Page 11 of Return to Rosewood Beach

Julia pushed open the door of The Lighthouse Grill and took a deep breath of the familiar smells. Now that it wasn’t her first time back inside since her father’s passing, she was able to enjoy the flood of memories that surrounded her more. The Lighthouse Grill had always felt like home to her, and she was already starting to feel at ease there again.

She made her way across the dining area to one of the booths, which was placed by a window overlooking the water.Her mother was already seated there, sipping a cup of coffee and looking tired. In the next moment she looked up and saw her daughter, and her face brightened with a smile.

“Hey, Mom.” Julia sat down and reached across the table to squeeze her mother’s hands. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?”

“Oh, fine.”

The truth was that she’d slept terribly, since her mind had wanted to over-analyze and try to problem-solve all of the problems that she couldn’t actually solve all night. But she still felt fairly refreshed, and she had a feeling that being back in the clean air and the slower pace of life of Rosewood Beach had something to do with that.

“How did you sleep, Mom?”

“Oh, fine.”

Julia smiled affectionately at her mother, guessing that she was lying just as much as Julia had been. She squeezed her mother’s hand again.

“Thanks for arranging this. It’ll be good to see everyone.”

Vivian nodded. “It’s important for us all to stick together as a family.”

Julia smiled and then was quiet for a few moments. She felt a flutter of nervousness at the prospect of being reunited with her siblings. It had been so long since they’d really caught up, and she almost felt as though they were strangers to her now.

“We should get some menus on the table,” she said, noticing that there were only glasses of water and rolls of silverware placed on it. She felt restless and she wanted to do something productive.

Vivian shook her head. “I already ordered for you kids. I remember exactly how you all like your breakfast burritos.”

Julia smiled, touched by her mother’s care for each of them. She didn’t have the heart to mention to her mother that it wasmore than likely that some of their tastes had changed since they were last there together. Although she had to admit that she herself did still prefer her breakfast burritos the same way, with ham, hash browns, onions, red peppers, tomatoes, and plenty of cheese.

She poured herself a cup of coffee and added a splash of cream. She took a sip, savoring the taste. “Mm. Still the best coffee in town besides Ocean Breeze Café.”

“Oh, I could never compete with Sally. But we do make a good roast here.” Vivian smiled, looking pleased by her daughter’s compliment.

“Hey!”

Julia turned around, and a grin spread across her face as she saw her siblings walking toward them.

Dean, with his messy dark brown hair and dark blue eyes, was flashing his crooked grin at them. He’d been quite the heartthrob in high school, and his shoulders were even broader now than they’d been back then. Ironically, he was currently single despite how many girls had wanted him back in the day—and Julia suspected that he still had his fair share of admirers.

“Sis!” he cried, opening his arms for a hug from her.

Laughing, she stood up and gave him a hug. Behind him, Alexis and Hazel were smiling at her, almost shyly, and she hugged them warmly as well.

“Gosh, look at us,” Dean said, sliding into the booth with as much charm and energy as he’d had as a kid. “We all grew up into a pretty handsome pack of animals, didn’t we, Mom?”

Vivian shook her head, laughing. “Your father was so proud of all of you.”

Instantly everyone got quiet. Julia noticed Hazel blink back a few tears, and her own heart felt suddenly heavy. It wasn’t just that she was feeling the grief of her father’s passing, it was also that he’d never said those words to her himself. Frank had beena quiet, hardworking man who was sometimes hard to read. She’d known he loved her very much, but he had seldom put his feelings into words.

“Come on, let’s eat together.” Alexis smiled at them all, clearly trying to lift people’s spirits. “It’ll be just like old times.”

Hazel slid into the booth next to her twin, and Julia noticed that the old crackle of impish energy was still joining her and Dean. The two of them had always had a little bit of mischief up their sleeves, and some of their mutual pranks had been legendary.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had a real breakfast like this.” Dean leaned back in his seat, sighing with satisfaction. “I usually just devour a semi-frozen bagel on my way to the car shop.”

Dean owned the local mechanic shop, Main Street Auto. He’d gained a good reputation for being skilled, thorough, and fair in his prices.

“What? That’s terrible. You need to eat.” Hazel swatted her twin in the arm. “Come to our place for breakfast.”

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