Page 49 of The Birchwood House

“There, that looks great,” Michelle said proudly, looking down at the picture she’d just taken. “Very brooding. You look like a sea captain.”

Evan smiled. “Thanks, Michelle.”

After another half an hour, more and more attendees began to disperse, headed back to their homes. The deck, which had been blessed with balmy weather for the greater part of theevening, was starting to grow chilly. Evan watched the guests hug and congratulate Elaine, Michelle and Audrey warmly, and he felt a surge of happiness. He was glad that the Sutton women were receiving so much support already, and he felt sure that they would continue to be supported by the people of Coral Sands.

I think this went very well,he thought, feeling deeply content.I suppose now that the whole thing’s winding down, it’s time for me to head home also.

He felt a tug of disappointment at the thought. He didn’t want to leave the warmly lit, animated party and go back to his dark and empty house.

His eyes scanned the crowd for Audrey. She hadn’t come to speak with him a second time that night, although he’d been hoping that she would. He hadn’t wanted to crowd her or talk to her too much, and he’d left the ball in her court, so to speak. He located her a moment later. She was standing in a corner, talking animatedly to a couple of women who he recognized as two of Coral Sands’ librarians.

He swallowed, telling himself that if she’d wanted to talk with him again, she would have done so already. He took a deep breath, deciding that it was time for him to head home. He’d already spoken to everyone he knew there, and he was losing the social energy needed to strike up a conversation with a stranger.

He started quietly toward the door, choosing to make an Irish goodbye. Just before he passed through the doorway, however, he heard someone call his name.

“Evan!”

He turned, and his stomach did a somersault when he saw that Audrey was hurrying toward him. Her curly auburn hair was being blown to the side by the wind, and she looked so lovely in her elegant dress that his heart caught in his throat.

“Hi, Audrey,” he said, his voice dropping lower in an effort to keep it steady. He felt tongue-tied and breathless around her, the way he’d felt around girls when he was a kid.

“Hi.” She smiled at him. For a second, he couldn’t read her energy. She seemed happy and nervous at the same time. She clasped and unclasped her hands a few times in quick, bird-like movements. “Could I talk to you for a second?” She gestured to a small table for two that was placed nearby. No one was standing or sitting near it, so it offered a fair amount of privacy.

“Certainly,” he said, clearing his throat.

They walked over to the little table together and sat down. Audrey smiled at him shyly, and he swallowed, wondering what she was thinking. He knew she was about to tell him, but the suspense was making his blood rush faster. She clasped her hands together again, setting them down on the table.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking,” she said, taking a deep breath. “And I got some advice from people who I respect a great deal. And I do think there’s something between us that…” She laughed breathlessly. “Well, what I’m trying to say is that I want to give this thing between us a chance.”

Evan listened to her words, holding as still as stone. He was waiting for the other shoe to drop, wondering when she was going to tell him the bad part of her decision.

“Just like I’m giving this new and pretty wild business venture a chance, I want to give us a chance. I’ve decided that I want to take a leap of faith and try to get to know you better. I think we should start dating—if that’s still what you want.”

Evan felt as though he couldn’t move for another few seconds. His heart thumped in his chest, and a slow smile spread across his face. He wished they were alone together so that he could take her in his arms and kiss her. Instead, he reached his hand across the table and took one of hers, squeezing it gently. “I can’t wait.”

“Audrey!” Elaine was standing on the opposite side of the deck, looking around for her daughter and calling her name.

“I’d better go over there,” Audrey said, standing up. “But I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yes. Talk to you later.” Evan smiled.

She smiled back at him with a warmth in her eyes that made his heart soar. Dazed, he sat at the table for a few more minutes, feeling as though he might be dreaming. Audrey Lowe was going to start dating him. It hadn’t taken years at all.

Although he himself was nervous about dating again after his divorce, Evan felt a sense of certainty as he watched Audrey walk away. If she was willing to take a risk after such terrible heartache, it meant that whatever spark that was happening between them was real and worth fighting for. He felt that way as well, determined to surmount the obstacles and forge a path forward. Deep in his chest, an excitement grew that was stronger than anything he’d felt in a long time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Michelle stepped out of the grocery store, trying to shift the two heavy shopping bags in her arms. She glanced at the bouquet of pink and yellow and orange roses that was half spilling out of one of the bags, feeling worried that the strong spring wind might blow it out of the bag entirely.

That would be a shame,she thought.I perched it on the top like that because I didn’t want it to get crushed in the bag—but if it takes a nose-dive onto the sidewalk, it’s going to get crushed anyway.

She and her mother and grandmother were in the midst of putting the final touches on the Birchwood House. All of the antiques were sparklingly clean and on display in the beautiful old house, but the three of them had decided that they wanted more modern items to spruce up the house as well.

Michelle had set off that morning on a pleasant walk, deciding halfway through it that she would stop at the store and pick up the chalk board that they’d wanted to buy to place in the kitchen near the coffee maker. They wanted something that could outline information that guests would need to prepare their own coffee, such as what flavors of syrup they had available. In addition to the chalkboard, she’d wanted tobuy a fresh bouquet of flowers to celebrate their opening and bring some natural fragrance into the house. Once she’d gotten inside the store, she’d found a candle that was scented with cedarwood, lavender, and vanilla, which were her, Elaine, and Audrey’s favorite scents, respectively. She’d known immediately she needed to buy it. Then she’d had the idea to buy snacks for their guests to put in welcome baskets for all of the hotel rooms—elegant snacks like roasted almonds and dried cranberries and chocolate covered blueberries. Once she’d loaded up her cart with snacks, she’d realized they didn’t have enough baskets for every room, and she bought a couple of darling round wicker ones.

By the time she’d gotten to the check-out, she’d picked out a great many items. She’d looked over her cart with trepidation, wondering if she was going to have to put some things back, but then she’d decided that if she was clever about the way she packed them in, she should be able to fit everything into two bags.

Now she was standing on the sidewalk outside the store, peering up at the sign posted at the bus stop. She knew she would have to wait for a bus, but she was hoping that she wouldn’t have to wait for very long. Her heart sank when she saw that the next bus wasn’t coming for another twenty minutes, and it would still have to drop her off a block and a half away from the mansion. Her arms were already starting to ache with the weight of the bags she was holding.