Page 30 of A Room By the Sea

“Oh, no, please don’t think that,” Audrey blurted, dismayed that he’d misread her hesitation so completely. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you just as much. I always look forward to our dates, and it’s always wonderful to see you, and…”

She paused, scared of being vulnerable enough to express just how much she was starting to care for him.

“It’s not that at all,” she said slowly. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while—us becoming official, I mean. You’re right that the way my marriage ended has made things hard for me—harder than I thought it would be in a lot of ways, although starting to date again has been less terrifying than I thought it would be.” She laughed lightly.

“I scare you?” Evan asked, looking stricken.

“No.” She took both his hands in hers and shook her head, smiling. “Not at all. My nervous system is just scared of romance, and there’s nothing you can do about that. You’ve already been doing everything you possibly could to reassure me, by being so patient and kind and supportive and dependable. It’s just been hard for me to process the idea of dating someone officially. I get scared at the thought, even though it is something that I want.”

They shared a moment of eye contact, and Audrey felt as though a tingling sensation was traveling along her bloodstream. Alongside her fear, she felt a rush of happiness and excitement, and suddenly she knew just what her answer would be.

“Don’t worry,” Evan said, squeezing her hands gently. “I can continue being patient. If you’re not ready to commit to us being officially a couple, then that’s okay with me. I mean it, Audrey. If you’re willing to give me a chance, I’m determined to be as patient as you need me to be.”

Audrey’s eyes filled with happy tears and she shook her head.

“No?” Evan asked, looking dismayed again.

Audrey laughed breathlessly. “I need to be better about communicating with you,” she said. “I’m shaking my head because I don’t need you to be patient about that anymore. Just like starting to date required faith and courage on my part but it was the right choice, officially becoming your girlfriend is the right step for me right now. I can feel it in my bones. You’re a wonderful man, and I would be crazy to pass by an opportunity to be yours officially.”

“Really?” Evan stammered, his eyes shining. “Are you sure?”

Audrey nodded, a couple of her tears spilling out of her eyes and running down her cheeks, quick and warm. “I’m absolutely positive.”

Evan leaned forward across the table and kissed her tenderly. Audrey’s heart glowed with happiness, and she felt overwhelmed with relief.

I did know in the moment what my answer would be, she thought. It took courage, but I knew in my gut this was the right choice. Evan’s such a wonderful guy, willing to keep waiting for me like that, but I’m so glad I answered the way I did. I’m his girlfriend!

Evan’s eyes shone as he looked at her, and Audrey felt a wave of peace sweep over her. She still felt nervous about the big step that she’d just taken, but underneath it all she felt steady, and certain about the choice she and Evan had made together.

Their meals arrived in another few minutes, and they began to eat the delicious food, neither of them talking much. They kept glancing up and making eye contact across the table, smiling as though they would never be able to stop. Audrey felt light-headed and as giddy as a teenager who had just been asked out to prom for the first time.

“So,” Evan said finally, setting down his fork and picking up his glass of wine. “Tell me all about how things are going with The Birchwood House.”

“We’re nearly ready,” she said, feeling again the surge of excitement that she experienced every time she contemplated how close they were to opening the hotel. “Although we just found out yesterday that there’s a window upstairs that desperately needs to be fixed. Some of the wood in the lattice work has started to rot because it’s so old. My mother is pretty sure it’s a safety violation, since one good gust of wind could potentially cause it to break, making the glass fall either inside or outside the house.”

Evan took her hand and squeezed it. “I can help with that,” he said. “I’ve installed a few windows before. Just let me know when you’ve ordered the replacement, and I’ll come over and help you install it.”

“Really?” she asked, feeling a rush of gratitude.

“Of course,” he said with a firm nod and a heart-stopping smile. “I am your boyfriend after all.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Michelle pushed open the front doors of the library and took a deep breath. She had a fondness for any type of old building, and the Coral Sands Library was a particularly spectacular one. It was an old red brick building offering whimsical alcoves that created unexpected reading nooks, rows upon rows of antique and modern books, and stained-glass windows that cast beautiful colored light patterns across the old wooden floorboards. Michelle loved the way it smelled clean and dry and of paper. She also appreciated how hushed it was, offering a space of tranquility for anyone who needed a break from the hustle and bustle of life.

She looked around, wondering where the best place to look for historical articles would be. She’d been to the library a few times before, but in the past she’d just made her way to the clearly labeled “Fiction” section, grabbed a few mysteries and romances, and made her way out again. Now she was looking for old newspaper clippings and magazine articles, and she felt a little like a detective on the trail of a puzzling case.

Ever since she’d read the letters that her grandfather Thomas had written to Elaine, Michelle hadn’t been able to stop thinking about them. They had thrilled her, causing her to think not only of the sweet romance that Elaine and Thomas had shared, but also of the Coral Sands that had existed during the couple’s younger days. Michelle was determined to read every article and newspaper clip from that time that the library had to offer. She wanted to immerse herself in the past as much as possible so that she could better understand what the world had been like back then—especially in her little world of Coral Sands.

She looked around the library for a moment, wondering where she should begin looking for the information she was seeking. Feeling at a loss, she decided to head toward the front desk. Surely the librarians would be the best people to give her an answer.

The front desk was vacant, however, and she didn’t see a bell that she could ring to ask for service. She was just about to turn away when she saw a bookshelf behind the librarian’s chairs. It was filled with folders and old magazines. She could see little handwritten labels stating things like, “Coral Sands Gazette, May 1951—January 1952” and “Local Magazines 1963.”

Oh, that’s perfect, Michelle thought, feeling a surge of excitement. That’s exactly what I’m looking for.

She hurried behind the desk, looking for a chair or something that she could stand on in order to reach the magazines and newspapers. She soon located a stepping stool, and she eagerly placed it in front of the bookshelf and hopped onto it.

Feeling almost reverent, she began to comb through the magazines that would have been published during the early years of Elaine and Thomas’s romance. She also felt interested in the older magazines, which would have been published when the two of them were children, but she wanted to look first at the years that were interesting her the most. She wanted to get a sense of the world that had been surrounding Thomas and Elaine while they were falling in love.