Page 32 of A Room By the Sea

Michelle gasped. “No way!” She peered down at the article with so much enthusiasm that Marcus started laughing. She started laughing too, although her gaze kept scanning the text with interest.

“I love this,” Michelle said, leaning forward and forgetting to be at all quiet in her excitement. “This article quotes her here. She said, ‘I think this is a perfect way for our community to work together to bless each other and have a good time in the process.’ Yup, that definitely sounds like my grandma.”

“Amazing,” Marcus said warmly.

She looked up, about to reply, when something caught her eye. There was a man standing inside one of the book aisles, his eyes on the shelves. There was something a little stiff about his posture, however, and because he was so tall and thin it was very noticeable⁠—

What the heck? she thought, surprised. That’s Theo! I never knew he was the type to browse the library shelves like this. He never really seemed like the bookworm type to me.

“Who’s that?” Marcus asked, noticing the way she was peering at Theo.

“Oh, um, that’s my friend Theo,” Michelle said, feeling herself flush slightly. Theo seemed to hear what she’d said, and he turned in her direction. He made eye contact for a second and she noticed that he had a funny look on his face. Trying to make the situation feel less awkward, she lifted her hand and waved at Theo.

He gave her a rather enigmatic nod of acknowledgement and then awkwardly turned around and began to peruse another shelf of books.

Michelle pretended to return to her research, but in reality, her mind was on Theo.

I hardly ever go to the library, she thought, biting her lip as she stared at another magazine article without seeing it. What are the chances that Theo would show up right now?

She tried to tell herself that it was definitely just a coincidence that he was there. After all, how would he have known she was inside unless he’d happened to see her walk in? Then she realized a moment later that her yellow jeep was parked in the library parking lot, close to the road. If he’d passed by, he would have seen it and known that she was inside.

She couldn’t help noticing that he was behaving with the same overly devil-may-care attitude that he’d had when he stopped into the auto shop when she was there. He was acting unusually aimless, as if he had no official purpose for being there. Normally, Theo approached all his tasks with determination and focused energy. Behaving awkwardly and casually about his errands was out of character for Theo.

Michelle couldn’t help thinking of what her mother and grandmother had said to her, about Theo showing up in places where she was because he was interested in her. The way he kept appearing in places she didn’t expect him to be was odd, she couldn’t deny it. She felt her cheeks redden at the thought, and she brought her face closer to the magazine article even though that did nothing for her ability to read the words.

Theo and I just get on each other’s nerves, she thought. Why would he be seeking me out like that? I’m sure it’s all just coincidence, because otherwise that would be ridiculous.

She tried to force all thoughts of Theo from her brain, but instead of forgetting about him, she glanced up at the aisle where he’d been standing. He was gone, and she felt a flicker of disappointment that she immediately refused to acknowledge.

Determined not to think about Theo anymore, she looked back at the article in front of her. Before long, her interest in what she was reading took over most of her attention. Every once in a while, however, she glanced up at the aisle where Theo had been as if he might suddenly reappear there.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Audrey inhaled as she put on a pair of gold stud earrings. She was standing in front of her vanity mirror in her bedroom at The Birchwood House, getting ready for dinner with Penelope.

Gosh, I hope tonight goes well, she thought, biting her lip. I know she’s going through a lot, but I can’t help feeling like she’s angry with me.

She sighed, thinking about the way she’d texted her group chat with Penelope and Harper a couple of days before, suggesting a girl’s night. Harper had responded right away with enthusiasm, but Penelope hadn’t said a thing, even after Harper and Audrey had exchanged a few more texts about the subject.

Audrey had forced herself to wait and be patient and let Penelope respond in her own time, but once a full day had passed she was unable to stand Penelope’s avoidance of her anymore. She’d texted Penelope directly that morning, asking if she would be up for going out to dinner with her at Crossroads Bar and Grill so that they could talk.

Audrey had felt relieved when Penelope had agreed to go to dinner with her, although her texts had seemed far from enthusiastic. Now Audrey was getting ready to go out to the restaurant, and her heart was beating faster than usual as she worried about what her friend was thinking and feeling.

At least she’ll be there, Audrey thought. She could have made an excuse or flat out refused to come with me.

She finished applying her makeup and then slipped on a pair of glossy flats to go with her black jeans and pink blouse. She glanced at her watch and squeaked a little when she realized that she needed to leave in the next two minutes if she was going to be on time.

She hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Elaine and Michelle were chatting about something as they made lasagna together.

“Have fun tonight, Mom!” Michelle said as Audrey appeared in the doorway.

“Thanks.” Audrey first hugged her daughter and then her mother in a flurry, not wanting to be late. “I’ve got to run but I’ll talk to you two later. I hope the lasagna’s delicious!”

“You can have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow,” Elaine said with a smile. “Don’t be nervous. I’m sure Penelope loves you just as much as ever and she’s just bogged down with her own cares right now.”

Audrey let out a breath, glancing gratefully at her mother. She’d only told Elaine bits and pieces of her concerns regarding her friendship with Penelope, and yet her mother had been able to perceive exactly what Audrey was feeling and say just what she needed to hear.

“I love you both,” she said. “I’ll talk to you later!”