Chapter 3

The real estate agent listened quietly as Alexis described what type of house and amenities she desired then asked a few questions before grinning slightly.

"I believe I have just the place for you, Miss Davis. It is up the coast a few miles, but it has the most gorgeous view of the ocean from the front of the house and a breathtaking view of the valley from the back. It has a wrap around porch looking out over the sea that is perfect for watching the sun set. If you like that sort of thing, that is. There are 3 bedrooms in the back and an office area in the front of the house facing the ocean. It has a fully equipped kitchen and two baths. There is an enclosed veranda on the back with a couple of swings. There is quite a large back yard that is fenced in as well. Its décor gives you the feeling of year round springtime and it is pretty well spread out which the square footage indicates. There is a sunken living room, which includes a central fireplace, but it is built up about 3 feet and should be more than for your little girl. A built in entertainment system with built-in speakers throughout the house is an additional perk. And there is also a standard dining room on the southern side of the house as well as a small alcove next to the kitchen that can be used as a breakfast nook or whatever else you may want to use it for."

Alexis listened patiently to the attributes of the house then turned her questions to a more important issue.

"What about schools? What kind of education do you offer the youth of the community?"

"We are quite proud of our curriculum and the honors we've garnered in our quest to become the best among the islands. I think you will be quite impressed with our system of education. We believe it is just as important for our children to have teachers at home as well as in the school. An intelligent well-behaved child begins at home… not in the classroom."

Alexis listened patiently and when the realtor was finished decided that she was ready to view the house. It sounded perfect for the type of place she was looking for, but would not discuss it further until she was granted the opportunity of viewing it.

"I would like to see it as soon as possible, but I need to first rent a car and find a car seat for my daughter. Could you point me in the direction of the nearest car rental agency?"

"I'll do better than that… I have a young one of my own so providing a car seat is not a problem. Why don't we go look at the house together, then I'll take you over to Mike's place. It isn't a big business by any means considering we are kind of off the beaten track, but he does keep a couple of cars to rent out to the few vacationers we do get. After we see the house, then you can come have dinner with TK and I. Thomas Kale; that's my little boy. I'll have you back in plenty of time to get you situated with your own transportation."

Alexis lifted her head sharply and eyed the woman standing beside her. A stranger… in a strange place... 'the woman doesn't know me at all… I could be an axe murderer for all she knows,' Alexis thought. 'And yet she's inviting me into her home'.

"I'm not… I mean… I don't need…"

The woman laughed gently before helping Alexis out of what was quite obviously an uncomfortable situation for her.

"It's Alexis, isn't it?

"Yes."

"Well Alexis, my name as you can see on my card, is Gale Redmond and I have a 3 year old son who is quite a feisty little character. He and I live alone and try to do our best to welcome anyone who chooses our little island as their new home. And by the looks of you and this little bit of heaven you're holding, you look like you could use a decent meal."

"Redmond? There was a man by that name at the airport last night who offered me a lift to the hotel."

"That would be Kale, my older brother. Was he a good guy or a bad guy last night?"

Alexis smiled absently remembering the past evenings verbal antics of both Kale and herself.

"Let's just say we could have given that storm a run for its money. It was not a pleasant night for either of us, I think."

"Well Kale does get bent out of shape a lot more these days, but I don't really blame him. Oh… what am I saying… you don't want to hear a bunch of local island gossip right now. Come on… we have a house to look at and dinner later."

Alexis grinned at the exuberance of the woman who took her arm and pulled her along beside her. There was a vague sense of familiarity about the woman and suddenly an image of Chloe floated through her memory. After the initial grip of pain that clutched her heart, Alexis' heart warmed at the blessing of having had Chloe in her life even if only for such a short time.

An hour later, Alexis stood on the front porch of one of the most beautiful island homes imaginable. It was exactly what she was looking for. To call it a cottage would be a gross understatement but it presented the cozy look and feel of an intimate cottage. The drive up to the cove was beautiful and the road wound itself along the coastline before heading inland for a couple of miles then turning back toward the coast as island trees and shrubbery lined each side of the road casting long shadows and canopies of lush greenness over the road. Just as a feeling of restless excitement began to overtake her, Gale made a final turn and traveled a couple more miles before finally drawing to a stop under a gazebo type awning attached to a rather large one-story house. It was white with deep green accents and looked as though it had been built especially for this one specific site. Alexis inhaled deeply and felt the saltiness of the ocean mist hit the back of her throat and she chuckled.

Feeling a tug she turned to find Gale reaching for Kristina and after an initial jolt of fear smiled graciously shifting Kristina to her other hip and apologetically shook her head 'no'. To hand Kristina over to anyone… regardless of who reached for her… Alexis was not ready to trust anyone with her daughter. Too much fear, anxiety and anger still rode the waves of her souls emotion. Kristina was where she belonged now and no one would be allowed to separate them ever again… whether it was for a day… an hour or a moment; Alexis held onto her daughter with a life sustaining grip and all the demons of hell could not tear her away again.

"Thank you, but I think I want her to see it with me."

Gale smiled and stepped back. She didn't miss the hint of fear in Alexis' eyes and knew in that moment that there was a lot more going on with Alexis Davis than just relocating to a tropical atmosphere for health reasons as she was originally led to believe.

"I think that's a wonderful idea. You just take your time and look around to your hearts content. I'll just take a seat on the porch over there and watch the seagulls feed for a while. Holler if you have any questions."

