Page 22 of The Birchwood House

Harper’s eyes immediately lit up. “Oh, it’s the best job in the world. I mean, it doesn’t pay for any fancy vacations to the Bahamas or anything like that, but it lets me work with animals all day, and that means everything to me. Most of our animals come in because their owners are moving or have passed away, but some of our pets were abandoned or even injured. We take care of them and give them all the love we possibly can and then work hard connecting them with people who will adore them.”

“It’s clear you really love animals.” Audrey smiled. “That does sound like a really great job.”

“Harper’s love for animals is insatiable,” Penelope said with a laugh. “She once spent two days traveling to rescue a dog who had been abandoned in an old barn.”

“Well, the dog had already been rescued, technically,” Harper said with a laugh. “My friend had gotten him and was taking care of him at her farm. She couldn’t keep him though so I drove out to bring him to our shelter.”

“And now he’s got an adoring family with two little kids who take naps on his stomach,” Penelope said. “A happy ending, all thanks to Harper.”

The women continued to chat and laugh, and Audrey felt glad that the last little bit of ice between them had been broken by the conversation about animals. Harper’s joy and enthusiasm when she talked about her rescued pets was contagious, and soon the three of them were giggling as if they’d all known each other for years. Soon their pizza arrived and they dug in, enjoying the delicious flavors of the sauces, crust, and savory toppings.

“Oh my gosh,” Audrey said, half-shutting her eyes as she took another bite of the Hawaiian pizza. “I’m going to have to try to recreate this at home. This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. What on earth do they put in here?”

“I’m telling you, it’s got to be some kind of secret.” Harper laughed. “So good, right?”

After a few more minutes of eating, Penelope turned to Audrey with a grin. “How are you liking your new hairdo? It looks even more fabulous on you now than it did when I first cut it.”

“Aww, thank you.” Audrey felt herself flush with pleasure. “It’s been just what I needed. Having a new look makes me feel like a new woman, and that’s been helpful as I face the new challenges before me.”

Harper didn’t ask Audrey what she meant by challenges, but a thoughtful expression came over her face. “It can’t be easy, uprooting your life and coming back to a place after so many years. I hope it all goes smoothly for you, Audrey.”

“Thank you.” Audrey smiled at her gratefully. “It’s not just the moving, though. My daughter and my mother and I have decided that we want to turn my mother’s mansion into a historical site—you know, something that people can come and tour and learn about the history of our town from.”

“Oh, that sounds amazing!”

“I love historical sites!”

Both women seemed thrilled by the idea and peppered Audrey with questions.

“Your mother lives in a mansion?” Harper asked. “How old is it?”

“Almost as old as Coral Sands,” Audrey said proudly. “It’s been in my family for generations. Mom and I have both always felt that we’d like to share it with our community more, so this seems like the perfect solution. And I don’t know, it feels exciting.”

“I’ll bet it does! That’s a brilliant idea.” Penelope grinned. “I’m sure tourists will eat that up, and locals will too. Lots of people love history, but just about everyone likes to explore mansions, especially old ones.”

“Are you going to have one of those signs out on the lawn?” Harper asked. “Talking about when it was built and all that?”

“And a website?” Penelope prompted. “And you should have an Instagram!”

Audrey laughed, thrilled that both women were so enthusiastic about the idea. Her confidence in the whole endeavor grew significantly as she was hyped up by Harper and Penelope. “I’m so glad you both think it will work out,” she said, popping a black olive into her mouth. “It sounds like the whole process is really complicated.”

“What do you need to do first?” Penelope asked.

“Well, the first thing I had to go was get information and paperwork about permits,” Audrey said, remembering herinteractions with Evan and laughing a little. “I talked to the actual mayor himself, which was surprising, I thought. He, uh—he was pretty impatient with me and told me I should quit before I started.”

Harper wagged her eyebrows. “That man is cranky—but it can’t be denied that he’s nice to look at. I’m sure he was stubborn about the whole thing—from what I’ve heard working with him can feel like a battle sometimes.”

Audrey, finding that she felt safe enough in their friendly girl-talk to embrace a little bit of her inner peacock, tossed her hair a little. “Well, since I had to engage in an unexpected battle, I’m glad that at least I was looking my best.”

Penelope laughed. “That-a girl. You’ll beat him with your powers of distraction.”

Audrey laughed and Penelope and Harper laughed with her.

This is so much fun,Audrey thought.I’ve forgotten how nice it feels to spend time with encouraging women. They’ve made me feel so much better about everything.

She felt a rush of gratitude that she hadn’t cancelled the dinner, fearing that it might be too much for her. Spending time with good friends was exactly what she needed.

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