Page 10 of State of Grace

“You were at the bar last night.”

“Um, yeah.” Another kick to the shin. Alexis glared across the table at Sophia before smiling back up at Blake. “Yes, I was there. I, um, work there. With your mom. Your mom’s my boss.”

“I gathered.” Blake’s laugh was even dreamier in person. She reached her hand out toward Alexis as Alexis quickly took it. There was a spark – a literal one – between them, and they both pulled away quickly. “Well, that was shocking.”

Alexis laughed way too loud at Blake’s joke, and across the table, she saw Sophia grimace and slightly sink into her seat. She wished she could burrow a hole right through the floor to get out of what was turning into the most awkward encounter of her life.

“Here you go, Vera.” Julia brought them two large bags full of food as Vera thanked her and took them. Her smile spread wide across her face as she looked at Blake.

“Well, we’ll leave you two alone.” Vera held up the bags. “We are going to go pick up the kids from school and have an early dinner. “Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”

“You too,” Alexis called a little too loud after them as they headed back out of the restaurant. Sophia covered her mouth with her hand, but her eyes gave her away. Alexis knew she was laughing. “Shut up.”

“Oh, my god.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Putting all their trash on one tray, Alexis stood and took the tray and its contents to the hole in the wall that led back to the kitchen. Most of the utensils and bowls were all reusable stainless steel, and everything else was compostable. Alexis refilled her drink at the fountain as Sophia sipped on her drink beside her. Alexis pushed open the door and finally let herself take in a full breath. Sophia snickered beside her as Alexis pointed a finger in the air, feeling very much mistreated.

“Don’t.”

“I didn’t say a word.”

“That smirk on your face is saying more than your words ever could.”

“I can’t help it if you flirt worse than Maddie.”

“Harsh.” Alexis rolled her eyes and walked down the street to the apartment. She could hear Sophia laughing and the click of her heels behind her on the sidewalk. When Sophia looped her arm around Alexis’s and kissed her on the cheek, all of Alexis’s frustrations faded away. She loved that she and Sophia had a relationship in which they could tease each other as they did.

Alexis only wished she didn’t have so much ammunition for Sophia to use.

“She’s pretty, oui?”

“She is, yes.”

“You know, Lex, it would be the neighborly thing to do to offer to show her around town.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Sophia raised an eyebrow at her. “You could show her the park, or you could invite her out to lunch, or you could invite her over to game night.” She dramatically gasped. “Oh, invite her over to game night. That way, she can meet all of us.”

“And what? Realize what a group of crazy misfits we are?”

Their eclectic group of friends often gathered at Sophia and Emily’s apartment at least once a week for game night. Game nights were full of laughter and shenanigans, but she was in no way eager for Blake to be a part of them. Alexis had absolutely zero game when it came to flirting, and yes, she could admit that she liked Blake. But it was nothing more than a crush on an actress. That was all.

At least, that’s what she’d tell herself.

“You can’t stay closed off forever, mon amour.”

“Maybe not, but come on, Soph.” Alexis rolled her eyes. “Blake Calloway? Seriously? There’s no way that she would be interested in me. I’m a single mom who works at a bar, is a terrible homebody, and is dangerously close to being a Disney adult myself.”

“You never know,” her eyes were sparkling once again, “that may be exactly the type of woman Blake is interested in.”

Not wanting to protest anymore, Alexis rested her head on Sophia’s shoulder as they walked around the corner to Sophia’s Tesla. They hugged goodbye and Alexis headed back to her apartment a few blocks away. All the while, her mind kept toying with the possibility of Blake being interested in her.

“Fat chance of that,” she scoffed.

Chapter 5

Blake broke off another piece of the brown sugar cinnamon PopTart and popped it into her mouth. It’d been years since she’d had one, and she wondered why she’d ever liked the breakfast pastry in the first place. She tossed the piece onto the paper towel, deeply sighing as it crumbled into even smaller pieces.

It had been less than two days since she’d arrived in Moonflower Cove and already, she’d sat through a family dinner with Vera and the kids and gone to a middle school softball game. But mysteriously, her mother and sister had been absent from both. Blake tried not to take it personally, but it was hard. She knew Isla was at work and assumed the same about Mason. Or maybe Mason didn’t want to see her at all or maybe she just needed time to process. Either way, Blake was desperate to be able to talk to both of them soon.

Footsteps on the stairs startled Blake as she turned around on the barstool to see Vera. She was dressed in a navy-blue robe, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Despite the fact she’d just woken up, Vera looked infinitely more put together than Blake, who was in an old Madonna concert tee and New York Yankee’s sweatpants.

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