“Anyway,” Alexis stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. “I finally got some of the pictures we took on our vacation printed off, and I got a few new ones for you.”
Alexis had saved her money for years to take Harper to Walt Disney World, and it had been more than worth the extra hours at the bar and eating cereal for dinner to watch her daughter hug Mickey Mouse for the first time on her fifth birthday. Sophia had gone with them, and they’d all had an absolute blast on their weeklong vacation. One of the trip’s highlights was watching Sophia interrogate the poor churro cart worker over the sugary snack food’s ingredients. Although they’d been back for a couple of weeks, Alexis still felt she could use a vacation from their vacation.
“Oh, lovely.” Sophia sipped her sparkling water. “Did you get the one of her in the princess costume Emily made her? That one is our favorite.”
“I did, yes. I’ll bring the pictures over later.”
“Perfect.”
The two finished eating their salads in silence as they simply enjoyed each other’s presence. Alexis appreciated the fact that Sophia carved out time for her. It was rare they got to have time alone, just the two of them, as usually Harper was along with them.
Under the table, Sophia kicked Alexis’s shin with her heel and Alexis gasped.
“The hell, Soph?”
“Don’t turn around,” Sophia whispered as her eyes focused on something behind Alexis. Not listening to her, Alexis whipped around to see that Blake and Vera had entered the diner. Another quick kick to the shin made Alexis whirl back around to face Sophia. “What part of ‘don’t turn around’ don’t you understand? Honestly, no wonder Harper has a hard time obeying me sometimes. She gets it honestly.”
“Sorry.” Picking up her drink, Alexis turned back around as she took a sip.
“Way to not be obvious, Lex.”
“Well.” She rolled her eyes as she turned back around, pouting like a child as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Oh, we can go get refills.”
“And you’re telling me not to be obvious.”
“You’ve already gotten to meet her.”
“I haven’t, actually.” She took another sip of her drink that was now officially gone. Alexis set it back down, knowing good and well that she couldn’t get up and get a refill in light of what Sophia had said. “Emily and I left soon after she came in to give her and Isla some time alone.” Across the table, Sophia shifted her position so she could see clearly around Alexis. “Stop it.”
“What?” Sophia feigned innocence as she clutched her chest dramatically. “I’m trying to get the attention of my good friend Vera to tell her hello.”
“You’re impossible.”
“Oh,” a smile flashed across Sophia’s face as she waved, “she noticed me. Oh, Alexis, they’re coming over here. Sit up straighter.” Sophia snapped her fingers at her as Alexis reluctantly sat up straighter.
“Oh, for the love of…”
“Vera!” Sophia’s voice was higher pitched than usual, and Alexis stifled a laugh, which earned her another kick in the shin. “It’s so nice to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too, Sophia.” Vera gave Sophia a quick, one-armed hug before doing the same to Alexis. “And it’s good to see you too, Lex. Where’s Harper?”
“She’s with Aunt Emily and Aunt Maddie at the park today.”
“Aw, shucks. I hate that I missed her.”
“That’s how everyone feels when I show up anywhere without her.”
“Please, I am equally as happy to see you.” Turning her body slightly, Vera motioned for Blake to come toward her. As Blake stood beside Vera, Alexis could see the uneasiness in her face. She looked uncomfortable to be meeting people, and Alexis hoped Vera wasn’t parading her around town. Like the night before, Blake was in a jean jacket with a Blondie tee underneath with black jeans and Doc Martens on her feet. The baseball cap was yet again perched atop her head. “Sophia, Alexis, this is Blake. Isla’s daughter.”
“Hi.” Blake offered them a small wave accompanied by a nervous smile.
“Sophia Beauchamp.” Sophia extended a regal hand out to her as Blake shook it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Blake. I’ve known your mother for years.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“And this is Alexis Holland.” Gesturing toward Alexis, Sophia resembled Vanna White. A flash of recognition came over Blake’s face as she looked at Alexis.
“You were at the bar last night.”
