Page 23 of Sea Glass Serenade

“Have you eaten?” Grayson forced a smile onto his face as he sat down across from his wife. He felt nervous about talking to her. He’d never been good at expressing his emotions, and he wondered if he would be able to describe his thoughts and feelings to her in a way that she could understand, or if he was about to botch the whole thing.

“No, I haven’t. Well, Dean and I got doughnuts a while earlier, but I haven’t eaten lunch yet.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll buy you lunch.”

She nodded, looking at his face but not smiling. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” For a few moments, they stared at each other, and the awkwardness was so thick it could have been cut with a knife.

“I guess I’ll decide what to order,” she said finally, and looked down at her menu as if retreating from his gaze.

“Sounds like a good idea.” He looked down at his menu as well and was surprised to see how many of the options could be described as “comfort food.” There were breakfast options available all day, along with classics such as cheeseburgers, pot pie, lasagna, and beef stroganoff. It wasn’t the kind of menu he was used to seeing at the restaurants he went to in L.A., but he found himself yearning for a chicken pot pie.

Once they’d ordered and the waitress had come back with their drinks, Grayson knew he needed to bite the bullet and tell his wife what he was there to say.

“How have you been?” he asked her, wanting to ease into a conversation with her.

She took a sip of her lemonade, looking out the window for a moment. “I’ve been good,” she said slowly. “Honestly, at first everything was very hard. But now—well, it’s been good here.”

He swallowed, wondering if she was telling him that things were better for her there in Rosewood Beach, or that they were better for her away from him.

“How have things been for you?” She turned back to him with a gentle smile. “I’m surprised you were able to get away from work.”

He took a deep breath, wondering how she was going to take what he was about to tell her. “I don’t have work anymore.”

She froze, staring at him. “What do you mean?”

“I quit my job. I handed off my company to someone else.”

Her jaw dropped, and then she covered her mouth with both her hands.

“Are you angry?” he asked softly, wondering what her reaction meant.

“No, I—it’s your decision, absolutely. I’m just surprised. Never in a thousand years would I have expected you to do that.”

He nodded, feeling tongue-tied. It had been an enormous step, certainly. But he felt as though his business had been weighing him down for years and consuming his thoughts. Now he was free of it, and that meant he could focus on the more important things in life, like his relationship with his wife.

“Why did you quit?” she asked after another moment. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. But—well, we’re not, are we?”

There was silence between them for another few moments. Alexis stared back at him, but she didn’t say anything. He decided to take that as a confirmation that they were not all right.

“I quit my job to be with you.” His voice was quiet. “I came here to Rosewood Beach so that I could be where you are. I—I want to make this work, if we can.”

Her lips parted, but at that moment, their waitress returned with their orders.

“There you are!” she sang out cheerfully as she set down the steaming plates of food. “Pot pie for you, sir, and, Alexis, here’s your breaded cod with waffle fries. I added an extra dish of honey mustard sauce, because I know you like it.” The waitress straightened and put her hands on her hips, clearly unaware of the awkward conversation they’d been having. “Everything look good to you folks? You let me know if I can get you anything else.”

“We will. Thank you, Tracy.” Alexis smiled at the waitress, who gave a cheerful salute and bustled off to help her next table.

Grayson coughed lightly. It felt strange to see Alexis treated like an old friend while he was referred to as “sir.” Tracy clearly didn’t realize he was Alexis’s husband, which made him feel odd.

For a few moments, they ate quietly. He was dying to know her thoughts, but he didn’t want to push her too hard. The food was incredible—his pot pie was rich and creamy, and it seemed to melt in his mouth. It certainly was comfort food, and he felt his spirits bolstered by it despite how nervous he still felt.

Finally, he decided he needed to be the one to start up the conversation again. Alexis kept eating quietly, staring out the window as if in a daze.

“I felt that coming here was the only way that we could make things work,” Grayson said softly. “So I decided that was what I needed to do.”

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