Alexis wasn’t ready for that moment.
Nor was she ready to find out if it was Blake or Sophia who had bought her the new Honda Civic that’d showed up a few days ago.
“Mommy, what are we doing today?” Harper’s mouth was full of Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes they’d had practically every morning for the last two weeks. Alexis had decided to exchange the blueberries she usually included with chocolate chips, and clearly, the kiddo approved the change. There was more chocolate on her face than on the pancakes, Alexis was sure. “Are we gonna see Blake today?”
“Harp, I told you.” Alexis resisted the urge to groan. She was beyond tired of Harper asking the same question every single day for the past two weeks. They’d had the conversation that Blake went back to Vancouver to work, but Alexis hadn’t told Harper that she didn’t know when Blake was coming back. Alexis hoped her daughter’s ever distracted brain would simply choose something else to focus on.
Clearly, that hadn’t happened yet.
“Blake is back at work.”
“But why hasn’t she come home?”
“She is home, Harper.”
“Nuh-uh.” Harper defiantly shook her head. “She’s not at Aunt Isla’s.”
“How do you know that?”
“Cause that’s what Nonna said.”
“Of course,” Alexis muttered under her breath. She’d avoided talking to Sophia alone since Blake left, but clearly, Sophia was still talking about her in front of Harper. Alexis didn’t know how she felt about that. Breakfast time with Harper wasn’t the place to figure out her thoughts on it either. “Why don’t you finish eating your breakfast and go let Tucker out of his crate so you two can play.”
“Ok!” Pushing the plate away, Harper jumped up from the stool and ran into the laundry room where the puppy had been surprisingly quiet since his breakfast and morning bathroom break. She really couldn’t complain about him; he’d been a great puppy so far and seemed to bring a much-needed distraction for both Alexis and Harper.
She could hear Harper talking sweetly to the puppy as she opened his crate and let him out. The two came running into the living room and immediately began playing with Tucker’s favorite tug toy. Even for a pup, he was strong, and Alexis laughed at his tiny baby growls that mixed melodiously with Harper’s sweet giggles.
Picking up her Star Wars coffee mug, Alexis headed out to the small balcony to enjoy the fresh morning air. She’d picked up a double shift at the bar the night before, so the few minutes of quiet she could steal helped her regain calm and focus. Thankfully, things hadn’t been too awkward between her and Isla at work. Granted, that was mostly because Alexis avoided Isla at all costs, but there was nothing either of them could say about the person they were both clearly missing.
Alexis had allotted herself time, mostly at night once Harper was asleep, to fully process how meshing her life with Blake’s would work going forward. She wanted it to work, of course. More than anything in the world Alexis wanted things to work out with Blake. But how exactly would their relationship affect Harper?
She didn’t have the answers. Unfortunately, Alexis knew that without giving them a second chance to be a couple - an actual couple that went out in public with Harper with no regards as to who was watching - she wouldn’t have the answers she was looking for.
It was that unknown that scared her.
“I thought I might find you out here.” Sophia stepped out onto the balcony and slid the door shut behind her. As she sat down in the plastic chair beside Alexis, Sophia held up her hands as if she knew exactly what Alexis was thinking. “Emily’s in there with her, so she’s ok.”
“Thanks.” Alexis took a sip of her coffee, set the cup down on the concrete floor, and looked at Sophia. Her best friend was quiet, a stark change of pace from her usual self. Something was up, and Alexis wasn’t sure she was ready to know what it was. They sat in silence for a few moments before Sophia took a deep breath and put a hand on Alexis’s knee.
“Blake called me.”
Alexis was sure her heart stopped beating; she was sure the world was no longer spinning. Everything seemed to stand still as the three words reverberated around in Alexis’s mind. She’d assumed Blake had called her friends, especially Sophia, since she’d left. Thankfully though, none of them had said anything to Alexis.
Until now.
“Oh.” Her voice was higher pitched than she’d expected, and she cleared her throat as she wiped her hands on her Snoopy pajama bottoms. “What…um…what did she want?”
“She was making sure you were ok.” Sophia paused, giving her words time to sink in, it seemed. “She said you haven’t called her yet.”
“I haven’t.” Alexis sheepishly sunk down in her chair slightly.
“She’s worried about you.” Reaching out, Sophia gently squeezed Alexis’s knee. “Frankly, we all are. You’ve been doing anything you can to stay busy and avoid talking to me or, hell, talking to anyone about what happened.” Sophia paused as if giving Alexis a chance to say something. But instead, Alexis stayed quiet as Sophia continued. “And, I know you don’t want me to point it out, but I can tell you’ve lost weight, and that worries me.”
“I’m eating just fine.” Alexis hated the angry tone in her voice. She crossed her arms over her stomach in an attempt to hide her body as much as she could. “And my kid is eating fine and not missing meals, and our dog is eating fine. We’re all fine, Soph. So, you don’t need to worry.”
“Except I am worried.” Sophia turned her seat, so she was facing Alexis head on. Reaching out once more, Sophia took Alexis’s hands in hers and waited until Alexis reluctantly looked at her before continuing. “I always worry about you, Lex. It’s part of the gig I signed up for when we became best friends and when I signed up to be Harper’s godmother.”