“Um, yeah.” Another kick to the shin. Alexis glared across the table at Sophia before smiling back up at Blake. “Yes, I was there. I, um, work there. With your mom. Your mom’s my boss.”
“I gathered.” Blake’s laugh was even dreamier in person. She reached her hand out toward Alexis as Alexis quickly took it. There was a spark – a literal one – between them, and they both pulled away quickly. “Well, that was shocking.”
Alexis laughed way too loud at Blake’s joke, and across the table, she saw Sophia grimace and slightly sink into her seat. She wished she could burrow a hole right through the floor to get out of what was turning into the most awkward encounter of her life.
“Here you go, Vera.” Julia brought them two large bags full of food as Vera thanked her and took them. Her smile spread wide across her face as she looked at Blake.
“Well, we’ll leave you two alone.” Vera held up the bags. “We are going to go pick up the kids from school and have an early dinner. “Enjoy the rest of your lunch.”
“You too,” Alexis called a little too loud after them as they headed back out of the restaurant. Sophia covered her mouth with her hand, but her eyes gave her away. Alexis knew she was laughing. “Shut up.”
“Oh, my god.”
“I don’t want to hear it.” Putting all their trash on one tray, Alexis stood and took the tray and its contents to the hole in the wall that led back to the kitchen. Most of the utensils and bowls were all reusable stainless steel, and everything else was compostable. Alexis refilled her drink at the fountain as Sophia sipped on her drink beside her. Alexis pushed open the door and finally let herself take in a full breath. Sophia snickered beside her as Alexis pointed a finger in the air, feeling very much mistreated.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say a word.”
“That smirk on your face is saying more than your words ever could.”
“I can’t help it if you flirt worse than Maddie.”
“Harsh.” Alexis rolled her eyes and walked down the street to the apartment. She could hear Sophia laughing and the click of her heels behind her on the sidewalk. When Sophia looped her arm around Alexis’s and kissed her on the cheek, all of Alexis’s frustrations faded away. She loved that she and Sophia had a relationship in which they could tease each other as they did.
Alexis only wished she didn’t have so much ammunition for Sophia to use.
“She’s pretty, oui?”
“She is, yes.”
“You know, Lex, it would be the neighborly thing to do to offer to show her around town.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Sophia raised an eyebrow at her. “You could show her the park, or you could invite her out to lunch, or you could invite her over to game night.” She dramatically gasped. “Oh, invite her over to game night. That way, she can meet all of us.”
“And what? Realize what a group of crazy misfits we are?”
Their eclectic group of friends often gathered at Sophia and Emily’s apartment at least once a week for game night. Game nights were full of laughter and shenanigans, but she was in no way eager for Blake to be a part of them. Alexis had absolutely zero game when it came to flirting, and yes, she could admit that she liked Blake. But it was nothing more than a crush on an actress. That was all.
At least, that’s what she’d tell herself.
“You can’t stay closed off forever, mon amour.”
“Maybe not, but come on, Soph.” Alexis rolled her eyes. “Blake Calloway? S
eriously? There’s no way that she would be interested in me. I’m a single mom who works at a bar, is a terrible homebody, and is dangerously close to being a Disney adult myself.”
“You never know,” her eyes were sparkling once again, “that may be exactly the type of woman Blake is interested in.”
Not wanting to protest anymore, Alexis rested her head on Sophia’s shoulder as they walked around the corner to Sophia’s Tesla. They hugged goodbye and Alexis headed back to her apartment a few blocks away. All the while, her mind kept toying with the possibility of Blake being interested in her.
“Fat chance of that,” she scoffed.
Chapter 5
Blake broke off another piece of the brown sugar cinnamon PopTart and popped it into her mouth. It’d been years since she’d had one, and she wondered why she’d ever liked the breakfast pastry in the first place. She tossed the piece onto the paper towel, deeply sighing as it crumbled into even smaller pieces.
