Page 34 of Wishes at Water's Edge
“Mm, maybe on the side,” Lewis said. “And I’ll take a glass of iced tea, as well.”
“You got it,” Julia said, and hurried off to put in their order.
Alexis took another sip of her coffee, enjoying the velvety richness of the dark liquid. Beside her, Cash began to tap the edge of the table with his pudgy little fingers as if he was playing the drums.
“Wow, this really is a small town,” Lewis said with a laugh. “This restaurant has a secret sauce that everyone thinks is the best thing ever?” He shook his head.
Alexis cleared her throat. “Actually, that secret sauce is a family recipe. My grandmother’s. And it really is out of this world. Wait until you try it.”
Lewis bowed gallantly. “I spoke too soon. I will reserve my judgement until I’ve tasted it.”
Despite his apology, Alexis could tell that he still wasn’t convinced. He clearly thought that she and Grayson had settled down amidst a bunch of country bumpkins.
“Our town is small, you’re right, Lewis.” Grayson cocked a brow as he took a sip of his own coffee. “But we love it here. We’ve been really enjoying living in Rosewood Beach. It’s wonderful to be so close to Alexis’s family, and it’s a really great community. I mean, you can drive anywhere you want without traffic.” He laughed.
Lewis groaned appreciatively. “Oh, you got me there. So, speaking of commuting, what are you doing for work these days?”
“I’m still in finance,” Grayson said, “but I work with a small local firm now. Nothing too impressive, but it allows me to have a lot more time for myself and for Alexis. And now I’ve got this little monster to deal with too.” Grayson grinned at Cash, who made a noise like a penguin.
“And Alexis is a stay-at-home mom—no, you said waitress.” Lewis smiled. Alexis had a feeling that he didn’t intend to be patronizing, but his tone gave that impression regardless. “And I’m still with Galvan Tech, of course. Climbing that ladder more every month, it feels like.”
He straightened his tie a little, an unintentionally dramatic gesture. Alexis remembered that a lot of people in L.A. had been like that—almost showy whenever they talked about themselves. Lewis wasn’t a bad guy or even a particularly arrogant one, he was simply still part of a culture that she no longer liked to be around.
“Congratulations,” Grayson said without a touch of envy in his voice.
“You two must miss the city,” Lewis said. “I mean, it’s cute out here, but what do you have to do?”
“Oh, lots of things.” Alexis laughed. “I have more to do here than I did in L.A. I mean, there are still yoga and Pilates classes, and there are so many places to hike to. We have coffee shops where we meet up with friends, and the local board game store lets you test out the board games before buying them so sometimes we hang out there, and there are all kinds of local festivals and parties to go to. And since moving here, I’ve started my own online jewelry store. It’s going very well—Grayson helped me with setting up the website and with marketing.”
“You didn’t need much help,” Grayson said proudly. “Your jewelry is wonderful—the reviews make that perfectly clear.”
“Good for you, Alexis,” Lewis said, sounding genuinely impressed. “But wouldn’t you rather have had an actual store somewhere in the city? With your connections to the fashion world through modeling, you could have been making actual money by now.”
Grayson cleared his throat, looking somewhat irritated with Lewis for the first time. “She is making actual money.”
“And besides, Lewis,” Alexis said, “that’s not the kind of business I want. I want something that still allows me to live a quiet life with my family. This way I can sell here and there whenever I have the time to make new pieces. It’s just fun for me, not something that takes over my life.”
She and Grayson met eyes for a moment across the table. They both remembered well how his work had consumed his life, and with it, their marriage. Being overburdened by an unending workload was no way to be truly successful.
“Oh sure, sure.” Lewis smiled. “I understand. I just always get so excited about new businesses opening up. Don’t you miss that about the city? The developments in the city are so interesting. Life is always evolving there.”
Alexis smiled politely, but she couldn’t help feeling that Lewis was trying to outshine their little town.
I don’t want to read into things, though,she thought, determined to maintain a generous spirit.After all, we do live a very different kind of life here. He’s probably just saying all the things that are popping into his head.
She glanced up as Tom Norris, one of their longtime cooks, emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming plate. He headed over to a nearby table with his characteristic warm smile, setting down what looked like their famous fish and chips special. The elderly couple at the table lit up when they saw him, and Tom paused to chat with them for a moment, asking about their grandchildren and laughing at something the woman said.
Lewis glanced over at the interaction with a slightly bemused expression. “Is he one of the chefs here? He looks charmingly… rustic,” he said in a tone that was clearly meant to sound sophisticated.
Alexis bit back a frown at that. Tom was one of the kindest people she knew, someone who remembered every regular customer’s favorite order and always had an encouraging word. So what if he had a rustic, small-town demeanor? That was one of her favorite things about him.
Tom returned to the kitchen, and Julia appeared a moment later, carrying a tray covered in steaming hot plates.
“Here you are!” she said cheerfully, beginning to set the plates down on the table. “Crepes for Alexis, a BLT for Lewis, and a cheeseburger for Grayson. And you should all have your sides and sauces. Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“I think we’re good,” Alexis said, surveying her crepes and sausages with satisfaction. “You’re a dreamboat.”
“Wow, thanks.” Julia pretended to bow. “More coffee for anyone?”
