Page 46 of The Birchwood House

“Do we have any plans for tonight?” Audrey stepped inside the kitchen, where her mother was seated at the table, sipping a cup of coffee and working on a crossword puzzle. “Michelle told me that I shouldn’t go out to the grocery store, and that I should start getting ready instead. When I asked her what she meant, she just got this mysterious glint in her eyes and waltzed away.”

Elaine set down her coffee cup and smiled. “I have a surprise for you both tonight,” she said, looking as pleased as could be. “I just told Michelle. I’ve called a celebratory get-together at Bluewater Bistro tonight. I invited most of our closest friends and neighbors. We’re all going to celebrate the future Birchwood House in style.”

“Oh, Mom.” Audrey placed her hand on her heart, feeling touched. “That’s so sweet of you.”

Elaine shook her head, her lips tugging up at one corner. “It wasn’t my idea.”

“Whose was it? Michelle’s?”

“No.” Elaine’s smile widened as she watched her daughter’s reaction. “It was Evan’s.”

“Oh my gosh.” Audrey sat down at the table beside her mother, happiness and surprise mixing together in her chest. “That’s… wow. I didn’t expect him to do something like that.”

“It’s very thoughtful,” Elaine said, nodding in agreement. She had an almost mischievous look in her eyes, and when she saw it, Audrey knew that was her cue to leave if she didn’t want to be asked about a potential romance between herself and Evan.

“I guess I’d better get ready then,” Audrey said, standing up. “Do we have a dress code for this event?”

“I’d go with a cocktail dress,” Elaine said. “I thought it would be fun for us all to dress up, so I put down cocktail attire for the dress code on the invitations.”

“Really?” Audrey’s eyes widened, but she felt excited about being able to put on her best wedding-guest dress. It was hanging upstairs in her closet and she hadn’t worn it yet, since she’d bought it after she came to Coral Sands. Now that she thought about it, her mother had been the one to urge her to buy it, and Audrey wondered with a smile just how long her mother had known about having the party to celebrate the opening of the mansion. “I can’t wait to wear that dress we picked out together—the dark green one with the square neckline.”

“This is a perfect occasion for that,” Elaine said with a smile. “I’m going to wear a black and white dress I have, and Michelle wants to wear that light green one she bought the other day. I think our dresses will go very well together, don’t you?”

“Perfectly.” Audrey nodded. “Like a theme—three generations of our family, growing from tiny bright green sprouts to a full grown black and white birch tree. Gosh, we’re artists. Do you think anyone will notice?”

Elaine laughed. “Probably not, but we should take a picture for our Instagram and you can caption it something like that. You’re very creative, Audrey.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Audrey blew her a kiss and waltzed out of the kitchen. As she scampered up the stairs, she thought with a flutter of excitement that she would get to wear the dress in front of Evan. She looked great in it, and most of the time when he’d seen her, she’d been wearing sloppy work clothes. She loved the idea of getting to wear something elegant that showed off her figure well.

She went into her bedroom and then into her private bathroom. She tackled her hair first, using every product she possessed to make her curls look smooth and bouncy at the same time. She rarely put a great deal of effort into her appearance but tonight was going to be a special occasion.

Once her hair looked sleek and becoming, she tied half of it up in a loose bun and fastened it with a silver clip. Then she put on diamond earrings and carefully did her makeup, applying a red lipstick that she hadn’t worn since Christmas.

Finally, she went to her closet and got out the dress. She laid it down on her bed, admiring it for a moment. Although it wasn’t all that fancy, the idea of getting to put it on made her feel like a princess.

She put it on and slipped on a pair of black heels that had a darling little strap over the ankles. She stepped back and turned back and forth in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection.

I feel beautiful,she thought. And I know part of that is because I know Evan is going to think so when he sees me tonight.Whatever happens with us, I’m grateful that he wants to date me. It’s helping me feel special again in a way that I’ve missed feeling, ever since Clark became so disinterested in me.

“Mom? Are you ready?” The sound of Michelle calling up the stairs met her ears.

“Almost!” Audrey grabbed her special-occasion clutch purse and took one more look at herself in the mirror before smiling and hurrying out the door of her bedroom.

“Look at you!” Michelle practically squealed as her mother descended the staircase. “Mom, you look gorgeous.”

“So do you,” Audrey said, meaning it sincerely. She got a little teary-eyed when she saw her daughter in her darling light green dress. It was strapless, with a puffy knee-length skirt, and it looked fun and adorable. Michelle looked beautiful in it, and Audrey loved the way her daughter had pulled back her dark brown hair into an elegant up-do that was an artful contrast to the free-spirit vibes of the dress.

“Thanks, Mom.” Michelle gave her a big hug as soon as she reached the bottom of the staircase. “This is fun, isn’t it? Getting to dress up like this?”

“It is. So much fun.”

Elaine appeared in the doorway of the parlor, already wearing her black and white cocktail dress along with pointed flats and a gorgeous string of pearls. Her curly white hair was loose around her shoulders, and Audrey thought that she had never seen her mother look so beautiful. There was a kind of elegance to her that almost took Audrey’s breath away.

“Mom, you look amazing,” Audrey said, hurrying forward to hug Elaine.

“You look beautiful,” Elaine said, hugging her back tightly.

This makes me feel special too,Audrey thought.Even more than the prospect of Evan thinking I’m beautiful. I feel like these two really see me and love me, and that makes me feel more special than anything else could.