Page 17 of The Birchwood House

Michelle considered her friend’s words for a moment. “I’m really loving it here so far,” she said honestly. “All I can say for sure is that this is the right place for me in this moment.”

She and Ruby continued to chat for a few more minutes, catching up on other details of their lives. Michelle enjoyed talking with her friend, who was boisterous and affectionate as well as outspoken, but at the back of her mind a doubt began to grow.

Maybe she’s right,she thought, trailing her fingertips over the dusty sheet she was lying on.Maybe after a while, I won’t be happy to live in such a small town anymore. Maybe it’ll get boring and I’ll start to feel cooped-up.

Her heart sank at the thought, since she didn’t want it to be true. What she wanted was to stay in Coral Sands indefinitely, breathing deeply of the clean salt air and enjoying the company of all the kind people she’d met since she’d arrived. Not to mention the fact that all the food in town was truly spectacular, especially the food her grandmother cooked.

Finally Ruby said that she had to go, and the two friends said an affectionate goodbye. Once she’d hung up, Michelle lay still on the bed for a few moments before sitting up and looking around the room. She’d made a good dent in the dust, but it was still going to be a lot of work to make the room truly clean again.

She exhaled, feeling suddenly tired. She decided to be done cleaning for the day, and she thought of a nice hot shower and smiled.

She left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her as if the room was a living thing that wouldn’t want to be disturbed. She made her way to her bedroom, which had its own private bathroom. She took a long hot shower and washed her hair and then changed into comfortable leggings and a large sage green sweater. She wrapped her wet hair, which smelled like mangos from her shampoo, up in a towel and rubbed lotion across her face, enjoying how much more relaxed she felt.

I’ll take things one day at a time,she thought with a smile.I don’t know what the future will hold. Coral Sands may surprise me yet.

She had just taken her hair out of the towel and pulled it back into a ponytail when she heard Audrey and Elaine calling for her.

“Dinner!”

Michelle grinned, and her heart warmed when she heard her mother shouting the familiar word.

She scampered down the old wooden staircase and made her way to the kitchen, which had a lovely dining table placed near a row of windows that looked out onto the back garden.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were cooking,” she said, kissing her mother’s cheek and giving her grandmother a sideways hug. “I would have come down and helped.”

“That’s okay, sweetheart,” Elaine said. “We heard the shower running and figured you wanted to get cleaned off after all that cleaning.”

“That’s the truth.” Michelle laughed and then sniffed the air eagerly. “Whatever you made, it smells incredible. What is it?”

“Enchiladas,” Elaine said. “That was one of your mother’s favorites when she was little. She told me that it’s one of your favorites too, so I knew it would be the perfect recipe. Perfect for a sleepy evening like this.”

Michelle nodded, smiling, noticing that a light rain had begun to fall, sprinkling the windowpanes with droplets that gleamed in the light like gentle diamonds. It felt warm and cozy inside, and she felt a peace wash over her that was as comforting as a soft blanket.

She helped Audrey and Elaine set the kitchen table, and soon the three of them were sitting down to dinner together. They poured themselves glasses of red wine to go with the enchiladas, and Michelle found the flavors of both the wine and the food to be spectacular.

“This just hits the spot,” she said, swallowing a delicious bite of the cheesy, spicy enchiladas before taking another sip of her wine. “This is the same recipe you used to make, isn’t it, Mom?”

“Definitely.” Audrey’s expression took on a nostalgic softness. “I think it’s safe to say this is true comfort food for all of us, on a number of levels.”

The three of them chewed their food in companionable silence for a few minutes, and then Michelle remembered the hope chest she’d found upstairs.

“While I was cleaning, I found something,” she said eagerly. “Well, two things—the window in that bedroom I was working on is absolutely gorgeous. I can’t wait for both of you to see it tomorrow when the light’s coming through it. The colors are just breathtaking. But what I really wanted to tell you about is the hope chest in that room. Have you ever looked through it, Grandma? I was thinking we could all look through it together.”

Elaine nodded, a sudden light in her eyes. “I have, but not for many years. I nearly forgot about it.” Her expression became sentimental as she stared into space. “There are a lot of family heirlooms in that chest—some of which I think the whole town would appreciate. Our house is almost as old as Coral Sands itself, and some of the house’s history sheds light on the history of the town, in its own way.”

For a moment, all three women were quiet, each of them thinking of all the people who had lived in the house before them.

Just think,Michelle thought.So many people have eaten dinner in this room. People who were talking about historical events that weren’t history at the time. They held newspapers and felt emotions about things that I’ve only read about in history books.

“I have an idea,” Audrey said suddenly, her expression bright.

“What is it?” Elaine asked, sounding just as enthusiastic as her daughter.

“We can turn this house into a historical attraction,” Audrey said. “It’s certainly old enough! I can go to the city office and get a feel for all of the permits and things like that we’ll need to get. But I’m sure it’s not all that complicated! I bet we could do it.”

Elaine clasped her hands together. “I love that idea.”

“Me too.” Michelle learned forward, feeling excited. “I think that’s a brilliant idea, Mom.”