It had been less than two days since she’d arrived in Moonflower Cove and already, she’d sat through a family dinner with Vera and the kids and gone to a middle school softball game. But mysteriously, her mother and sister had been absent from both. Blake tried not to take it personally, but it was hard. She knew Isla was at work and assumed the same about Mason. Or maybe Mason didn’t want to see her at all or maybe she just needed time to process. Either way, Blake was desperate to be able to talk to both of them soon.
Footsteps on the stairs startled Blake as she turned around on the barstool to see Vera. She was dressed in a navy-blue robe, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. Despite the fact she’d just woken up, Vera looked infinitely more put together than Blake, who was in an old Madonna concert tee and New York Yankee’s sweatpants.
“Hey, kid,” Vera smiled sweetly at her as she breezed into the kitchen.
“Hey.” Blake offered her a quick smile. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”
“No, you didn’t. I always get up this early on Saturdays.”
“Oh. Ok.” The thought of Vera making breakfast for her family made a pang of sadness course through Blake’s body. Her father wasn’t one to ever make breakfast, and the various maids they’d had over the years weren’t motherly at all. It was another reminder of things she’d missed in her childhood. “Good.”
“I’m going to make some breakfast if you’d want something more than a PopTart.”
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to bother you.”
“Please.” Vera waved a dismissive hand at her as she took the eggs out of the fridge. “I’m cooking for five anyway. One more won’t add any extra work.”
“Do you always do this?”
“Every Saturday. It’s my treat for the family. They always sleep in, and I make breakfast. It’s not much; usually eggs and toast and sometimes bacon.” Vera paused as a playful look flashed across her face. “Do you eat bacon? Isla has some turkey bacon that’s surprisingly good if you do.”
“I love bacon.”
“Good.”
Satisfied with the answer, Vera nodded and rummaged in the fridge for the bacon. She set it beside the eggs before pressing a button on the coffee pot as it brewed. Vera was at home in the kitchen, making Blake’s heart happy and sad at the same time. She wished she’d been able to grow up in the house with Isla and Vera and their kids. Everything would have been so different. Blake had never known what she was missing out on until seeing it in action.
“So,” Vera held out the word longer than necessary, “have you and Isla been able to talk any? I know you’ve only been here for a couple of days, but...”
“Yeah, no.” Blake shook her head and avoided Vera’s gaze. “We haven’t. Not really.”
“Well, maybe tonight.” There was a slight catch in Vera’s voice as if she was contemplating the right words to say. “She’s off, and I can take the kids out for dinner if you two want to talk here, or you two can go out, and I’ll make dinner for the kids here. Whatever you’re more comfortable with.”
“I don’t know what to say.” It was the truth; Blake had never experienced such understanding and respect from someone who legitimately didn’t want anything in return from her. Blake was keenly aware all her life that some people would only be friendly to her because of what they hoped to get from her in return. It’d made Blake more closed off than she’d realized.
“To your mom or me?”
“Both.” Blake avoided Vera’s gaze as she picked at the PopTart on the napkin. “I can’t believe my dad did this. It’s so fucked up.”
“I know, honey.” She could hear Vera swallow the lump in her throat as she leaned on the counter across from her. “It wasn’t fair to you or your mom or Mason. But I want you to know one thing, ok?” Vera waited until Blake’s eyes met hers before continuing. “Your mom has loved you every single day since the day she knew she was pregnant with you. I can promise you that.”
Overcome with emotion, the only thing Blake could do was nod. Vera reached out across the counter and squeezed her arm. There were no words needed for Vera’s motherly comforting to wash over Blake. She breathed in deeply and gritted her teeth before looking up at Vera.
“I wish I had known even a little bit about her growing up.” She shrugged. “I mean, I have some memories of her before Dad took me, but they’re distant memories now. Dad never told me anything. If I’d ask questions, he’d always change the subject. I barely even saw pictures of her.”
