Page 2 of Sea Glass Serenade

Alexis’s eyes filled with tears as she reflected that without their father, the Owens family would never be complete in the same way that it was before. “I know what you mean, Mom. Hazel said something similar the other day. She said that life in Rosewood Beach has felt even sweeter because of our family being together again.”

“It’s been wonderful.” Vivian nodded. “How are you feeling about being here? Do you miss L.A.?”

Alexis frowned slightly for a moment, considering her mother’s question. There were things she missed about L.A., certainly—she missed her friends, and her husband Grayson. But her relationship with Grayson hadn’t been the same for a long while, and many of her L.A. friends were starting to lose touch with her as they carried on with their overly-busy lives.

“Not all that much. I’m happy here, right now. I like being back in Rosewood Beach.”

“I love having you here. But…” Vivian hesitated, pressing her lips together gently. “I worry that you’re trying to run from your situation with Grayson.” Vivian’s tone was gentle, and there was a caring look in her eyes. “You’ll need to decide what to do about your strained relationship with him eventually.”

“I know.” Alexis felt herself stiffen a little. It wasn’t that she resented her mother bringing up the subject, it was just that she felt uncomfortable whenever she thought about it.

Mom’s right, she thought.I do need to decide what I’m going to do about Grayson. I’m barely thinking about my future. I try to think about it—and Grayson—as little as possible.

She was at the point where she didn’t know what else to do. All of her earlier efforts to repair her relationship with her husband had fallen flat, and he’d remained as distant as ever. Rather than continue to feel as though she was trapped in a cycle where she felt powerless, she’d turned her attention to other things. Focusing her energy away from her relationship with Grayson had felt healing and empowering. But she knew that her mother was right, and that soon, she would need to start trying to repair her marriage again—somehow.

“Have you talked to him at all these past few weeks?”

“Oh, definitely. We talk on the phone periodically. He lets me know how work is going, and I keep him updated about how things out here are going.”

“That doesn’t mean that anything has been solved,” Vivian pointed out gently. “Don’t avoid trying to make things work between you two again.”

Alexis shook her head, searching for her words. “I wouldn’t say I’m avoiding anything—it’s more that I’m just enjoying my time here. It’s been very healing to be back here in Rosewood Beach.”

Vivian smiled, but her eyes were filled with a knowing light. Alexis had a feeling that her mother guessed at what Alexis knew deep down, which was that she was both enjoying her time in Rosewood Beach and avoiding facing her situation with Grayson.

CHAPTER TWO

Grayson Bennett inhaled and then exhaled slowly, barely conscious of his breathing. His eyes were glued to the large screen of his desktop computer, and his mind was calculating profits almost as quickly as a machine could do it.

Finally, he let out another sigh and sat back, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. He glanced at the clock that was perched on the edge of his large, black walnut desk. It was late. In the past, he’d gotten out of work early on Saturdays, but for the past several months, he’d been lingering longer and longer.

He’d built his finance business from the ground up, and he was incredibly proud of it. He’d become successful in spite of humble beginnings because he’d worked tirelessly, and he had a quick, perceptive mind and an ability to be very charming when he made the effort.

Now he was incredibly rich and successful, but the feeling of success never seemed to be there. He’d expected himself to reach a point where he felt as though he’d done enough, where he could sit back and feel good about his accomplishments. But instead of that happening, he’d become more and more restless, always searching for satisfaction that never arrived. He kept telling himself that what he needed was just a little bit moremoney, but more money kept coming in, and he still didn’t feel as though he could call himself a success.

He turned his head and looked out across the L.A. skyline. The exterior walls of his office were made entirely of glass, and they offered him a perfect view of the surrounding city, along with glimpses of the glittering Pacific Ocean in the distance.

He’d just closed another deal, but instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment, he still felt restless. He wondered, as he had before, what it was all for.

At first, his drive had come from a desire to provide for his wife, Alexis, and give them both a good life. He’d first started working long hours with her in mind, thinking of how much he would be able to give her if he earned a great deal. But it soon became clear that his workaholic nature was driving a wedge between them. She didn’t seem to understand his need to do the best he could possibly do at his job, and he couldn’t understand why she wasn’t content to simply enjoy the life he’d given her. He felt as though he’d handed her a blissfully leisurely existence on a silver platter, and she’d turned him down.

And now she was back in that little hometown of hers, helping her family with their restaurant. His heart twisted as he thought about her being there, working long hours as a waitress. It must be hot, exhausting work, he thought. Her hands would get chapped and her feet would get sore and people would be shouting at her hour after hour.

Things between me and her must be really bad,he thought nervously,if she would rather live like that than come back to our mansion.

He swallowed. He was afraid that Alexis choosing to stay longer with her family meant that he was going to lose her.

At that moment, there was a short, sharp knock on his door and his secretary, Kay, entered a second later. Kay was a slightly stout, middle-aged woman whose perm was always in perfectorder, and so were her pantsuits. Today she was wearing a dark green pantsuit with a starched white blouse and simple silver stud earrings. Kay had been his secretary since the beginning of his career, and she’d taken on an almost familial tone with him.

“You don’t need to be here this late on a Saturday,” she said briskly.

“You can go home anytime you want to, Kay.” He smiled at her, appreciating the fact that she was trying to take care of him despite the bossy way in which she was going about it.

Kay shook her head. “I’ve still got work to do, and my husband is out with his friends until tonight, so I have no reason to go home yet. You should go home.” Her eyes glittered knowingly, as if she’d sensed somehow that things were rocky between him and Alexis.

“I have no one to go home to either. Alexis is staying with her family in Rosewood Beach, on the other side of the country.”

“She’s still there?” Kay asked, surprised.

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