Page 11 of Sea Glass Serenade

“That’s our girl,” said Alexis. “You’ve got this.”

“I’m proud of you, sweetheart,” Vivian said, her eyes shining.

Julia smiled back at her family and took a deep breath, willing herself to calm down. The meal resumed, and glasses and silverware clinked cheerfully as people ate. Julia munched her quiche thoughtfully. She didn’t know how she was going to go about telling Cooper that she loved him, but she felt confident that her efforts were going to be worth it.

Dean sat back on his haunches and closed his eyes for a second. He’d only been working in his auto repair shop for a couple of hours, but already he was feeling an acute sense of exhaustion. His joints were screaming for rest, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep pushing himself. And he had to admit to himself, based on how strangely his body was behaving, it wouldn’t be wise to keep pushing himself.

Well, at least I know it isn’t because I didn’t eat breakfast,he thought with a smile, remembering the delicious meal he’d shared with his family earlier that day.

He’d felt a little tired then too, but nothing like this. He’d been feeling worn out and achy off and on all week, but today it was particularly bad—and today it was hitting him after a couple of hours of work, instead of at the end of a long shift.

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling lightheaded. His body hurt in a way that didn’t feel like normal fatigue, and it worried him.

“You okay, boss?” one of his employees asked.

Dean opened his eyes and shook his head. “I think I should take a break. Could you come work on this transmission, Sam?” He hated to stop working, especially while his guys were still out in the shop doing the labor, but he felt that he needed to sit quietly for a few minutes, at least.

“Sure thing.” Sam, a teenager, looked at him with concern. “Let us know if you—I mean, if we should call someone or something.”

Dean shook his head, putting a brave smile on. “Oh, I’m fine. You won’t need to call an ambulance on me or anything.” He waved a dismissive hand, and Sam smiled at him, looking relieved.

Once Dean closed the door of his office, however, his cheerful smile disappeared.

“Oh, man,” he groaned, flopping into his swivel desk chair. He rolled his shoulders back, feeling his joints ache sharply.

He’d been telling himself that he’d simply been working too hard, but he’d woken up that morning feeling only a little tired from the day before. If he felt like this after only two hours of work, he had to admit to himself that something else might be the matter. He frowned, pushing those thoughts aside because he didn’t want to think about it.

I’ll just rest here for a little bit,he thought, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair.I’m sure I’m fine.

He’d always been the type who could sleep anywhere, anytime. After a few short minutes, he was sound asleep, dreaming peacefully about having a food fight with his siblings.

CHAPTER SEVEN

“What we need to do is stay on top of these numbers.”

Grayson nodded his head, pretending to be interested in what the stranger in front of him was saying. He was in the middle of one of his company’s most important meetings of the year. Various employees of his that he’d never even met were presenting, and there were a few spokesmen from companies that they were currently doing business with. The room was filled with men in suits, and a couple of women wearing pencil skirts and blazers.

They were seated around a long, metal table that gleamed coldly in the sunlight that was pouring in through a glass wall. The air hummed with the sound of the air conditioner blasting cold air, and after a moment Grayson realized that he was cold. He wondered who controlled the temperature in these meetings, and he thought that it was ironic that it wasn’t him, since he owned the company.

He was wearing one of his best suits, which had cost thousands of dollars. He’d dressed with care that morning, and slicked back his hair with an expensive product. Getting dressed for important meetings was the kind of thing he used to enjoy, since it made him feel as if he was getting ready for somethingexciting. Some kind of challenge, or duel. In the past, he’d gotten compliments from Alexis, kissed her goodbye at the door, and left the house feeling as if he was on some kind of mission. He’d felt like a knight in a suit of cloth instead of a suit of armor, going off and conquering the world for the woman he loved.

Today, however, he felt listless and distracted. He’d been going through the motions all day, but his heart hadn’t been in it. Now at this meeting, he was struggling to pay attention even though he kept reminding himself of how important the meeting was.

He’d called Alexis the night before, and she hadn’t picked up. Worse than that, she still hadn’t texted him back or returned his phone call. A pit had formed in his stomach that didn’t seem to be going away. Sometimes he could feel his heart beating, and it seemed like a drumbeat sounding a dirge. He could feel that he was losing her, and he didn’t know what to do.

He kept thinking about what Kay had said to him. She’d told him that he needed to make it clear to Alexis that he wanted to be with her. He’d been calling her and texting her more, but she’d been responding with less and less enthusiasm.

I’m running out of time,he thought, feeling his stomach twist.I need to take action to show her that I care about her.

“What do you think about that, Grayson?”

He looked up, realizing that someone had asked him a question, but he had no idea what had been said. He’d been too lost in thought to pay attention to what had been going on in the meeting.

“I’d need more data before I could offer a definite answer.” His expression remained undisturbed, and the man who’d asked the question nodded and hurried to present more data.

Grayson forced himself to pay attention to the meeting for the next few minutes. After all, many people depended on his company’s success, and he needed to make sure he didn’t letthem down. In a meeting like this, he would be the one calling all of the shots and deciding how to move forward based on the information presented, although he had to admit to himself that most of the time, his company essentially ran itself. He was always seeking more profit, but if he stopped doing that, he could have a great deal of time on his hands.

He wondered to himself if he would ever feel that release, that sense that he’d finally become successful. Would he spend the rest of his life chasing a feeling that would never come? And in chasing it, would he lose what really mattered to him?

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