Page 30 of State of Grace

“I do, and thank you.” She smiled sincerely at Alexis. “Thank you for the drinks and the ride and the talk.” Blake pushed open the car door. With one foot out the door, she turned back around to Alexis. “Maybe we can do this again sometime? Just, you know, hang out and talk?”

“I’d love that.”

“Great. Me too.” The smile grew on Blake’s lips. She leaned over the console in a quick motion and placed a gentle kiss on Alexis’s cheek. Her lips were warm and soft on her skin, and she curled her lips inward to keep the smile from spreading on her face. Blake pulled back with a wink as Alexis felt the warmth rising in her cheeks. “Now you can tell Sophia there was kissing. I’ll see you around, Alexis.”

“Bye.” Alexis waved as Blake closed the door and headed up the walkway to the front door. Her lime green yoga pants were in stark contrast to the dark sky, her black top, and the dark gray baseball cap. Before heading inside, she turned and waved at Alexis once more.

The massive smile didn’t leave Alexis’s lips for the entire drive back to her apartment. Her whole body was warm and fuzzy, and she wasn’t sure what to think of the unfamiliar emotions starting to course through her body. Was she crazy for thinking that Blake Calloway was interested in her? She had to be crazy. Blake could have anyone in the world she wanted. There was no way she’d ever choose the single mom bartender with more baggage than a booked American Airlines flight.

Then again, Blake had kissed her. It was only a kiss on the cheek, but still. It was a kiss.

As she parked her car behind the apartment building, a notification pinged on her phone as Alexis picked it up. The message was from Blake, which was confusing on many levels as Alexis only knew one Blake and didn’t have her number, and yet it was already saved in her phone’s contact list.

Thank you for tonight. It was great to laugh with you. :)

How did you get my number?

I have my ways. ;)

Rolling her lips in to stop the smile from exploding over her face, Alexis held the phone up to her chest and sighed happily. She was smitten, and there was no denying it.

If only Alexis could figure out what to do about that new feeling.

Chapter 11

“We missed you last night after dinner.” Vera’s statement wasn’t condescending or scolding, but Blake could sense a hint of sadness in her voice. Blake should have at least told someone she was leaving the house, but the rules were blurry. Sure, Blake was staying under their roof, but she didn’t live there. She was a grown-ass woman who didn’t need permission to go for a run, yet Blake felt guilty about it.

“Oh, I went for a run.” Turning off the faucet, Blake put her clean coffee mug onto the dryer rack and turned to Vera. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask.”

“Hey, you’re an adult.” Vera waved her off dismissively. “I’m glad you’re getting out and making friends.” The twinkle in Vera’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed. Taking a clean mug out of the cabinet, Vera filled it to the brim with coffee.

When Blake had gotten home the night before, she had noticed that the porch light was off. By the time she walked up the sidewalk, however, the light was on. Someone – most likely Vera by the way she was smiling – knew that Alexis had dropped her off. That knowledge made Blake slightly uncomfortable, and she walked around the kitchen island toward the bedroom. She could hear Vera’s footsteps close behind her and knew that, despite her best efforts, the conversation was not dropped.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate anything.”

“You didn’t.” Blake plopped down on the edge of the bed as she crossed her legs to put her shoes on. Leaning on the door, Vera peered over her steaming cup of coffee at Blake.

“Alexis is a great girl.”

“I can tell.”

“She’s hilarious and sweet, but she’s shy until you get to know her.”

“Uh-huh.” Finishing lacing up her tennis shoes, Blake braced her arms behind her as she leaned back. Vera firmly nodded as she took another sip of her coffee. Her blue eyes held a playfulness that made Blake roll her eyes.

“It’s great that you two are becoming friends.”

“Who’s becoming friends?” Isla appeared in the doorway beside Vera, taking the coffee mug from her wife’s hand and taking a sip before snarling her nose at the black coffee. She handed the mug back to Vera with a shudder of her shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. She looked over at Blake and smiled. “We missed you last night.”

“She was out with Alexis.” The way Vera said her name wasn’t lost on Blake.

“Oh?” Isla tilted her head at her and narrowed her eyes.

“I went for a run, stopped by the bar, had a drink, and it was getting late, so Alexis offered to drive me home, so I didn’t have to run back home in the dark.” Blake held her hands up in surrender. “That’s it.”

“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s ok,” Blake cut Vera off.

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