Page 21 of The Birchwood House

“Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you.” Elaine felt delighted to be saved a trip to the auto shop, especially since it meant that she would be able to spend more time looking through the hope chest with Michelle. “Let me walk you out. I’ve got my keys right here—” She pulled her purse off a hook by the front door and rummaged around in it for a moment. “Yes, here they are. I’ll step outside with you.”

Theo nodded and flashed one more impish grin at Michelle before stepping outside with Elaine.

Some things never change, I guess,Elaine thought with a chuckle as she walked with Theo to her car. A warm spring breeze ruffled her hair, and she felt eager to spend time digging around in her garden. She glanced over her shoulder at the front windows, where she could see Michelle watching them walk across the lawn.These two really had it out for each other while they were kids, and he always had a knack for getting under her skin.

Theo noticed Elaine looking over her shoulder and he turned around and glanced back at the house. The moment he turned, Michelle ducked out of sight behind the curtain, but not before he saw her.

Theo chuckled under his breath the whole way to the car, muttering something about his favorite rival being back in town.

CHAPTER TEN

Audrey smoothed down the front of her dress as she walked along the sidewalk toward the Brick Oven, Coral Sand’s most popular pizza place. The evening air was cool on her skin, and she wondered if her light blue leather jacket would be enough for her later in the evening.

I’m still getting used to how different the temperatures here are,she thought, glancing toward the ocean. She could hear it faintly in the distance, and she smiled. She liked the way the ocean made the air smell fresher, and the way it affected both the temperature and the wind. She felt as if the air was always alive in Coral Sands, like a living being that was always around, pleasant and comforting.

She felt her stomach flutter with nervousness as she approached the doors of the Brick Oven. She was there to meet with Penelope for dinner, as well as with one of Penelope’s friends from Coral Sands, Harper Clements. She hardly understood her own emotions, but for whatever reason, she felt jittery about meeting the new woman.

I guess I’m just a mess these days,she thought with a sigh.I have social anxiety that I never used to have. I have a connection with Penelope, but I don’t know that I’m up formaking a brand new friend right now. There’s so much change going on in my life! Do I even have the time for a new friend?

Audrey knew that truly good friendships took work, the same way romantic relationships did. She’d been blessed with some friendships that were the type that could be picked up again at the drop of a hat after a long absence, and that was the kind of friendship she had with Penelope. Still, she knew that their relationship was the way that it was because of how much work they’d both put into the friendship in the past. She didn’t like the idea of only pretending to be Harper’s friend or being only a sort-of friend from a distance. It wasn’t the kind of dynamic she liked in her own social circles, and she’d been surrounded by fake, low-effort friendships like that in Scottsville.

I don’t ever want a friendship like that again,she thought.I hope Harper and I hit it off. But I’m being silly! Getting dinner together is not the same as making friendship bracelets. We’re just meeting each other tonight—there’s nothing for me to get stressed over.

She tugged open the door of the restaurant with a surge of defiance against her worry. Immediately, the delicious aromas of homemade pizza and pasta enveloped her. Garlic and onions and butter scented the air and lifted Audrey’s spirits. She heard her stomach growl loudly even over the customer’s chatter and the clinking sounds of the restaurant, and she chuckled.

She looked around the restaurant, noting with satisfaction that hardly anything there had changed. It was still decorated with the same inviting earthy tones, primarily a dark red that made her think of red wine and villas in Italy.

A moment later she saw Penelope waving at her excitedly from a cozy booth in the corner of the restaurant. Audrey hurried forward eagerly, excited to see her friend, and she noticed the other woman sitting beside Penelope.

That must be Harper,Audrey thought.She looks so nice!

Harper had bright emerald eyes and long dark blonde hair that she’d pulled back into a ponytail. She waved at Audrey as if they were already old friends, and Audrey felt a warm glow in her stomach. She liked the other woman right away, and she could tell that Harper was a kind, genuine person. She knew at once that she would never be worried about Harper being the type of friend who told her one thing and told other people something else behind her back.

“Hey,” Audrey said, giving Penelope a big hug. “So good to see you. And hi, I’m Audrey.”

She shook Harper’s hand while Penelope watched the two of them with a grin.

“This is Harper,” Penelope said. “She runs the local animal shelter and she’s a great friend of mine. I have a feeling the two of you are going to hit it off super well, so I wanted to invite her to our dinner.”

“So nice to meet you, Audrey,” Harper said warmly. “Penelope said you just moved back here to Coral Sands. Is it for work?”

The last of Audrey’s social anxiety fluttered away as she realized that Penelope hadn’t said a word about her divorce to Harper. She knew a moment later that she should have known better than to think that Penelope would share her personal details with someone else. Knowing that she didn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of Harper wondering about her past during the dinner made her feel totally at ease.

“No, I just wanted to come back here,” Audrey said with a smile. “Maybe I’ll tell you all about it another time.”

Harper grinned at her and didn’t question her response at all. “I can understand wanting to come back. I think we’ve got the best little town in the world.”

“I do really love it here,” Audrey admitted readily. “It’s been so sweet coming home again.”

The women took some time to peruse their menus and order drinks. Audrey chose a glass of red wine, and she sipped it as she decided on pizza toppings with Harper and Penelope. They’d decided to get two large pizzas—one with a stuffed crust—and split the toppings fifty-fifty on both pizzas. That meant that they had four different topping combinations to decide on, and they ended up choosing Hawaiian, barbeque chicken, sausage and pepperoni with green peppers and black olives, and ground beef with tomatoes and white sauce.

“This is going to be the best meal of my life,” Penelope said with a laugh as their waitress walked away with their menus. “Getting pizza with multiple people is so much more fun because you get to choose all kind of fun and fancy combinations.”

“Agreed,” Audrey said. “I love trying new flavors. I’ve never had ground beef and white sauce on a pizza before. It sounds divine.”

“There’s a secret ingredient in all their sauces, I swear,” Harper said. “This stuff is so good. Just melts in your mouth.”

Audrey nodded and took a sip of her wine. “So, Harper. Tell me about your work at the animal shelter.”