“Harper is fine.”
“I know. But how about her mom?”
“She’s doing as well as can be expected.”
“Have you thought that maybe calling Blake might make you feel better?”
“I have, but I have no idea what to say now. It’s been two weeks.” She shrugged. “I still have no idea how to make any of this work. It’s not like I can just call her up and say, ‘I miss you, and I love you.’ How lame is that?”
“I don’t think it’s lame at all if that’s how you truly feel.” Letting go of Alexis’s hands, Sophia leaned back in the chair.
“I don’t know what to do, Soph.”
“Do what you want to do, Lex. That’s all you can do.”
“Nothing about our circumstances has changed. Blake’s still in the Hollywood limelight, and I’m still in the glow of the neon signs at the bar.” Pushing herself up to her feet, she leaned up against the railing as she crossed her arms over her chest once more. “I don’t want the Hollywood life. I love my life here in the Cove with Harper and you and Emily and all our friends. I don’t want things to change.”
“You’re playing it safe; I get it.”
“I have to play it safe. I have Harper to think about.”
“I know, and I respect that. Always. But don’t let your fear of the unknown stand in your way of your happily ever after. Blake loves you, and you love her. You wouldn’t be having so much trouble with this if you didn’t. If she were truly a fling, you’d be back to your normal self and not blowing off game nights.”
“I’ve been…busy.”
“Yeah, busy avoiding us.” She was right; Alexis couldn’t deny that. And Sophia knew it.
“I just haven’t wanted to face everyone yet. I don’t want to answer a thousand questions about what happened and if I’ve talked to Blake or anything. I’ve needed to figure this out on my own.”
“And have you?” Sophia tilted her head and narrowed her eyes slightly. “Figured it out?”
At times Alexis hated having a best friend who could read her like a book. There was no way she could deny anything to Sophia without her immediately countering that Alexis was lying. So i
nstead, Alexis turned around to face the town square and avoid her gaze. Her mind traveled back to the night she and Blake first kissed after Blake had walked her home. She touched her fingertips to her lips as the memory of the kiss flooded her emotions.
If Sophia wasn’t a few feet behind her, Alexis might have let herself fall apart. After all, Alexis hadn’t cried since the night Blake left. She’d felt like it countless times but always forced herself to keep it together. However, it was apparently becoming increasingly hard to do, and thankfully, Sophia cleared her throat and changed the subject.
“I’m heading to Dallas for that rare manuscript conference in the morning.” Sophia stood and placed a gentle hand on Alexis’s shoulder.
Alexis’s brow furrowed. “Dallas? I thought it was in Denver?”
“Dallas, Denver, same thing when all you’re seeing is the inside of a stuffy convention center for three days.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “I’ll only be gone a few days, but I would really like it if you called me every day just to check in, ok?” Alexis nodded. “And I’ve asked Emily to check in on you here. It’s not that I don’t trust you when you say that you’re ok. I just need someone to have a visual on you.”
Alexis turned around and wrapped her arms around Sophia’s neck. “Fair enough.”
As the day gave way to the night, Alexis sat on the couch with Harper and Tucker flanking her on either side. Both were sound asleep and she took the moment to contemplate calling Blake. She stared at the phone in her hand as her thumb hovered over the Call option.
There were many things Alexis wanted to tell Blake. She wanted to tell her she was sorry and that she loved her and that she wanted to make their relationship work. She wanted to tell Blake that she missed her every morning when she woke up alone; how she looked for Blake across the room when Harper said something silly that would have made them both laugh. Alexis might not have the details figured out but she knew they would remain a mystery until she got over her fear of the unknown and did something about it.
Opening an app on her phone, Alexis bought a plane ticket without hesitation.
Chapter 33
“And cut!” The director’s words were music to Blake’s ears. She was exhausted. After nearly three full weeks of fourteen plus hour days on the set, Blake was beginning to wonder why she’d ever liked the job in the first place. But, of course, before Blake had nothing to go home to and nothing else to do other than work. Although she still didn’t have anything or anyone to go home to, things just felt different.
Her time with Alexis in Moonflower Cove had been eye-opening. She’d realized there was a life outside of the limelight, which she desperately wanted to have sooner rather than later. She had missed Alexis and Harper and her mom terribly in the past few weeks. Every night on her way home from work, she called Isla and talked to her about the day and how she couldn’t wait to get back home.
Because that’s what the Cove was to Blake now.
Home.
Grabbing a bottle of water off the snack table, Blake made a beeline for the director.
“Mike, have you all decided when you’re going to release the trailer for the movie?” As he had for the last few days, Mike responded to her by sighing loudly. His annoyed look told her he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it, but Blake didn’t back down. “I know you said you wanted to wait, but we’re almost done filming, and after that…”
“You’re getting the hell out of Vancouver, I remember.” His frustration was evident.
“So, when is it going to drop?”
Mike sighed again. “Thursday.”
“This Thursday?”
“Yes.”
“The Thursday in two days, Thursday?”
