Page 35 of Wishes at Water's Edge
“I’m good.” Lewis smiled. “I’m a bit of a coffee snob, so I don’t usually try diner coffee.”
Alexis couldn’t hold back a sigh that time. “Lewis,” she said, passing him her coffee cup. “Stop making assumptions and try this coffee.”
He seemed somewhat surprised by her direct manner, but he shrugged and took a sip of the coffee. His eyebrows lifted when he tasted how excellent it was.
“It’s good, right? Our local health inspector approved it and everything,” Julia said.
Alexis and Grayson laughed, while Lewis cocked his head to one side in confusion.
“Our mother Vivian is dating the local health inspector,” Alexis explained. “Before they started going out, he helped her pick out a new coffee for The Lighthouse Grill. He’s also a coffee connoisseur, so he knew about a whole bunch of high-quality roasts.”
“Mm.” Lewis grunted and took another sip.
“He likes it,” Alexis said to Julia. “Get him his own cup please.” She reached across the table and took her coffee cup back from Lewis.
Lewis laughed. “You’re right. I’ll take a cup. Thank you, Julia.”
“No problem at all,” she said breezily, and went off to get him coffee.
They continued to chat while they enjoyed their food and beverages. Soon their conversation turned toward remembering times past, and they reminisced together for a while. Alexis loved seeing the way Grayson and Lewis laughed together. It was clear that the time and distance that had separated them hadn’t managed to quench their friendship at all.
“Oh wow, that was good,” Lewis said, pushing his plate away once they’d finally finished their meal. “It’s true—that sauce turned that sandwich into the best BLT I’ve ever had.”
Alexis grinned triumphantly. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“We should all meet up again while I’m still here in town,” Lewis said. “I’m working long distance here for a moment.”
“Oh, sure.” Grayson looked delighted by the prospect. “Do you?—”
He stopped talking as Lewis’s phone began to ring. Lewis looked down at the screen expectantly and then stood up.
“I’ve got to take this,” he said apologetically. He rummaged quickly in his wallet and threw a hundred-dollar bill down onto the table. “Let me take care of lunch—no, I insist. We’ll be in touch about meeting up again.” Flashing a charismatic smile and giving them a wink, Lewis slipped out of the pub.
Alexis and Grayson watched the doors swing closed behind him before turning to each other.
“Well,” she said slowly.
“That’s Lewis.” Grayson laughed. “Wow, he seems so much more arrogant out here than he did in L.A. I guess it’s because almost everybody is like that back there. Always making a point of proving their worth.”
Alexis shook her head. “I don’t miss that, that’s for sure. But it was nice to see Lewis again. I think our itty-bitty little town managed to impress him in spite of himself.”
Grayson laughed. “I think you’re right. And he wants to meet up again! I’m not really sure what to think of the way he was behaving, but I do know that I’d like to see him again.”
“I think he was flaunting his feathers a little bit.” Alexis smiled. “But underneath it all, he’s a good-natured guy. And at any rate—Julia will be thrilled that she just got a sixty-dollar tip.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hazel propped her elbows on her kitchen table and rested her chin on her hands. She peered down at the paint swatches that she’d spread out on the table in front of her.
She’d purchased paint samples already and dabbed them on one of the living room walls and on one of the upstairs bathroom walls. She liked all of those paint colors, and she could have been content with any of them, but they didn’t say “this is definitely it” to her. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have second-guessed herself so much when decorating her home, but she wanted everything to be just right. She felt as though she might be more likely to win Jacob’s enthusiasm that way. She knew that she was free to set up her home however she wanted, but since it was soon to be his home as well, she felt it was only right to choose colors that he liked too.
Besides, she thought with a sigh,I can’t help hoping that I’ll be able to coax some enthusiasm out of him yet. This green is really so nice—it makes me think of the jungle and pine trees and Christmas all at once.
Her eyes roamed to her phone, and she wondered if Dean had texted her back yet. She’d checked in earlier, wondering if he’d proposed to Noelle yet. He wouldn’t have had the time tocome up with any kind of elaborate proposal setting like the one they’d constructed together the other day, but she had a feeling that Dean would soon realize that all that didn’t really matter. He’d made it clear to Noelle that he cared about her and that he was willing to put a lot of work into treating her right. He could propose to her while they were walking down the sidewalk together and she would be happy.
She grabbed her phone and checked her notifications. She still hadn’t heard anything from Dean, and she considered calling him.
He probably hasn’t proposed yet,she thought.Otherwise he would have told me. But I still want to know if he’s got a plan or anything like that.
