Page 13 of Sea Glass Serenade

“Good.” Alexis handed the dish of sweet potato fries to her mother. “Try a sweet potato fry. They’re magnificent.”

Vivian bit into one of the fries and smiled. “Oh, wonderful. I remember when I tried to talk Frank out of putting these on the menu. I thought they were some silly fad.” She sighed. “I hope I can keep this place going without him. He always had a knack for knowing what would be popular.”

Alexis reached out and squeezed her mother’s hand. “You’re doing great. I’m sure The Lighthouse Grill will stay every bit as popular as ever.”

Vivian smiled warmly at her daughter. Then her eyes traveled down to the desk, where Alexis’s notebook was lying.

“What are you up to?” Vivian asked curiously. “Is… is that a list of names?”

“Yes.” Alexis laughed. “I noticed a girl checking Dean out at the hardware store the other day, and he seemed completelyoblivious. I’ve come up with a scheme to help him find a woman.”

“Oh, have you?” Vivian laughed. “What does he say to this?”

“He doesn’t know yet.” Alexis shrugged, an innocent look on her face. “I’ve got to narrow down the list first. Some of these girls might not live in town anymore, and some of them might not be single.”

“Well, your heart’s in the right place, I’ll give you that.” Vivian peered over Alexis’s shoulder, reading the list. “You should add Caitlin Harrison to this list, I think she’s still in town.”

Alexis grinned. “Duly noted. I think she was one of the ones that was particularly smitten with Dean in high school, right?”

“That’s what I remember. She was a cutie. Really loved animals, if I’m not mixing her up with someone else.”

“Perfect, Dean loves animals.” Alexis scribbled down Caitlin’s name onto her list.

“Look at us, scheming away behind his back!” Vivian shook her head, but she was still laughing. “We should be ashamed of ourselves.”

“Oh, I’m not ashamed. This just might work, and then our boy will have someone to come home to at night. Sounds like a worthy cause for scheming to me.”

Vivian stayed to talk with Alexis for a few more minutes, and then she excused herself, saying that she wanted to check up on the kitchens.

“You show me that list later,” she teased as she stepped back out into the hallway.

“I will!” Alexis called cheerfully. She turned back to her list with a smile, popping the last sweet potato fry into her mouth.

She had a contented, glowing feeling in her chest, and she thought to herself how nice it was that she could do something worthwhile and meaningful with her time. She hadn’t been ableto do anything for anyone when she was back in L.A. She’d been stuck inside her mansion, feeling like a doll inside a dollhouse.

She knew that it was her return to Rosewood Beach that allowed her to be able to help out her family and do things that she could be proud of. Even though the strain between herself and her husband was what had caused her to stay there in her hometown, she felt content with the fact that fate had led her to where she was. For the first time in a while, she felt at peace with the distance between herself and Grayson.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Hazel leaned against the wall, watching Jacob with a smile on her face. He was standing in her kitchen with his hands on his hips, staring up at the wall above her refrigerator as if it was speaking to him. She bit her lip, repressing a giggle and thinking to herself how incredibly cute he was. His gray eyes held an amused glint, and his rich brown hair was a little unkempt, although his trim beard looked as tidy as usual.

“What seems to be the trouble, doctor?” she teased.

He turned to her with a grin. “I’m afraid I’ll have to operate.”

“Wow, that serious, huh?”

He nodded. “I’ll have to cut into the drywall to take a look at the pipe. Good thing you’re renovating anyway.” He gestured to the plastic sheets and cans of paint that were still covering half the kitchen.

“Yeah, that’s Alexis.” Hazel chuckled. “I guess I’ll have to call her and tell her that learning how to fit up cut drywall needs to be next on her agenda.”

“Oh, no, I’ll do that for you,” he assured her. “No extra charge.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, surprised. “Isn’t that a lot of trouble for you?”

“No, not at all.” He smiled at her, and her heart rate picked up as she wondered if what she was seeing in his eyes was tenderness. “Besides, I can’t just cut a hole in your wall without putting it back together again.”

“Okay.” She laughed breathlessly, feeling as though she might be flushing a little. “Well, thank you. We can definitely help you with it.”

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