Page 46 of A Room By the Sea

Audrey smiled gratefully at her mother, thinking to herself that Elaine was as classy as a queen. The chairman called the names of local business owners one by one, and they went up to the podium to make short speeches. When it was Elaine’s turn, she stepped regally up to the microphone and looked out across the crowd with a radiant smile.

“Good evening, everyone,” Elaine said, her tone resonant and serene. “It’s so wonderful to see all of your familiar faces here in one place. I’m speaking for The Birchwood House, which I co-own with my daughter Audrey and granddaughter Michelle. Working together has been incredibly sweet. We’re also business partners with Townsend’s Bakery, which makes our lives even sweeter.” Elaine delivered her cheesy joke with the perfect amount of cheerful self-awareness, and the crowd laughed appreciatively. “We’re beyond excited to be able to serve Coral Sands and the tourists who come here. We want to open our home to anyone who needs a place to stay, or who simply wants to get away from their regular life for a while. The Birchwood House has been a part of Coral Sands almost since the very beginning of our town, and I couldn’t be happier to be involved in continuing its legacy. My daughter and granddaughter have been working tirelessly to make the hotel the best place it can be. We’ve spent countless hours cleaning and making repairs, designing bedrooms, and planning our breakfast menus. It’s been like living in a wonderful dream, and I can’t wait to see that dream come true after our grand opening. Thank you all.”

The crowd applauded, and it seemed to Audrey that they were applauding more loudly for Elaine than they had for the other business owners. She scanned the faces in the crowd, and she noticed Shep Townsend looking at Elaine with shining eyes.

He really admires her, Audrey realized, almost shocked by the look on Shep’s face. She’d never seen him look so warmly at anyone or anything before. And even after she barged into his kitchen like that! I wonder if there’s something brewing there?

The thought of a romance between her mother and Shep Townsend made Audrey grin uncontrollably.

“What is it?” Evan asked her in a whisper, noticing her gleeful expression.

She shook her head. “I’ll tell you later,” she whispered back.

A few more business owners went up to the podium to make speeches. Before long it was Jill’s turn, and although she was smiling, Audrey noticed a fierce gleam in the pet store owner’s eyes.

She probably feels that she deserves this so much more than we do, Audrey thought, her heart going out to the other woman. She built her business by herself from scratch, and we’re working as a team and starting with a house that we already own.

“Good evening, everyone,” Jill said. Her voice had a crispness to it that Audrey liked. She sounded slightly intimidating, but it was clear she was a strong woman who knew how to get things done, and Audrey admired that. “When I started my business, we didn’t have a pet store in Coral Sands. Our wonderful grocery store and hardware store provided dog and cat food, cat litter, and pet toys, but I wanted there to be a place that was just for pets. Pets need more than just food and water, as I’m sure you know. We’ve got all kinds of special items like homemade treats for pets, toothpaste for dogs and cats, health-conscious fish food, and leashes and collars with spectacular personality. We’ve even got a place where you can bring your dog to be groomed. I like to think of us all as one big family, and I’m the big sister who likes to help take care of your pets.”

A ripple of laughter traveled across the crowd. Audrey could tell that Jill genuinely cared about animals, and she knew that was a big part of why Whiskers and Wags had become such a beloved local business.

“I’ve been working with my whole heart ever since we opened,” Jill continued. “I hardly ever get a break, but to me, it’s all worth it. I honestly feel that my business is the most deserving of this award, even though Whiskers and Wags hasn’t been endorsed by any of the notable figures in town.”

Audrey’s stomach dropped, and she could hardly believe Jill had actually said such a thing. It was clear that she was referring to The Birchwood House and Evan’s aid toward them. A few people in the crowd gasped, and several heads turned in Audrey’s direction. She was determined not to get angry or look upset, and she continued to watch Jill with what she hoped was a neutral expression on her face.

Everyone knows she’s talking about Evan, Audrey thought. I wondered why people gasped? Were they shocked that she would say it, like I was, or are they thinking that it’s really true?

