Page 16 of A Room By the Sea

“Wow, Mom, look at you!”

Audrey turned as Michelle and Elaine entered the parlor, both of them staring at Audrey with big grins on their faces.

“You look gorgeous, honey,” Elaine said, giving Audrey a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you.” Audrey blushed a little and glanced at her mother and daughter. “Do you think it’s too much? I mean, we are going to the Bluewater Bistro, but I don’t want to overdo it.”

“It’s not too much at all,” Michelle said. “You look classy and beautiful. That’s the kind of dress that can stretch from semi-formal to formal easily. Great choice.”

“I agree,” Elaine said. “I’ve seen plenty of women wearing dresses like that at the Bistro. You’re not overdressed at all.”

Audrey sighed in satisfaction. “Thank you both. It’s nice to have that reassurance. I am feeling a little nervous about tonight. When Evan suggested that we go to the Bluewater Bistro, it felt more serious and I’m feeling jittery.”

Michelle squeezed her mother’s hand. “Don’t stress out, Mom. Just enjoy the romance of it all. Right, Grandma?” She grinned slyly. “Grandma knows all about romance.”

Audrey shot her mother a questioning look, but Elaine waved it off with a smile.

“Oh, hush, Michelle. Don’t overthink this, Audrey. Just take a deep breath and then have a wonderful time. One step at a time, okay? Romance isn’t something you can plan because it takes two people at every step of the journey. So you really do have to just take it one little baby step at a time.”

Audrey smiled, nodding. “You’re right.”

“So have a wonderful time, sweetheart.” Elaine gave her a hug. “I’m sure Evan is going to love that dress even more than we do.”

At that moment, there was a soft knock on the front door.

“He’s here!” Michelle announced gleefully, and she scampered over to the front door to open it. Audrey felt a flutter of nervousness and smoothed down the front of her dress.

“Hi, Evan,” Elaine said as the handsome mayor stepped into the front hallway. “Come on in.”

Evan smiled, and then his gaze locked immediately onto Audrey. She watched his expression become more admiring, and she held back a huge grin of satisfaction.

“Hey,” she said, stepping forward to give him a hug. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“Of course,” he said, and cleared his throat.

“Have a wonderful time, you two!” Elaine said, smiling broadly. “I hear the Bluewater Bistro has a creamy lemon salmon entrée on their specials list this week. My friend Jennifer told me it was the best salmon dish she’s ever had.”

“We’ll have to check that out,” Audrey said. “Thanks, Mom.”

Michelle gave her a look and gestured subtly toward the door as if to say, “Okay, get out of here.” Audrey shot her daughter a smile and stepped out the front door. Evan followed her, wishing Elaine and Michelle goodnight.

“See you later!” Elaine called from the doorway, and Audrey waved back at her and Michelle warmly.

I’m so lucky they’re in my life, she thought. It’s so comfortable having them to come home to every day. And it was so nice to have them there to send me off! I probably would be twice as nervous without their pep talk.

“You look beautiful,” Evan said, his voice smooth and masculine but the tips of his ears a pinkish color that betrayed his boyish crushing.

“Thank you.” Audrey’s eyes shone at him. “You look pretty handsome yourself.”

He smiled at her and opened the passenger car door for her. Evan was always doing gentlemanly things like that for her. Audrey had learned a while ago that he was an old soul who liked to do everything by the book—and he operated by a book that was much older than the one most men were referring to. His fussiness quickly turned into tenderness when it came to treating her like a princess, and she was appreciating it more and more.

They drove to the Bluewater Bistro and parked in the small adjoining parking lot. A breathtaking sunset was lighting up the western sky in pinks and oranges, and on the eastern horizon, a velvety blue twilight offered glimpses of the first evening stars.

“Such a lovely night,” Audrey said as they walked to the front door together.

The evening felt romantic in a way none of their other dates had. She didn’t know if it was just the beautiful atmosphere and the fancy dress she was wearing, or if her feelings were becoming stronger. She almost felt as if she was holding her breath. She wanted to hold Evan’s hand, but she didn’t want to move their relationship along too quickly. They’d held hands sometimes, but it wasn’t something they did all the time.

Evan held the front door of the restaurant open for her, and they stepped inside. The Bluewater Bistro was fragrant with the savory smells of garlic, onions, and cream. Audrey sniffed the aromas of sizzling meats eagerly, suddenly ravenously hungry despite her jittery nerves.