Emily’s balcony as she whipped her head around toward the sound to find them and Harper on the balcony watching her.

“Fuck,” Alexis mumbled under her breath as she let herself into the apartment and prepared herself for the barrage of questions she knew were coming. Taking the stairs two at a time, Alexis meandered through Sophia and Emily’s apartment as casually as she could and headed toward the balcony. “Good evening, ladies,” she nodded at Emily and Harper as they came in from the balcony.

“We’ll let you two discuss your nightcap,” Emily teased as she and Harper headed for the couch, undoubtedly to watch a Disney movie together. Closing the balcony door behind herself,Alexis leaned up against the railing opposite Sophia. Alexis avoided Sophia’s gaze from across the balcony.

“How was your night?” Sophia’s eyes sparkled. She didn’t give her a chance to respond before offering her opinion on the evening. “From the way it looked up here, it could have gone a different way if you had made a move.”

“Me? Make a move?” Alexis scoffed. “Have you met me?”

“Well, you could have gotten a kiss if you’d turned your head ever so slightly.”

“Soph, be serious.”

“I am.” She held up her hands in defense.

“There is no way that Blake Calloway would ever want to kiss me.”

“You don’t see it, do you?” All joking had left Sophia’s voice as she held Alexis’s gaze. Alexis shrugged, unsure of what Sophia was referencing. “You’re a catch, Alexis.” The roll of her eyes was unintentional, and it added fuel for Sophia to carry on. “Look at what all you have accomplished. You have raised a beautiful daughter, you’re worked your way up from waitress to marketing manager at the bar, you’ve written an amazing fanfic, and you’ve faced your fears and taken the lead in the town’s annual musical.”

“Yeah, well, I had to do all that.”

“Really?” Sophia’s eyebrow arched. “You had to have Harper? You had to spend years working your ass off? You had to face your fears, put your work out there, and step out of your comfort zone? The short answer is no. You didn’t have to do any of those things. You could have chosen another option every step of the way, and you didn’t.”

“I guess.” Sulking, Alexis sat on one of the Adirondack chairs. She knew Sophia was right, although she didn’t want to tell her that. There had been several times over the last six years Alexis could have given in and didn’t; times when she could have chosen the easy path and instead chose a harder one.

But that didn’t mean that Blake wanted to kiss her.

Did it?

“Promise me one thing.” Sophia tapped her bare foot on Alexis’s knee. “Promise me that you won’t think so little of yourself that you won’t stop to imagine for one moment that Blake might actually be interested in you.”

Alexis let Sophia’s words resonate in her heart for a few moments before she nodded. If Blake were any other woman, Alexis might have been able to let herself fully believe that she could be interested in her. But if Blake were any other woman, Alexis wouldn’t have been as drawn to her as she had been to Blake while standing outside the apartment.

And Alexis knew that fact was going to keep her mind overthinking well into the night.

Chapter 9

Not as pretty as yours.

Those words kept circulating in Blake’s head even three days after hearing them from Alexis. They lived rent-free in her mind, along with the adorably embarrassed look on Alexis’s face when she’d said them. Alexis had looked beyond cute as her eyes went wide, and she giggled nervously at Blake’s compliment. And when Alexis’s mouth had clearly spoken before her brain had been able to process what she was saying, Blake found her irresistible.

Blake was used to people fawning over her. It came with the territory. What she wasn’t used to was Alexis. Alexis and her adorable smirk. Alexis and her passion for the things she loved. Alexis who seemed more closed off than Fort Knox. Alexis who had managed to make Blake feel something she hadn’t felt in years.

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