Jill made a few—far more polite—remarks, and then returned to her place in the crowd. The chairman stepped up to the podium, smiling cheerfully as though he was blissfully unaware of all the gossip.

“I’d like to call up Coral Sands’ mayor, Evan McBride,” said the chairman. “He’s going to announce our winner.”

Whispers and soft exclamations of excitement passed around the crowd. Evan walked up to the podium, straightening his tie and clearing his throat. Just before taking his place in front of the microphone, he turned and gave Audrey a radiant smile.

Just do what you need to do, she thought. I won’t be upset with you either way.

Her heart was thumping in her chest as she watched Evan inhale and prepare to address the crowd. She wanted desperately for The Birchwood House to win, but she also wanted the right thing to be done. Since Evan had been so closely connected to their progress, perhaps it truly wasn’t right for him to judge in their favor.

And we really do have a head start over most people, she thought. Maybe we don’t need to win this contest. Mom is already famous in Coral Sands and everyone loves her. It’s easy for bed and breakfasts in this area to get enough bookings because there are so many tourists coming in. Maybe someone who really needs to win this competition should win instead of us. We’ve done such a good job working hard and doing our best, but so have plenty of other people.

She turned her head and her eyes scanned the crowd for Jill. She saw the pet store owner a moment later. Jill was staring at Evan with her arms tightly crossed as if she was trying not to be stressed. Audrey’s heart went out to the other woman, and she suddenly found herself wishing with all her might that Jill would win the competition instead of The Birchwood House.

“Thank you all so much for being here tonight,” Evan said in a deep, slightly monotone voice. Audrey knew that tone meant that he was nervous, but no one else would have suspected such a thing. Evan appeared confident and businesslike. He offered the crowd a small, polite smile and then pulled a gold-edged envelope out of his suit coat pocket. “I have the winner of the contest written here,” he said.

The crowd was perfectly silent as Evan opened the envelope. Audrey realized that she was holding her breath, and beside her, Michelle had her index fingers pressed against her lips. Elaine reached for Audrey and Michelle and the three of them stood there in a kind of group hug as Evan spoke into the microphone.

“The judges deliberated for a long time about who was the most deserving local business to win this contest,” Evan said in his slow, serious-sounding voice. “We wanted to choose someone who had contributed a great deal to the community and who also exemplifies the qualities of hard work and generosity. We wanted to choose a business that has proved itself time and time again to be a worthwhile establishment not only in Coral Sands, but also in our entire county.”

Audrey’s heart beat faster as she listened. Although Evan wasn’t looking at her, she seemed to be able to sense that he was telling her something. She felt as though he was choosing his words carefully, making sure she knew what the announcement would be before he said it out loud. He was talking about a business that had already been established within Coral Sands for a while. That couldn’t be The Birchwood House, since they hadn’t opened yet. Evan was telling her that she and her mother and Michelle were not going to win the contest after all.

She felt a split second of disappointment, followed by a rush of relief. She didn’t want to win the contest under the current circumstances. She was glad that Evan had chosen someone else because it would show everyone how much integrity he had and that neither he nor the Sutton women were willing to let the contest be judged unfairly.

“In a small town like Coral Sands,” Evan continued, “everyone’s lives intertwine. We support each other and encourage each other, especially within our personal relationships. But I want to be clear that support and encouragement is not favoritism. This contest has been judged without bias. We all want the owners of these outstanding businesses to have the very best. I think that’s something we can agree on—we want all these businesses to continue to succeed with flying colors, regardless of whether or not they’ve been chosen to win.”

Murmurs rippled around the crowd. Audrey caught a few people glancing in her direction, clearly curious to see her reaction to Evan’s reassurance that there would be no favoritism in the contest. She suspected that they thought his words meant that he was about to announce The Birchwood House as the winner. She knew better, however, and held her breath, waiting to hear who had won.

“The winner of the competition is…” Evan said slowly, pausing for dramatic effect. “Whiskers and Wags.”

The crowd erupted into cheers. Audrey found that she was clapping just as loudly as everyone else.