Page 41 of Sea Glass Serenade

He grinned at her. “How did you know I was going to slow you down?”

“You always did.” Her eyes got a faraway look for a moment, and she chuckled. “I think the last time we went shopping together was when we were dating, wasn’t it?”

“Wow.” He felt a pang of regret, but he smiled through it. “I think you’re right. It’s been a long time, huh?”

She nodded. “I think when we first got married, I wouldn’t let you come shopping with me. You always drove me nuts, because you over-analyzed everything. It would take you forever to choose something as simple as a water filter.”

Grayson lifted a finger in protest. “Water filters are not simple. And besides, that’s an important purchase. You need to read the boxes of all the available ones and see what they do or do not filter.”

“See? You’re at it again.” She laughed. “And it wasn’t just you reading the box—then you went online and started reading reviews.”

He grinned. “Well, you could always go on ahead and pick out other things while I checked out the water filters.”

“I tried! I would suggest that, and then you would say, ‘No, don’t leave me’ and like a sap, I would stand there and wait for you.”

As soon as she stopped speaking, a kind of quietness settled over them. They stood there looking at each other, and Grayson felt his heart thumping in his chest.

Don’t leave me, Alexis,he thought.

Out loud, he said, “Well, sorry. I guess I was pretty unreasonably clingy then.”

She nodded, looking a little pained. He understood how hard it must have been for her to be suddenly living with someone who was acting so differently from the man she’d dated. He had to admit to himself that he’d become too complacent. Because he’d won her heart, and she was his wife, he’d turned his attention to the things he felt needed “conquering,” like hisbusiness. As they stood there in the grocery store, he vowed to himself that he would never be foolish like that again. He knew now that her heart was something that needed to be tended to even after it was won.

“Alexis?” His voice was soft.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for a lot of things.”

She nodded. “I know.”

They stood there smiling sadly at each other, and then the bells hanging on the front door jangled. Alexis glanced at her watch and squeaked.

“Oh my goodness! I need to keep moving here. See, you’re slowing me down again.”

He grinned at her teasing, glad that the mood between them had been lightened again. They continued to shop together, and she continued to tease him about the way he was wandering through the aisles eagerly, acting as though the grocery store was a fun place to be.

“It is fun,” he protested. “I’ve never seen so many different kinds of noodles in my life. It makes me wish I had better pasta-making skills.”

When they’d made their purchases, they went back outside to Alexis’s car and loaded it up. Grayson became quiet and thoughtful as they carried the bags from the cart to the trunk of her car. When they had finished loading the trunk and they sat down in the front seats next to each other, he turned to his wife.

“It was fun. Because I was there with you. I loved spending time with you in there. I think the fact that we didn’t do simple, everyday things together like that contributed to the distance between us. I wish I’d eaten meals with you, and gone shopping with you, and sat down to pay the bills with you. I never understood how important all that was in getting to know a person, and staying close to a person.”

She nodded, looking straight ahead. She looked sad, but when she turned to him, there was a tenderness in her eyes that made him feel relieved. “I think that’s true.”

He glanced at the time. “We’d better get going. I don’t want you to be late.”

“Thanks.” She started the engine of the car. “Do you want me to drop you off at your hotel on my way to the pub?”

“Oh.” He hadn’t realized that she was unaware he planned on going with her to the pub. “No, I’d like to come with you.”

“To the pub? I’m working a shift. I thought this was where we were going to part ways.”

“I know, but… well, I’m sure I’ll be of some use there. There’s always stuff to be done around a restaurant, right?”

“That’s for sure. Before my shift starts, I have some things to do around the pub, like put away plates and roll silverware. Are you sure you want to help with stuff like that?”

“What, are you worried I can’t put some plates away?”

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