Page 97 of State of Grace

“Thanks.” Alexis took a sip of her coffee, set the cup down on the concrete floor, and looked at Sophia. Her best friend was quiet, a stark change of pace from her usual self. Something was up, and Alexis wasn’t sure she was ready to know what it was. They sat in silence for a few moments before Sophia took a deep breath and put a hand on Alexis’s knee.

“Blake called me.”

Alexis was sure her heart stopped beating; she was sure the world was no longer spinning. Everything seemed to stand still as the three words reverberated around in Alexis’s mind. She’d assumed Blake had called her friends, especially Sophia, since she’d left. Thankfully though, none of them had said anything to Alexis.

Until now.

“Oh.” Her voice was higher pitched than she’d expected, and she cleared her throat as she wiped her hands on her Snoopy pajama bottoms. “What…um…what did she want?”

“She was making sure you were ok.” Sophia paused, giving her words time to sink in, it seemed. “She said you haven’t called her yet.”

“I haven’t.” Alexis sheepishly sunk down in her chair slightly.

“She’s worried about you.” Reaching out, Sophia gently squeezed Alexis’s knee. “Frankly, we all are. You’ve been doing anything you can to stay busy and avoid talking to me or, hell, talking to anyone about what happened.” Sophia paused as if giving Alexis a chance to say something. But instead, Alexis stayed quiet as Sophia continued. “And, I know you don’t want me to point it out, but I can tell you’ve lost weight, and that worries me.”

“I’m eating just fine.” Alexis hated the angry tone in her voice. She crossed her arms over her stomach in an attempt to hide her body as much as she could. “And my kid is eating fine and not missing meals, and our dog is eating fine. We’re all fine, Soph. So, you don’t need to worry.”

“Except I am worried.” Sophia turned her seat, so she was facing Alexis head on. Reaching out once more, Sophia took Alexis’s hands in hers and waited until Alexis reluctantly looked at her before continuing. “I always worry about you, Lex. It’s part of the gig I signed up for when we became best friends and when I signed up to be Harper’s godmother.”

“Harper is fine.”

“I know. But how about her mom?”

“She’s doing as well as can be expected.”

“Have you thought that maybe calling Blake might make you feel better?”

“I have, but I have no idea what to say now. It’s been two weeks.” She shrugged. “I still have no idea how to make any of this work. It’s not like I can just call her up and say, ‘I miss you, and I love you.’ How lame is that?”

“I don’t think it’s lame at all if that’s how you truly feel.” Letting go of Alexis’s hands, Sophia leaned back in the chair.

“I don’t know what to do, Soph.”

“Do what you want to do, Lex. That’s all you can do.”

“Nothing about our circumstances has changed. Blake’s still in the Hollywood limelight, and I’m still in the glow of the neon signs at the bar.” Pushing herself up to her feet, she leaned up against the railing as she crossed her arms over her chest once more. “I don’t want the Hollywood life. I love my life here in the Cove with Harper and you and Emily and all our friends. I don’t want things to change.”

“You’re playing it safe; I get it.”

“I have to play it safe. I have Harper to think about.”

“I know, and I respect that. Always. But don’t let your fear of the unknown stand in your way of your happily ever after. Blake loves you, and you love her. You wouldn’t be having so much trouble with this if you didn’t. If she were truly a fling, you’d be back to your normal self and not blowing off game nights.”

“I’ve been…busy.”

“Yeah, busy avoiding us.” She was right; Alexis couldn’t deny that. And Sophia knew it.

“I just haven’t wanted to face everyone yet. I don’t want to answer a thousand questions about what happened and if I’ve talked to Blake or anything. I’ve needed to figure this out on my own.”

“And have you?” Sophia tilted her head and narrowed her eyes slightly. “Figured it out?”

At times Alexis hated having a best friend who could read her like a book. There was no way she could deny anything to Sophia without her immediately countering that Alexis was lying. So instead, Alexis turned around to face the town square and avoid her gaze. Her mind traveled back to the night she and Blake first kissed after Blake had walked her home. She touched her fingertips to her lips as the memory of the kiss flooded her emotions.

If Sophia wasn’t a few feet behind her, Alexis might have let herself fall apart. After all, Alexis hadn’t cried since the night Blake left. She’d felt like it countless times but always forced herself to keep it together. However, it was apparently becoming increasingly hard to do, and thankfully, Sophia cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“I’m heading to Dallas for that rare manuscript conference in the morning.” Sophia stood and placed a gentle hand on Alexis’s shoulder.

Alexis’s brow furrowed. “Dallas? I thought it was in Denver?”

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