With that Gale turned and led Alexis to the front porch then sat down to wait as a million questions began running through her mind. Gale needed a friend and if Alexis' reactions to her were anything to judge by, she needed a friend as well. 'Maybe we can find our way to becoming friends. She looks like she could use one and I'll just bet she's a firecracker once you get to know her. And she could probably put Kale in the doghouse without too much effort at all.' Chuckling to herself, Gale leaned back and prepared to wait for Alexis to finish viewing the home that she hoped would be the one she chose.

Alexis quietly roamed from room to room and with each room fell more in love every passing moment. It was warm, inviting… open and breezy. Everything that the stodginess of Wyndemere wasn't, her own little apartment in Port Charles craved to be and each window of the little hideaway offered a view more enticing than any penthouse could ever offer. A particularly fragrant breeze blew through, sweeping the curls across her daughter's nose tickling her into laughter and Alexis' heart soared at the sound. This is it… their new home. The sound of laughter made the choice for her.

"Gale, my daughter and I have decided that we love it here and we're going to buy the place just as soon as you get all of the paperwork ready to sign."

"It was the laughing I heard that made the decision, wasn't it?"

Alexis cast her eyes toward Gale briefly then settled them back on her daughter with adoration.

"I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to say 'no' to her. All she has to do is look at me with those big brown eyes and I'm a goner."

Gale laughed and reached up to catch hold of Kristina's hand.

"Believe me, Alexis. That will change. Probably around the first time she gets her first tummy ache from too much candy. So, now that we've got you a new home are you girls ready for some dinner?"

"That's really not necessary, Gale. We can grab something on the way back to the hotel. I have a lot to do to get this place ready to be inhabited and Kristina looks like she's about ready to crash for the evening."

"It's not a problem Alexis, and besides you look like you could use a home-cooked meal. I just won't take no for an answer. I'm your hostess for the evening and that's all there is to it. Now come on troops, let's get this show on the road."

With that Gale dismissed any further arguments and turned to head toward the opposite side of the house from where she parked the car. Alexis followed frowning slightly hesitating in questioning Gale until her curiosity got the best of her.

"Gale, where are you going? The car is on the other side of the house."

Gale looked back over her shoulder and grinned before disappearing behind a line of trees leaving Alexis to quickly pick up her pace so as not to be left behind. Just as she cleared the tree line she met Gale on the other side standing in front of a house almost identical to the one she just left. Her jaw dropped and her eyes quickly returned to Gale's laughing face.

"Hi, neighbor."

"Neighbor?"

"Why do you think I wanted you to buy that jewel next door so bad? For some reason that I can't put my finger on just yet, I wanted you to be my new neighbor. I haven't let anyone see that house since it became available a year ago. Just haven't met anyone that I wanted to have it, but then you showed up and somehow I knew you were the one that it needed to bring it back to life."

Alexis didn't know what to think. On one hand she was thrilled with her purchase of the property, but to find there was a neighbor so close… and she was more than a little apprehensive with the open warmth of the woman who stood beside her. Hurt was a side effect of letting people into your life and Alexis was no amateur when it came to the harm people could cause when you let your guard down around them. Glancing back over her shoulder toward the trees she suddenly wished she had insisted on renting a car to follow Gale out here.

Noticing Alexis' hesitation, Gale stepped closer and lay her hand on her companion's arm reclaiming her attention.

"Alexis, I'm sorry for coming on so strong. It's a fault of mine that usually does get me in trouble. I don't want to scare you off. You seem to need a friend and well… I lost my best friend a year ago in a nasty plane crash and you… you just reminded me a little of her. I miss her so much it hurts sometimes."

Alexis shifted Kristina to her other hip and reached for Gale's hand.

"It's ok, Gale. I lost my best friend a few years ago too. I know how you feel. Tell you what, why don't we just take it one step at a time and see what happens. I'm not one for jumping into relationships of any kind, but you're right. I could use a friend."

Gale's eyes came up to meet hers and Alexis smiled compassionately at the pain she saw in her eyes. It was the same look she saw in her own when she thought of Chloe. There was someone Alexis could finally talk to about losing Chloe… someone who would understand.

"Well neighbor, just what do you plan on serving for dinner? I have to admit I am absolutely famished."

Turning toward Gale's home Alexis felt comforted by the casual arm that flopped down across her shoulders and the laughter emanating from the woman beside her.

"Well neighbor, you ready to try some of our distinctive island fare?"

Alexis rolled her eyes and groaned loudly.

"Gale, am I going to regret buying that house before I even pull out my checkbook to pay for it?"

Gale's eyebrows rose at the thought of someone actually being able to pay cash for a new home but decided against making any comment. Sooner or later she would pick Alexis dry about information only girl friends would know about each other. Looking sideways quickly, a small doubt inched its way across her mind at the solemn look that had fallen on Alexis face. 'Maybe I'll get to know her that way and maybe not. I think Alexis has been hurt… a lot and maybe she won't be able to open herself up again. Maybe that's why she came to live here with her little girl. Maybe she just needs to start all over and she picked here to do it. Not to worry Gale, old girl. We're just gonna have to make her see that people can bounce back bigger and better than ever before.' Gale smiled brightly and reached for the screen door pushing Alexis inside ahead of her. 'Yep, Alexis needs a buddy and I'm gonna be it and I dare anyone to try and stop me.'