Page 2 of A Place for Daydreams

“This isn’t the Dean I know. Being so tired is making you feel downhearted. You go home and rest. We’re going to figure this out, but right now all you need to do is take care of yourself in this moment.”

“Okay.” He smiled weakly. “You’re right. I should go home and rest.”

She smiled back at him and stood up. “Make yourself some tea and a nice meal. Read a book or watch a movie. Do something you enjoy. You’ll feel better in no time.”

He stood up. “You want to walk out with me?”

“Well, I’m not staying here without you.” She laughed.

“Let me just tell the guys that I’m going home and I’ll be right back.”

He popped into the garage to let his employees know that he was going home for the night. They seemed understanding and sympathetic, and even though he didn’t want their pity, he felt grateful that they were so willing to stick with the work and close up the repair shop without him.

“Call me if you have any questions or something goes wrong.” He drummed his fingers along the door frame, wishing he had the energy to stay.

“We will, but everything’s going to go fine. These cars are in good hands. You get some rest, boss.”

Dean smiled and went back into the office, where Alexis was standing by the door, texting someone with a dreamy smile on her face. Dean grinned when he saw her, guessing that the person that she was texting was her husband Grayson.

“You ready?” she asked him, looking up and smiling at him.

“Yeah, I’m ready.” He repressed a sigh, still not wanting to leave his shop, but as he and Alexis stepped out into the late afternoon sunshine, he had to admit to himself that it might be nice to sit out on his porch for a while and read a book. It was a beautiful, cool afternoon, and there was a crisp scent in the air that heralded the coming of autumn.

The siblings began to stroll along the sidewalk together, and Dean noticed that Alexis was headed in the direction of The Lighthouse Grill, not her new house.

“Are you on your way to the pub?” he asked her.

“Yup.” She chuckled. “It’s just another day of scribbling down orders of tuna melts and bringing people sides of ranch.”

He glanced at her, wondering if she was starting to get tired of waitressing. She was still smiling, but there had been a slight edge of frustration in her voice. “Are you not enjoying it anymore? I remember you’d said you loved working alongside our other family members as a waitress. You’d said it was just the spark of adrenaline you’d been missing back in L.A.”

“Oh, I’m still enjoying it. I’m sure I always will, although I never would have thought that I’d be so content to be a waitress back when I was a model. It’s a far cry from being on the cover of a Los Angeles fashion magazine, but it’s been so invigorating to have real work to do. And I do love working with our family so much. It’s just that sometimes being a waitress feels too repetitive. It’s not that I mind the job, it’s that I miss having a creative outlet. I want to be able to do something that involves my imagination. There’s not much creativity involved in waitressing.”

“Hey, have you ever tried rearranging people’s food on their plates to make faces? I did that once in high school. Dad almost fired me.”

Alexis threw her head back, laughing. “You did, huh? No, I haven’t tried that, and I don’t think making faces out of food would be enough to scratch my creative itch, anyway.”

“Well, I bet you’ll come up with something that will. You should ask that handsome hunk of a husband of yours. I know he’s usually got his head in numbers, being a finance guy, but I’d wager that he could offer you some good advice.”

“Hmm, that’s a good idea.” She got the dreamy smile on her face that she’d had when she was texting in Dean’s office. “He’s a pretty smart man.”

“I’ll say. He realized that his neglect of you was about to end your marriage, so he sold his extremely lucrative finance company and moved out here to be with you in a grand gesture. Most people aren’t that smart. Most people would have chosen money over happiness.”

She grinned. “He is smart. And it’s not like we’re without money, either—that new financial consultant job of his pays great. Not as much as before, obviously, but who needs to be that rich?”

He smiled at his sister. “You’re smart too. You had a big mansion and all the money you could want, and you’d rather be here with your family.”

“Hey, you guys are much better than a bunch of big empty rooms.”

They gave each other a sideways hug, and Dean felt another surge of gratitude that she was back home again.

“Well, I’m really glad you’re happy, Alexis. I really am.”

“Thank you. I never could have imagined things would end up like this right after Dad died. I was so sure I was going to lose Grayson. But now things are going great with us, and I’m sograteful to have my husband back again.” They walked quietly for another few moments, and then she bumped her shoulder against his playfully. “You’re next. We’re going to find you a woman.”

He grimaced good-naturedly. “We’ll see. I’m starting to wonder if I’m just destined to never find love.”

She shook her head firmly. “Every single woman in this town considers you to be a dreamboat. It was the same way in high school, and it’s still true.”

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