Page 2 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach (Rosewood Beach #7)

Julia and Vivian continued to chat about wedding planning while they sipped their coffee. Once she’d finished her drink, Vivian was feeling refreshed and energized, and she wanted to get back out into the dining room to check on the customers and bus some of the tables.

“Good luck with the budget,” she said to Julia with a waggle of her brows as she left the office.

Julia laughed and saluted her mother as she went back to work.

That girl is such a blessing, Vivian thought as she made her way back into the dining room. I never would have been able to turn our finances around the way she has. Frank always did the bookkeeping when he was alive, and it turns out he did a terrible job.

She sighed, feeling a pang of sorrow. Despite his faults, she’d loved her husband very much.

They’d spent many happy years together running The Lighthouse Grill, and not that long ago, she never would have been able to imagine life without him.

Now, however, she was facing the rest of her life without a partner.

She thought about Julia and Cooper’s wedding and remembered how giddy she herself had felt before marrying Frank. She’d felt as if she was embarking on some kind of grand adventure, made even more wonderful by the fact that she didn’t have to do it alone.

A wave of wistfulness swept over her. She missed having a partner by her side, someone to go through the ups and downs of life with.

She didn’t feel lonely, exactly, since she was surrounded by her wonderful children, but she didn’t have that special person that she could always share her best and worst moments with.

She shook her head at herself as she busied herself with clearing the dirty dishes off one of the empty dining room tables.

She was still able to share many of her life moments with her children, and she’d been treasuring every one that she had with them.

She felt immensely thankful that they all lived in Rosewood Beach now so that she could be a participant in all of the important events in their lives.

If Julia was still in New York, I wouldn’t get to be nearly as hands-on with planning her wedding as I am now, she thought with a smile. It’s been wonderful to be present to help her decide on all the little details.

Surely she had everything she needed. She had a beautiful home, a wonderful business, and the four best children a woman could ask for.

She had to admit to herself, however, that as she thought about Julia and Cooper’s wedding, she found it bittersweet that she would never experience the butterflies of being in love again.

She clucked her tongue at herself as she carried her tray of dishes into the kitchen.

She’d already lived through that part of her life.

She’d experienced years when everything felt new, romantic, and exciting.

Those days were over for her now, and that was absolutely all right.

The commonplace and routine were the foundation of her life now.

She had stability, and security, so what did it matter if her life was missing the excitement of love?

The afternoon wore on, and Vivian was soon busying herself with taking care of her customers again. She enjoyed the work, and time moved quickly, even when The Lighthouse Grill wasn’t as busy as it usually was during the traditional meal times.

Before she knew it, it was late in the afternoon and time for her shift to end. She went to the office to get her purse and hang up her apron, and she saw Julia pouring over a pool of papers, sipping another cup of coffee.

“Don’t work too hard,” Vivian cautioned gently. “You don’t want to tire yourself out.”

Julia looked up with a smile. “Thanks, Mom. I’m okay. This is a frown of concentration, not fatigue.”

Vivian laughed. “Okay. Well, I trust you to take care of yourself. I’m heading out now, but if you need anything call me.

I’ll be at the house making some food for Alexis and Grayson.

I want to bring it over to them by dinnertime.

” Alexis was in her third trimester of pregnancy, and Vivian was fully in mother-bear mode when it came to taking care of her expecting daughter.

Julia chuckled. “You know, meal trains normally start after pregnancy. I’m pretty sure Alexis is already swimming in food offerings from you. Didn’t you just make them two casseroles two days ago?”

Vivian grinned. “I can’t help myself. It’s what being a mom is all about. I want to take care of her, she needs to rest and have enough to eat, and goodness knows Grayson has a lot on his plate right now too. It works out beautifully for all of us.”

“Okay.” Julia laughed. “You go have fun. I’m sure she appreciates it. I know she said she’s feeling extra sleepy right now.”

“My mother cooked for me a lot when I was pregnant with you,” Vivian said, remembering that time with extreme fondness. “It wasn’t as much about the food as it was about her wanting to let me know she had my back. It meant so much to me.”

Julia nodded, and for a moment she and her mother shared a smile.

“Any idea what she’s craving these days?” Julia said with a grin. “Maybe you can incorporate it into the meal.”

Vivian laughed. “I am planning on making a deep-dish pizza because she was craving pepperoni the other day. Then I’m making a chocolate peanut butter pie for dessert.

” For a while, Alexis’s cravings had been extreme and all over the place, and they had all done their best to help her figure out what it was she desperately wanted to eat.

More times than not, she’d eaten something she’d thought she was craving only to find that it wasn’t quite right.

Peanut butter, however, had been a constant for her, and her family still liked to tease her about it.

“Perfect.” Julia shook her head, amused. “That girl has consumed so much peanut butter this year I can’t even believe it. I think her body is trying to make up for all the years she hated it.”

“Maybe.” Vivian chuckled. “Good thing Grayson likes it too.”

“No, not good.” Julia laughed. “She eats all their peanut butter and then there’s none left for him.”

Vivian was amused by the way her daughter seemed delighted by Alexis and Grayson’s predicament.

She felt happy that Alexis and Grayson had such a wonderful, affectionate marriage, and she was excited that Julia was on her way to having a marriage like that as well.

“Grayson is a good guy. He’s been so patient with her, helping her with all of her cravings.

Someday Cooper will do those things for you, when you’re pregnant. ”

Julia’s eyes lit up when she heard the words.

Vivian knew that her daughter was looking forward to being a mother—something that she would be the moment she and Cooper got married, and something she essentially was already.

Cooper already had an adorable toddler named Macey, who his first wife had given birth to before passing away.

“One thing at a time, Mom.” Julia laughed. “I don’t have time to think about that right now! I’m still up to my ears in wedding planning.”

“Speaking of, don’t forget the flowers!” Vivian kissed her daughter on the head before leaving the office. “And before I go home, I’ll take a look at those tablecloths for you like we talked about.”

“I won’t! Thanks, Mom, you’re the best.”

Vivian sighed happily to herself as she made her way to the back parking lot of the pub, where her car was parked.

Yes, she thought with a bittersweet smile on her face. This season of life is surely meant for me to focus on the thriving lives of my children as they step into new experiences and new seasons.