Page 35 of The Birchwood House

I’ve got to talk to her again,he thought as he left the office, making his way down the somewhat creaky wooden stairs of thetown hall.I can’t just keep thinking about her indefinitely. I need to actually speak to the woman.

He knew that Audrey was living with her mother Elaine, and he knew where Elaine’s mansion was—everyone in Coral Sands did. It was in a beautiful old residential district filled with all the oldest and most charming houses of Coral Sands. Elaine’s mansion was located on the corner of the street, just two blocks away from the main road that ran through town but still pleasantly secluded because of a large lawn and several tall old maple trees.

With his briefcase held tightly in his hands, he made his way toward Elaine’s house. He didn’t know exactly what he was going to say to Audrey, but he knew that he wanted to see her again.

He reached the sidewalk in front of the mansion a few minutes later. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that Audrey was on the front porch of the house. It was under construction, and the parts that had already been built look incredible despite still being unpainted.

“Ta da!” Audrey said, placing a potted plant on top of the railing. “Doesn’t that look nice?”

A young woman who Evan suspected was Audrey’s daughter came up behind her and wrinkled her nose at the plant.

“It looks great now, but all we need is one gust of wind and it’s going to be bye-bye, plant.”

Audrey shook her head. “Not bye-bye, plant. Just bye-bye, flowerpot.”

The young woman laughed. “How about we hang a pot from the top of the porch? I have that friend who sells macrame plant hangers online. We could buy a few from her and hang up plants all over the porch to our hearts’ content.”

“Sounds amazing.” Audrey smiled at her. “Brilliant idea, Michelle.”

Evan smiled as he approached. He liked the cheerful banter between the two of them. It reminded him of the way he and his son interacted whenever they were working on something together.

“The porch looks great,” he called as he approached.

Audrey whirled, nearly knocking over the potted plant. “Evan! Hi! I—oh gosh, I guess you do know where I live, don’t you?” She laughed breathlessly, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Behind her, Michelle was giving her a pointed look, but Audrey seemed determined to not make eye contact with her.

“Evan, this is my daughter, Michelle,” Audrey said.

“I remember you,” Michelle said, shaking his hand firmly. It was a friendly gesture, but also a little fierce, as if she was communicating,don’t hurt my mom, or else. “I was at the coffee shop during the great cappuccino explosion of Coral Sands.”

“Oh, don’t bring that up,” Audrey groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Evan chuckled. “Unfortunately, I don’t remember you. I was too preoccupied with my documents, I guess.”

“I guess.” Michelle lifted her shoulders in an easy shrug, then added, “So, are you here to talk to my mom?”

“I am,” he said, turning his gaze to Audrey. She’d been looking at him, but as soon as he turned in her direction, she glanced away and made a show of looking around the porch.

“I’m glad you like the porch,” she said, seeming to be changing the subject. “It does look wonderful. It’s been coming along extremely well.”

Elaine stepped out of the house a moment later, bearing a tray of iced tea and brownies. Evan’s eyes widened, surprised at her seemingly super-human ability to notice that company had arrived and whip up refreshments immediately.

“Hello, Evan,” Elaine said, smiling at him warmly the way she always did. He noticed, however, that there was a gleam inher eyes that wasn’t usually there. “Would you like some iced tea and a brownie?”

“Certainly.” Evan smiled and reached for one of the gooey brownies. His stomach rumbled and he realized that in his distracted state, he’d neglected to eat lunch. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Elaine smiled, setting the tray down on a small table. “Help yourself to some iced tea if you’d like as well.” She turned to her granddaughter. “Michelle, there’s a box up in the attic that I need help unpacking.”

“Oh of course, Grandma,” Michelle said, a touch louder than was necessary. “We’ve got to hustle if we’re going to be ready for that grand opening.”

Smiling, Elaine and Michelle excused themselves and went inside the mansion. Audrey watched them go with a slightly alarmed expression on her face. Once the door had closed behind them, she held still for a couple of seconds before inhaling and turning to face Evan with a smile.

“Would you like to see what we’ve been doing to the place?” she asked, her tone a little brisk. He wasn’t sure if his visit was unwelcome to her, or if she was just feeling nervous.

“I’d love to,” he said, meaning it sincerely. He had a professional interest in building improvements, and the reality was that he wanted to talk with Audrey. Getting a tour of the progress that was being done to the mansion would be a great way to break the ice between them.

“Well, here’s the porch,” she said, gesturing to the structure surrounding them with a playful flourish. “As you can see, it’s still a work in progress down over there, but we’re hoping to have it ready soon. We had the whole house repainted so that we could be sure to match the color with the new parts of the porch exactly. And it just needed it—it’s been decades since the house was repainted. It looks nice, doesn’t it?”