Page 87 of State of Grace

“Yes, ma—Miss.” He winked at her, garnering a nod from Blake in return. They placed their order with him – a Greek salad with salmon for Alexis and calamari for Blake – and Blake noticed Alexis squirm at her order.

“What?” Blake playfully poked Alexis’s leg under the table.

“Calamari?” She wrinkled her nose as Blake laughed.

“Don’t knock it until you try it.”

“I am so not trying squid.” Alexis scoffed. Picking up the wine glass, Alexis swirled the red liquid around then smelled the aroma before taking a sip. She hummed happily at the sweet taste. “Sophia’s wine suggestions never fail me.”

“If I try that,” Blake looked at her wine glass, “will you promise to try the calamari?”

“In what universe is drinking a new wine on the same level as trying squid?”

Under the table, Blake’s fingers slipped up under Alexis’s dress and slowly grazed her thigh. Alexis’s body shivered at the touch as she leaned toward her. Their lips tenderly met as Blake cupped her hand on Alexis’s cheek. Blake’s tongue pressed its way into Alexis’s lips, and Alexis didn’t stop the moan from escaping her throat as she pulled away, clearly embarrassed

“Don’t be embarrassed.” Blake kissed her lips once as she picked up the wine glass and held it out toward Alexis. “I can promise you, babe. There will be more moaning where that came from later tonight.”

Their casual flirting carried them until their delicious-looking dinners arrived.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been to a restaurant that wasn’t the bar.” Alexis took another bite of her salad. “My parents used to always make us go to these fancy restaurants, and I’d have to wear these frilly dresses, and I hated it, and I told myself that if I ever had kids, I’d never do that to them. Which means that Harper and I haven’t ventured to many places to eat.”

“You know that you don’t have to dress extravagantly to go to a restaurant, right?”

“I know, but,” she sadly shrugged, “I have that negative memory from the dinners out with my parents, and I’ve never had much interest in going out. Until tonight that is. Tonight has been so fun.”

“And it’s not over yet.” Leaning toward her, Blake placed a quick kiss on her lips before they resumed their eating. “May I ask you a question?”

“Ugh, I hate when people ask that. It gives me anxiety.”

“I’m sorry.” Blake offered her an apologetic look.

“What’s up, buttercup?”

“Why is it that you don’t talk about your parents?”

“What?” A flash of panic – or maybe uncertainty – passed over Alexis’s face. She squirmed slightly in her seat, her glass of wine. “I’ve mentioned my parents before.”

“No, not really.” Blake didn’t want to push her, but she wanted to get to know her more. “I met your mom at the play, yes, but that’s all I know about her. Well, that and you have three siblings you aren’t close to. Why is that?”

“Geez, going for the heavy-hitting questions tonight, huh?” Setting her wine glass down, Alexis turned slightly to face Blake. “I’m the youngest of four. I have two older brothers and an older sister. There’s a fourteen-year difference between my next closest sibling and me, so, as you can imagine, I was a mistake, and my parents always made me feel that way.”

Her shoulder slightly slumped, and Blake placed a gentle hand on her thigh.

“My parents are affluent people in the Cove, and I never fit into their mold. I was always too much for them, and they always chose not to deal with me. I spent a lot of time at Maddie’s house. She and Patrick were closer in age to me, so it was always more fun at their house. And now,” Alexis inhaled sharply, “my father has Alzheimer’s, and my mom’s struggling with that.”

“Oh, Lex, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s advancing quickly, from what I’ve heard. I don’t know.” She shrugged again. Despite the nonchalant attitude Alexis was trying to portray, Blake could tell she was upset. “I’ve not seen him since the diagnosis. In fact, the last time I saw him was about two weeks before that, and he told me I was a disappointment, so that’s a great memory. It sucks to know I’m losing him, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it, and it’s too late to fix our relationship.”

“I don’t have experience with Alzheimer’s, but I do know what it’s like to lose a father.” Blake waited until Alexis’s eyes met hers. “And I know what it’s like to lose him when there’s unfinished business there. My dad had prostate cancer. He went quick, but one of the last conversations I had with him was in anger. And then, I’m cleaning out his house and find these letters from my mom, and I am so mad at him for doing this to me and Mom and Mason, but there’s no place to put my anger anymore.”

“That’s how it feels.” Alexis firmly nodded. “I feel like I can’t be mad at him anymore because he’s sick and doesn’t know me half the time.”

“Does he ever have lucid days?”

“I don’t know.” She ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass. “I hadn’t talked to my mom in I don’t know how long until a few weeks ago when I took her the ticket for the play. And it’s been years since I’ve seen my siblings aside from an occasional wave at each other across the bar when they come in to eat.”

“I’m sorry if I brought up a tough topic for you.”

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