Work will still be there tomorrow.
Chapter 12
~Shawn~
“Did we just do that?”
She stares at me in excitement, the light in those gorgeous blue eyes dancing.
“I believe so,” I reply. “The rough draft of this screenplay is officially complete.”
She jumps up and does a little dance, then throws her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly.
“We did it, without killing each other,” she says.
“So far. We still have to read through it and make a few adjustments.”
“Let’s focus on the here and now,” she suggests and pulls away to stretch her arms above her head. “We’d better get ready to go to the pub. We’re on kitchen duty tonight.”
I love that Lexi enjoys helping out at the pub. She’s not going because she feels obligated, or because she’s bored and has nothing else to do. She likes being there, and she’s a huge help, so I won’t turn down her offer.
“It feels good to have that part done,” she says as we walk down the hallway to my bedroom. “Now, let’s go feed some hungry people.”
The ease with which she shifts gears is admirable. Some days, I go into the pub still completely full of brain fog and have to concentrate so I don’t mess up anyone’s order.
It doesn’t take us long to change clothes and head off to the pub for the evening. It’s not too busy yet for a Friday night, although most of our regular customers aren’t quite off work for the evening.
“Lexi, I’d like to see you for a moment,” Keegan says, motioning for her to join him at the bar.
“Did someone complain? Am I in trouble?”
“No, lass, you’re not in trouble. I have something for you.” He passes her an envelope. Lexi opens it and then frowns at him, then at me.
“Why are you giving me a check?”
“Because I pay the people who work in my pub,” my brother replies. “You earned every penny of that.”
Her blue eyes turn to me, but I shake my head. “I have nothing to do with this, and he’s right. You’ve earned it.”
“But I don’t need your money.”
“Whether you need it or not, it’s yours all the same,” he says as he resumes wiping down the bar with a white towel. “I’ve paid you up through tonight, but if you come in for more shifts, I’ll be sure to square up with you before you leave.”
She tucks the envelope into her purse. “Because it would insult you if I gave this back to you, I’ll graciously accept. But the money isn’t why I’ve been helping, Keegan.”
“And that’s just one of the reasons you’ve earned it.” He winks and walks down the bar, leaving us to walk into the kitchen. I fire up the grill and oil, and while they heat up, I toss Lexi an apron and grab one for myself, as well.
Lexi hurries into the walk-in freezer and comes back out, her arms loaded down with a big bag of frozen fries. She’s quiet as we prep the kitchen, getting ready for the dinner crowd.
O’Callaghan’s doesn’t serve lunch because I can’t be here all day, every day.
“What’s on your mind, angel?” I ask.
“I don’t need your brother’s money.”
I chuckle and pull her in for a hug. “You really shouldn’t be feeling guilty about this, Lex. He’d pay any person who was in here busting their butt, night after night. You’re no slacker. You earned the money, and he’s happy to pay you for a job well done.”
“Still. Maybe I’ll donate it to a soup kitchen or something.”
“It’s your money. You can do what you wish with it.”
She nods decisively.
“I’m going to donate it.”
“Well, now that that’s settled, let’s get to it, shall we?”
Maggie pushes through the swinging door and starts reading off her tablet.
“I need two burgers, one with cheese, an order of cheese fries and chips and salsa.” She looks up and grins. “And how are the both of you?”
“Excellent,” Lexi says. “The rough draft is done.”
“Very nice,” Maggie says and hurries around to hug Lexi. “Good job, friend.”
“Hey, what about me? Don’t I get a hug?”
“I suppose so.” Maggie smacks a kiss on my cheek and hugs me close. “What happens now?”
“Now, we have to proofread it, fine-tune, that sort of thing,” Lexi says. “We’ll do that this weekend.”
I frown at her. “No, we won’t.”
Lexi blinks at me. “Of course, we will.”
“You get started on that order. I’ll be back for it,” Maggie says. “I know when a fight is about to break out.”
She leaves the kitchen, and Lexi braces her hands on her hips. “Why wouldn’t we be working over the weekend?”
“Because we’re going to the cabin.”
She blows out a breath and shakes her head. “Maybe we shouldn’t go, Shawn. We really should finish things up so I can go home on Monday.”
The thought of her leaving doesn’t sit well with me, so I reach out and rub my thumb over the apple of her cheek before tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
“We need a few days off to clear our heads. We can read through it with fresh eyes on Monday. It’s only one extra day, Lex.”
She bites her lip, thinking it over, and then nods. “Okay. The cabin it is, then.”
I grin and turn to the griddle, slap some patties on, and take a deep breath.
I get one more weekend with her.
And I’m going to make it count.
“Ooh, it’s chilly this morning,” Lexi says when we climb out of my car in front of the cabin. She pulls her blanket out of the back of the car, wraps it around her shoulders, and then reaches for her overnight bag. “Mountain air is a little different than ocean air.”
“Very different,” I agree. “It’s about the same temperature here as it was when we left. But ocean air is humid. This is a little drier.”
“Chilly,” she repeats and follows me up to the front door.
“You get settled. I’ll grab the rest.”
“And I’m going to let you because it’s warm in here,” she says with a smile. “I’m gonna check out the kitchen.”
She skips off, already feeling at home.
Being with Lexi is easy. When we aren’t working on the screenplay, she’s easygoing and funny. She isn’t high-maintenance at all.
She’s a happy person.
And just being around her makes me happy.
God, I sound downright sentimental.
I carry the last few things inside and then join Lexi in the kitchen.
“I’m starving,” she announces, pulling ingredients from the fridge and pantry. “I’m going to make waffles.”
“You know how to cook?”
She laughs and sets a dozen eggs on the island. “Of course, I do. I just haven’t needed to because you’ve been feeding me like a freaking queen. But I suddenly have a craving for waffles, so I’m making them. Unless you hate them.”