Page 48 of State of Grace

“She’s working, baby. She’ll be over here in a minute.”

“Fine.” Crossing her arms, Harper sulked in her seat and Alexis rolled her eyes. She picked up a menu to peruse, although she had memorized the whole thing. Emily came over to the table, bringing a strawberry lemonade for each of them and had included a fun straw for Harper in her kiddie cup. Emily sat beside Harper and they wrapped their arms around each other excitedly. “Hi, Emmy!”

“Hey, Bug.” Emily kissed her forehead. She’d given the nickname Bug to Harper years prior, and Alexis loved that it had stuck. It added to the sweet bond the two of them shared. “You two look nice. What have you been up to today?”

“We went to Grandma Moira’s.” Harper looked so much like Alexis when she rolled her eyes that she nearly choked on her drink. Emily must have noticed it as well since she smirked across the table to Alexis. “But—but guess what?”

“What?”

“She had a garden, and I named a bunch of the plants, just like Aunt Maddie does.”

“That’s super cool, Harper.” Turning her focus to Alexis, Emily put her elbow on the table and leaned closer. “So, you went to your mom’s? On a random Friday in June?”

Alexis shrugged. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Didn’t go well?”

“Does it ever?”

“Maybe one day it will.” Emily reached across the table and squeezed Alexis’s arm. She sympathetically smiled at her. Alexis appreciated that Emily understood the complicated relationship she had with her mother and never forced her to talk about it. “What do you two want for lunch?”

“We’ll split the bacon cheeseburger with pepper jack cheese and a side of cheese fries with bacon and sour cream and extra ranch on the side. Please.”

“I will so not be telling my girlfriend about that order.”

“That would be greatly appreciated.” The two shared a laugh at how Sophia always made them feel guilty for eating unhealthy food. It was why they often indulged in greasy, delicious foods out of her sight. Emily hopped up from the seat with a wink and headed back behind the bar and through the kitchen door.

Harper plucked a sugar packet from the small container on the table and flicked it across the table toward Alexis. It was a game they often played that Harper affectionately called Sugar Ball. The rules were simple: stop the sugar packet from falling off the table, or your opponent got the point. They played the game until Emily returned with refills and their food. Emily even brought a salad over for herself and took her lunch break with them. The trio laughed and chatted until nothing but crumbs were left on their plates.

“Well, this is what I like to see.” Isla walked over to the table and put her hands on her hips. She pretended to look annoyed, but her smile gave her away. “One employee on the clock and yet sitting down eating with another employee who’s off today out of the goodness of my heart and,” her eyes softened, “there’s my little Harper baby.”

“Hi, Aunt Isla.” Harper giggled as she put the last of the cheese fries into her mouth.

“I was on my break.” Emily gathered the dirty plates as she stood. She quickly disappeared to the back. Isla sat beside Harper and pulled her into a hug.

“I love making her stress out.”

“You’re evil.”

“What are you two doing today?”

“Nothing.” Alexis wasn’t in the mood to mention she’d gone to her mother’s. She knew Isla would ask a hundred questions, and Alexis didn’t have the answer to any of them. Thankfully, Isla seemed satisfied with that answer.

“Well, I saw you two over here and wanted to tell you that if you don’t have plans today, you should stop by the farm.” She playfully booped Harper on the nose, which made her giggle. “Holly had puppies a couple of weeks ago if you wanted to go see them.”

“Puppies!” Harper squealed in excitement as she sat up on her knees. “Mommy, can we please go see the puppies? Please?” She held out the word longer than necessary, and Alexis knew exactly where they would end up after they left the restaurant. With any luck, Blake would be home, and that alone made Alexis as eager as Harper to get to the farm.

“This better not be some twisted way to get me to adopt one of the puppies.”

“You’ve wanted one for years.” Isla grinned. “Maybe this is the litter.”

Rolling her eyes, Alexis handed Isla her credit card and the check, essentially ending the conversation as Isla headed to the bar to process the payment. Harper could barely contain her excitement and jumped up from her side of the table and ran over to Alexis’s side. She scooted over on the vinyl seat beside Alexis and hugged her arms around her neck.

“Mommy, can we get a…”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Laughing, Alexis scooted Harper off the vinyl seat, picked her up, and put her on her hip. She walked over to the bar and took her card from Isla as they said their goodbyes.

“Be sure to let me know which puppy you like the best, Harper.”

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