“Well,” there was a twinkle in Vera’s eyes, “as you know now, all you had to do was look in the mirror to see her.” Blake nodded as she smiled shyly. It was the first thing Blake had noticed when she saw Isla. “And if you want pictures, your mom has a ton of them in photo albums.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yes. My wonderful wife has always insisted on taking tons of pictures, and once cell phone pictures became a thing, I thought we’d have to add a room onto the house because she insists on printing off every single photo she takes.”
“Does she have any of me?”
“Of course, she does.” Vera bit her lip as she nodded. “She has them from when she was pregnant to you up until…” She didn’t have to finish her sentence. They both knew what she was going to say. “Isla regretted not taking more pictures of you, which is why I am sure she insists on taking so many pictures of the other kids.”
“Makes sense.”
Nodding, Blake pushed her tongue into the cheek as she thought about how Isla was affected by everything too. She’d been so caught up in her world that she’d failed to realize that Isla had her daughter taken from her in a court of law by a man she once trusted. No wonder Isla had been avoiding her; the pain of seeing Blake all grown up must have killed her. Blake wondered if she’d made the right decision to show up at the bar completely unannounced.
“I am happy you are here, Blake.”
“Me too.” She was thankful Vera had pulled her from her mental spiral. “Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
“Hey, you’re family, kid.” Vera paused briefly before laughing. “Hey, how lucky are you? Come here looking for your mom and end up with two moms.”
The thought of being able to flip through family photos felt like a salve to Blake’s broken heart. She wanted so much to be able to recall all the memories from before her father took her but her memory was fuzzy. Hopefully the pictures would help her remember. Blake thought back to the pictures that lined Isla’s office wall at the bar and one in particular came to her mind. The one of the gorgeous woman she’d seen working at the bar that looked like she’d seen a ghost when Blake had walked in.
Before she could register what she was saying, Blake asked Vera, “who’s the blonde that works at the bar?” The question seemed to pique Vera’s interest if her raised eyebrow was any indication. “She was there the other night when I showed up.”
“It was probably Alexis or Emily. Was she taller or shorter?”
“Well, she was taller than the
other woman there.”
“Alexis then.” She nodded firmly. Her eyes glimmered and something told Blake she shouldn’t have asked Vera about Alexis. “She’s pretty, yeah?”
“Um, yeah. Sure.” Blake could feel her cheeks blushing as she tried to hide the smile forming on her lips. Alexis had lived rent free in the back of her mind over the last two days. She’d been too focused on reuniting with Isla and getting to know Vera to overthink the gorgeous woman but thoughts of her beautiful face kept filling her mind.
It’d been years since anyone had piqued Blake’s interest quite like Alexis had. Even in the darkened bar, her beauty was undeniable. Piercing green eyes seemed to drill into Blake’s as they locked eyes from across the room. Looking back, Blake wished she’d asked her name but her mind was so singularly focused on Isla that nothing else mattered.
Until now.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Blake was relieved to hear footsteps on the stairs as Isla entered the room. She silently prayed that Vera wouldn’t tell her she had asked about Alexis.
Isla stepped off the last step and into the kitchen wearing a Gore/Liberman t-shirt and sweatpants with the word ‘Nantucket’ down one leg. Her hair was a mess of curls, not dissimilar to the way Blake’s must look. She smiled at Blake. “Morning,” Isla nodded toward her as she walked toward Vera. “Good morning, baby.”
“Good morning, love.” Vera wrapped an arm around Isla’s waist and pulled her close as their lips met. It was a quick kiss, but the passion and love between them were still evident. “Coffee should be ready.”
“Great. Thank you.” Isla playfully patted Vera on the ass before taking a mug from the cabinet over the coffee pot. She looked over her shoulder at Blake, holding up the cup. “Blake, would you like some?”
“Yes, please. Thank you.” Blake walked over toward Isla and took the mug that she’d extended to her. Isla poured her a cup before pouring her own. Without words, she took the creamer out of the fridge and poured a decent amount into her mug before handing it to Blake, who did the same. They each stirred their coffee with a spoon Isla had taken from the drawer as Vera laughed behind them.
State of Grace: A Moonflower Cove Romance Page 4