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“Hey, you!” She sprang up and gave him a hug. “Don’t you look handsome this morning.”

He laughed. “I look messy and dirty, and in a few hours, I’m going to look even more messy and dirty.” Jacob was a handyman, so the clothes that he wore to do his odd jobs around town had seen better days. He was often wiggling into small, unclean places like the cupboards under kitchen sinks or the dusty spaces behind furnaces.

Hazel shook her head. “You look so handsome. You always do.”

They shared a sweet kiss, and he sat down at the counter next to her.

“What’s this?” he asked curiously, looking down at the magazine that was still lying open on the counter.

“Oh, I wanted to show you these!” she said eagerly, swiveling around in her stool so that she could flip through the magazine to show him the images she liked. “I have all kinds of ideas for renovating my house—our house.” She grinned. “What do you think about arranging the picture frames like that? Or—adding a tile backsplash like this to the kitchen? I’m just in love with those tiles. Don’t you think they’re adorable?” Her voice trailed off slowly as she saw that Jacob was frowning slightly at the magazine pictures she was showing him. He didn’t look upset, exactly, but he didn’t look excited either.

Mom and Sally loved my ideas,Hazel thought with disappointment.They were so enthusiastic. Is Jacob less excited about all this just because he’s not a woman?

She had a feeling that wasn’t the case, however. Jacob was usually quick to be enthusiastic about whatever she was excited about. There was clearly something else on his mind as he looked down at the pictures with a frown. A moment later, he pressed his lips together.

“What do you think?” she prompted after a couple of beats.

He looked up, almost as if he’d forgotten she was there for a second. “I think they’re really cute,” he said, but his tone was somewhat flat. “But maybe we—maybe you should wait on all of this. Take some time to consider other options. I mean, you don’t want to jump into anything too quickly. Some of these ideas look as though they might require a substantial amount of time and money.”

“Well, it’s not like I can’t afford it,” she said slowly, confused by his reaction.

“I didn’t mean that,” he assured her. “I just mean… well, I think you should give all this some time. That’s all.”

“Okay.” She forced a smile, but she still felt disappointed by his reaction and confused about what it meant. He didn’t seem to dislike the ideas, exactly, but there was clearly some reason why he was reluctant to endorse her suggestions. She wished she had some idea what it was, but she felt utterly clueless.

It’s not like he’s against renovating, or the way I like to decorate my house,she thought.I know he likes both of those things very much.

She was just about to ask him if there was something on his mind when Vivian returned to the counter with a radiant smile.

“Jacob! So nice to see you. What can I get for you?”

“I’d like a ham and cheese skillet,” he said with a smile. “With extra onions and tomatoes please.”

“You got it.” Vivian turned to Hazel with a smile. “What about you, sweetheart? Do you want something other than coffee before you head to work?”

“Oh!” Hazel looked down at her watch. “I got so wrapped up in showing everyone these design ideas that I lost track of time. I’ve got to go now or I’m going to be late.” She stood up and kissed Jacob. “Talk to you later?”

“Can’t wait.” He kissed her nose, grinning. Clearly whatever had been on his mind before had now vanished.

Hazel gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and then left The Lighthouse Grill, still feeling confused but determined to not be late for work. The mystery of Jacob’s unenthusiastic reaction would have to wait for another day.

CHAPTER FOUR

Alexis set down the TV remote with a sigh of satisfaction and surveyed her work. She’d made her and Grayson’s comfortable living room couch extra-cozy with squishy pillows and a couple of soft blankets. On the TV, ready for when Grayson got home, she had one of their favorite shows,Friends, waiting to be watched.

On the coffee table was a bottle of Grayson’s favorite wine, along with a corkscrew and a couple of wineglasses.

I can’t remember the last time we used our glassware,she thought, shaking her head with a chuckle.Definitely not since Cash was born. It’ll be good to use it, even though I don’t think I’m going to have hardly any wine at all.

Alexis was still breastfeeding Cash, and although the doctor had informed her that a little bit of alcohol here and there was safe for her to consume, she hadn’t felt much temptation to drink. She had a feeling that if she had more than a couple of sips of wine, she would fall fast asleep and snore through the whole evening that she’d planned for herself and Grayson.

She’d decided that it was high time she and her husband had an evening of relaxation together. Although they loved taking care of their baby, it was exhausting, and she knew Grayson wasworn just as thin as she was. They needed an evening to simply rest and rejuvenate together.

It’ll be like a date, but in our living room,she thought with a grin.

She thought eagerly of the delicious charcuterie board that she’d prepared, which was now waiting in the refrigerator. It was covered in their favorite savory and sweet treats—there were gourmet cheeses and crackers, fruit, and sausage slices as well as chocolate-covered strawberries and almonds, yogurt bites, and delicate cookies.

She took a lighter out of a drawer in the coffee table and lit the lavender-vanilla candle that was resting in a corner of the table. She almost never used candles anymore, now that Cash was a part of their household, and she couldn’t wait for the rich, soothing aroma of the candle to fill the living room.