Page 28 of A Room By the Sea

“What?” Michelle squeaked, looking appalled. “Why me? Why should I be the one to handle this?”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Elaine said, laughing. “Come on, surely by now you’ve realized the way Theo is noticing you.”

“Noticing me? How?” Michelle asked warily.

“You know,” Audrey said. “I think he has a crush on you.”

“What? No he doesn’t!” Michelle said, suddenly talking at twice her usual speed. “That is so far from the truth. We can barely speak without arguing. It’s always been that way. There’s absolutely no way he has a… yeah, definitely not.”

Elaine and Audrey exchanged a private look of amusement.

I think she might like him too, Elaine thought, feeling pleased. Theo’s a wonderful young man.

“I know that’s how things were when you were kids,” she said, trying not to smile too widely, “but I’ve definitely noticed a shift in the way he treats you ever since you came back to Coral Sands. He still teases you, yes, but he’s also done some very kind things, like driving you back to the mansion when you had your arms full of bags after that impromptu shopping trip when you didn’t have your car.”

“I agree,” Audrey said. “Didn’t you say he keeps showing up in random places when you’re there too? Like the animal shelter?”

“No, he… I mean, I’m sure that’s all coincidence,” Michelle protested. “I mean, he did—oh, never mind.”

“What?” Elaine and Audrey asked together, both of them leaning forward in their seats a little.

“Well, he did arrive at the auto shop right when I was picking up my car from an oil change,” Michelle admitted reluctantly. “I thought it was weird because he wasn’t working that day. Then Hayden said it was weird too.”

“Yeah?” Audrey cocked a brow. “What did Hayden say?”

“Well, he said that I was the only pickup scheduled that day,” Michelle said, her cheeks reddening until they were the shade of tomatoes. “He said that Theo must have shown up right when he did because he wanted to see me, because he would have known that I was picking my car up then.”

“Oh, did he now?” Audrey crowed with laughter. “Wow, that definitely seems suspicious.”

Michelle coughed. “Well, Theo said he was there to drop off some work shoes.”

“But why not just wear the shoes into work?” Elaine pointed out, amused and delighted.

“Yeah, that’s what Hayden said,” Michelle said, still blushing. “And then Theo turned around and left the shop again with his shoes, so it sure did seem like a flimsy excuse for being there.”

Audrey and Elaine burst into a fit of laughter. Theo was a great comedian, and he seemed to have comic timing even when he wasn’t trying to be funny. Elaine could just picture him cheerfully exiting the auto shop with the very shoes he was claiming he needed to drop off there.

“He likes you, for sure,” Audrey said, looking thrilled.

“Mom, please no,” Michelle said. “He’s my arch nemesis.”

“But he’s a very handsome, fun arch nemesis,” Audrey countered.

Audrey and Elaine continued to speculate about Theo’s admiration of Michelle, and Elaine could tell that Michelle was enjoying the conversation despite her protests. There was a look of excitement in her granddaughter’s eyes that Elaine had never seen before.

My heart is so full, Elaine thought, shutting her eyes for a moment to give thanks for all of the blessings that were surrounding her. The future couldn’t look brighter. We’re opening the hotel, Michelle might start a romance with Theo, and Audrey’s romance with Evan is in full swing.

And, although she hardly admitted it to herself, she was excited to have more excuses to interact with the grumpy and yet wonderful Shep Townsend.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Audrey paused in front of a shop window as she hurried down the sidewalk of Coral Sands’ main street. In the bright early afternoon sunlight, she could see her reflection decently in the glass of the large picture window, and she turned back and forth a little, making sure her hair still looked good. She’d pinned half of it up in a loose bun, something she didn’t normally do, and she was pleased to see that the hairstyle still looked fully intact and charmingly elegant.

At least I don’t have to worry about this dress wrinkling, she thought, smiling as she watched the skirt of her floor-length sundress ripple in the sea breeze that was wafting its way across the downtown of Coral Sands. She’d chosen a semi-formal light pink sundress and gold sandals for her lunch date with Evan at Brasserie Belle. She’d decided that it was the right amount of elegance for a lunch date at a fancy restaurant, and it was one of her favorite dresses. She always felt chic and pretty in it—she had loved having any excuse to wear a long skirt ever since she was a little girl. She had a sneaking suspicion that she liked long dresses because they made her feel like a princess, although she didn’t quite admit that to herself.

She noticed someone inside the shop watching her through the window, and she laughed, slightly embarrassed, and waved at them. They waved back, and she went on her way.

A few minutes later, she arrived at Brasserie Belle. The restaurant, famous for its French-inspired cuisine, smelled heavenly, and she felt her stomach growl eagerly. She told the hostess she was there to meet Evan McBride, and the young woman’s face flashed with sudden understanding when she heard his name. Evan was famous around town, being the mayor of Coral Sands, and Audrey had a feeling that the fact that she was dating him made her slightly famous too. Although she loved the idea, it also made her stomach flop with nervousness.