“How many ways can I say it’s this Thursday.” Taking off his headset, Mike hung it off one of the camera stands before walking over to the snack bar. He picked up a glazed donut and took a large bite before he spoke again. “It’s just a preview trailer, but yes, it’s dropping on Thursday. You all will be able to view it tomorrow at the cast party.”
Blake had been on the fence about going to the cast party since she’d heard about it. Most of the cast members staying with the show had been giving her grief for wanting to quit. They kept trying to tell her that she had a great thing going – something Blake knew – and that she shouldn’t give it up so easily. But Blake knew the truth. Giving up her career as Captain Avery Romano wasn’t an easy decision.
But it was the absolute right decision for her.
She’d known that from the moment she’d won her case to have Avery and Harper finally admit their feelings for each other in the movie. Blake had been hesitant to let Salem in on the meeting, but in the end, she needed her support more than anything. Even if Salem didn’t fully understand why Blake wanted to quit, she wanted Blake happy, and Blake appreciated that much. Thinking back on that meeting, Blake couldn’t help but smile as the words replayed in her mind once more.
“Why should we do this?” James, one of the head writers, had asked the question everyone in the room but Blake and Salem were wondering.
“Because it’s the right thing to do.” Blake leaned her arms onto the large oak table as she sat on the edge of her seat. “Avery and Harper have way more chemistry than Avery and Bryan ever thought about having. If you just let them stay friends and never explore their relationship, then you’re just like every other network show that’s too afraid to have two women fall in love. This show is supposed to be better than that. I thought you were better than that.”
“Blake, our two main leads are lesbian parents. Avery’s parents, in fact.” Mike was on the defense, although his voice was anything but angry. “Why does Avery have to be gay too?”
“Because she is!” Blake forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down. She knew yelling wasn’t going to help get her point across. “Even unintentionally, that’s how Avery is written. She’s bisexual. And sticking her with Bryan, who has proven time and time again that he chooses his career over her, is complete and total bullshit when both Harper and Avery have risked their lives to save the other.”
“Multiple times,” Salem chimed in with a nod.
“Multiple times.” Blake waited for a beat, but no one said a word. Pairs of eyes slowly looked down at their scripts in front of them and a handful nodded. “You all are standing in the way of something great here. You have the chance to be better than all the shows that kill their gay characters or queerbaited their viewers, or failed to have any representation at all.”
“Isn’t it a little late in the game for Blake to come out?”
“No.” She shook her head. “Sometimes a person doesn’t know who they are or what they truly want until they fear losing something they never thought would go away.” Blake had tried not to let the thoughts of Alexis’s gorgeous eyes cloud her mind. It had failed. “Harper is sacrificing herself for Avery by agreeing to leave the colony, the only home she’s ever known, and take the fall for the mistake Avery made. Avery isn’t going to let her just do it. No. Avery will fight to show Harper that she loves her and appreciates her.”
The room was quiet for a few moments, and Blake let her words sink in before finishing her proposal.
“Just imagine Avery finding out Harper is leaving and running across the colony to her. They profess their feelings for each other and kiss.” The smile spread wide on Blake’s face. “You have the chance to give these characters a fulfilling and fitting ending.”
“So, that’s it. Just have them kiss and fade to black?” Mike had leaned back in his chair and was twirling a pencil between his fingers. “No.” For a moment, Blake worried her fight was lost. “Let’s have them kiss, and then Avery leaves with Harper. That gets both you and Casey off the show, which is what you both want.”
Blake had been flabbergasted that she’d been able to get Mike on board so easily. After Mike was in, the rest of the crew followed. They’d talked the plan over with Casey Hartman, who played Harper, and everything
had been set. They’d even filmed their kiss scene a few nights ago, and Blake thought the entire thing had been perfect. There was only one more scene – the final shot of Avery’s parents, Avery, and Harper in the shuttle leaving the colony – left to film, and Blake found herself suddenly misty-eyed.
“Thank you again for doing all of this for me and Avery, Mike.” She wrapped her arms around his neck as he reluctantly hugged her back. “Maybe someday we’ll get to work together on something again.”
“I’d love that.” Mike pulled away with a friendly kiss on the cheek. “And hey, if that Moonflower Cove place is as picturesque as you say it is, maybe I’ll bring the film crew to you there.”
“Deal.”
Heading their separate ways, Blake headed out the back of the indoor set and to her trailer to grab her keys before heading home. Or, well, to Salem’s couch where she’d been crashing. It wasn’t ideal, but it had worked fine for the few weeks she’d be in town.
“Hey, Blake.”
“Holy fucking shit.” Blake clutched her chest as her eyes focused on the woman sitting on the small couch inside her trailer. Although she had known the visitor was coming, she hadn’t expected her to show up in her trailer unannounced. “Sophia, how on Earth did you get on set?”
“I have my ways.” The smug woman smirked at her as Blake put her hands on her hips. She was trying to act annoyed to see Sophia but inside, she was so excited to see her. Which was something Blake never thought she’d say.
State of Grace: A Moonflower Cove Romance Page 30
