Page 4 of State of Grace

“Hey, Harp.” Alexis kissed her nose before sitting her back down on the floor. “Are you ready to go to Nonna’s?”

“Yep!” Harper jumped up and down a few times in excitement. Her Nonna was Alexis’s best friend and next-door neighbor, Sophia Beauchamp. Sophia had been a godsend to Alexis over the last six years, and she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wouldn’t be where she was today if it wasn’t for Sophia. Alexis thanked her lucky stars every day for her best friend.

“Where are your shoes?” She nodded toward Harper’s sock-covered feet. Harper’s brown eyes went wide for a moment as she held up a finger.

“In my room.” She paused. “I think.”

“Go get them so we can go.”

Harper hurried off to her bedroom as Alexis took a bite out of the still very warm Hot Pocket. She picked up Harper’s Winnie the Pooh backpack and made sure she had her coloring book and crayons and the current book Alexis and Sophia had been reading to her. Even though Sophia’s apartment was across the hall from Alexis’s and neither of them ever locked the front door, Alexis always made sure Harper had the things she thought she’d need before taking her to Sophia’s.

“Got ‘em!” Harper held her Minnie Mouse sneakers up high over her head as Alexis nodded toward the entryway bench where they always put their shoes on. She got down on her knees and patted the seat.

“Come here, and let’s put your shoes on.”

“I can do it.” Harper pushed her away in an attempt to gain more independence. Alexis watched as her daughter focused intently on lining up the Velcro straps on each shoe while keeping her eye on the clock at the same time. She loved that Harper was becoming so independent, but she would be late if they didn’t leave soon. “I got it!”

“Good job, baby!” Alexis held up her hand as Harper gave her a high five. She picked up the backpack and handed it to Harper as she grabbed the Hot Pocket and headed out the door. “Now, let’s get you to Nonna’s so Mommy can get to work.”

The two of them walked across the hall to Sophia’s apartment as Alexis let herself in without a knock. They lived above an art gallery and were the only two apartments there. Sophia had installed a crazy security system complete with cameras and alarms, making Alexis feel safer than she’d ever felt before. Both Alexis and Sophia’s girlfriend Emily Crawford had been through hell and back in their lives and appreciated that Sophia cared so deeply about them.

“There’s my baby girl.” Sophia breezed into the living room from her office. She was sure she’d never laid eyes on a more elegant woman than Sophia. Tortoiseshell reading glasses were tucked into her chestnut hair, and the white blouse she was wearing was tucked perfectly into her black slacks. Harper ran over to her and jumped in her arms as Sophia twirled her around. Their giggles mingled together to become one of the sweetest sounds Alexis had ever heard.

“I packed some things in her backpack, but if you need anything else, you know where we live.” Alexis sat the bag down on the couch. “And don’t forget, her bedtime is nine, not nine-thirty or ten.”

“Yes, Lex, I know.” Sophia put Harper on her hip as she kissed her cheek. “We only had to stay up late last night to finish watching Frozen, didn’t we, ma petite?”

“Yep! Frozen is mon préféré.” Harper looked to Sophia for validation on her French, and Sophia nodded and winked at her.

“Votre français est très bon, ma petite.”

“Ok, well, I’ll let you all carry on with your French because Mommy has to go to work or Aunt Isla is going to yell at me for being late. Kisses.” Alexis kissed Harper on the cheek as Harper did the same to her.

“Love you, Mommy!”

“Love you more, baby girl.” Alexis turned to leave and looked over her shoulder at Sophia. “Love you too, Soph.”

“Je t'aime, Lex.”

Usually, Alexis would have walked the few blocks to the bar, but since she was mere moments away from being late, she hopped into her Honda Civic. She parked in the back parking lot and ran inside through the kitchen. Pushing open the kitchen door with her hip, Alexis gasped at the sight before her. Straight to Ale was bursting at the seams by the time she arrived. There were several patrons still waiting for a seat as Alexis scanned the packed dining room. The crowds were nothing unusual for a weekend, but the fact it was a Thursday afternoon was throwing Alexis for a loop.

“Holy shit, are we offering some special that I don’t know about?”

“You’re doing too good of a job as marketing manager.” Emily was mixing a drink as Alexis checked the computer to see the still unfulfilled orders. She was wearing the typical Straight to Ale attire of jeans, sneakers, and a logoed T-shirt. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail that flipped from one side of her head to the other as she worked. A necklace Sophia had given her last year for Christmas hung around her neck that matched the one Alexis also wore. The only difference was the birthstone on the necklace was different for each of them.

“That’s why Isla pays me the big bucks.” Alexis winked at her as she mixed drinks for a table of men in business suits. She’d accepted the job offer from Isla to be the marketing manager a few weeks ago and had been loving it. Of course, it was more of a social media manager than anything, but Alexis thrived on the added responsibility, and the few extra bucks each week didn’t hurt either.

“Hey, table twelve needs more ranch, and fourteen needs napkins,” Isla called out as she rounded the bar and disappeared into the kitchen with her nose in her order pad. Alexis nodded as she finished mixing the drinks, loaded them up on a tray along with napkins and a side of ranch, and headed out to make her deliveries to the various tables. Her whole shift flew by so quickly that by the time the last customer had vacated their table, Alexis felt she’d only been at work for a few moments.

“Another great night.” Isla smiled happily as she joined Alexis and Emily near the bar. The kitchen staff had already cleaned up and gone home, and the hostess by the front door was talking to the last customer. Otherwise, the place was empty. “Thank you for your hard work, ladies. It’s always appreciated.”

“You’re welcome, Isla.” Alexis grabbed her water bottle from the fridge under the bar and twisted the cap open. She’d made it a habit to keep it on hand as she often needed to refuel during a shift.

“I’m going to head home.” Emily yawned. “You leaving now, Lex?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

As Alexis rounded the bar, she heard the chime above the front door as they all three turned to look at it. She’d assumed it would be the customer that had overstayed the closing time, but instead, Alexis’s jaw nearly hit the floor at the sight of Blake freakin’ Calloway standing by the hostess stand. Alexis resisted the urge to run across the room and fangirl over Blake, but her feet were concrete bricks.

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