Page 31 of Where Sea Meets Sky

He turned to her with a grin. “Kids and parties, huh?”

She swatted his arm affectionately. “Yes! I want to prepare snacks and baked goods and hors d’oeuvres. Cooking when you have an organized space is really a special kind of joy.”

“You’re a nut,” he told her, his tone warm and teasing.

“As long as I’m your nut.”

“Well, of course.”

“I can’t wait to host dinners like how Mom does. Last night was wonderful, wasn’t it? I mean, it’s always fun, but having Faith there made it feel especially nice.”

He nodded. “It was fun having a new person there. She really seems like a gem.”

“Doesn’t she? I mean, she is part of our amazing family.” She pretended to bow a little as he laughed. “But honestly, she seems kind and intelligent and—well, I don’t know. I guess I get the impression that she needs us.”

“I got that impression too. She seems lonely, like she needs more companionship. I never would have admitted it, but back when I was working all the time, I was incredibly lonely. I just never stopped working long enough to let myself feel it.”

She nodded and laid her head on his shoulder, feeling incredibly grateful that he’d stepped away from that life and come to live with her in Rosewood Beach. Their new life together was filled with peace and community, even though they both still liked to work hard at times and chase their ambitions.

“And she’s just been by herself since she got here,” Alexis said softly. “I wonder if she’s gotten to spend time with anyone? She and I got to talk for a little while when she came to The Salty Spoon at the same time I did, and she seemed really shy. It feels like she isn’t used to being social with people.”

“Maybe. She did seem a little shy last night too. Kind of hesitant.”

“Yes! I feel like she’s a little uncertain of herself, at least when it comes to us. She must have been an incredibly confident lawyer, or at least able to fake confidence, to be as successful as she was. But maybe she isn’t sure how we feel about her. I think we were all kind of stunned when she first showed up, and maybe she’s worried we don’t actually like her.”

“Oh, I think she knows that’s not the case now,” he said. “Everyone was really friendly last night.”

“I hope so. But I want to make sure she knows how welcome she is. I see no reason why we shouldn’t make an effort to be a family.”

He nodded. “That sounds like the right move. It may be exactly what she needs.”

She smiled at him. “And speaking of what things need, I’m going to finish these labels and then I’ll be ready to get started on the living room. You’re working from home today?”

He sighed dramatically. “Yes, until you summon me to my wall-painting duty.”

She chuckled. “Okay, perfect. I’ll see you later, handsome.”

“Bye, beautiful. Don’t get lost in here.”

“Are you kidding? Get lost in a perfectly organized space like this?”

He laughed and left the pantry. Alexis turned back to her work with a grin, and her thoughts soon returned to her cousin. She wondered how they could best show Faith that the entire Owens family valued her and were glad that she was there in Rosewood Beach.

“You had enough coffee there, boss?”

Ryan looked up and blinked as one of the construction workers passed him, grinning. He wrinkled his nose good-naturedly as he replied, “You’re right. This is my fourth cup today.”

“Come on, we’re not that hard to work with, are we?”

“Everyone else is fine, it’s just you,” Ryan joked, and the man grinned again before continuing on his way.

He liked interacting with the construction workers, many of whom liked to joke around but still did their jobs with speed and precision. The other aspects of his workday, however, were not as pleasant. He’d woken up in the middle of the night to the ceiling leaking in the motel where he’d been staying, and he’d had to switch to a nicer hotel before his work shift started. It was farther away from his job, which meant he hadn’t been able to go back to sleep before traveling out to the construction site.

He was standing in the hallway of a half-built area, and a cool breeze from the mountains wafted past him. The sun was starting to set, bathing the wooden planks of the building in a rosy hue. He felt tired in his mind and in his bones, but the closeness of such majestic nature stirred his heart and lifted his spirits.

I wish I had a chance to appreciate it,he thought with a sigh, turning back to his clipboard.

There was no time. He would be there for another hour or more, since they were working seven twelves, which meant twelve hours a day, seven days a week. He reminded himself that he still had it easier than the construction workers, who were doing manual labor in addition to some mental labor. He needed to make sure to focus so that everything ran as efficiently as possible. If mistakes were made, it meant costly repairs and valuable time lost.

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