Page 50 of A Room By the Sea

“Congratulations,” he said softly, walking up to her. He looked as excited as she felt. “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this.”

“Of course,” she said, smiling up at him. She’d never seen him look so happy before, and she was surprised by how much it meant to her that she’d been able to make him feel that way by welcoming him into her world.

He took her hands in his and squeezed them, and her heart beat faster as she squeezed his hands back.

“I thought I might tidy up the pastry displays,” Shep said, brushing his thumbs over her knuckles, “but it all looks too perfect to touch.”

The kitchen island had been turned into a treats buffet. There was a hot water dispenser as well as a coffee dispenser, placed next to wicker baskets well-stocked with clean white mugs. Golden plates, pink glass plates, and pink and white China plates held all of the baked goods from Townsend’s, which the Sutton women had carefully arranged in pretty swirls and rows that morning. Each treat was labeled using one of the darling miniature chalkboards that Audrey had picked out, and in the center of the table was a breathtaking bouquet of pink roses, daisies, and baby’s breath. Michelle had remarked that she’d never seen anything so pretty in her life, and although Elaine had known she’d been exaggerating, she’d thought to herself with a glow of pride that it truly did look wonderful.

They’d spent the rest of the morning making sure that every bedroom was immaculately clean and that all of the family heirlooms and the impressive antiques that were on display were dust-free and shining.

“I think we’re ready,” Audrey said, walking up to her mother and wrapping her arms around her. “I know the doors don’t officially open until two o’clock, but I think we’ve got some people waiting out there already. What do you say we let them in?”

Elaine made eye contact with Audrey for a moment before looking across the kitchen at Michelle. All three of them shared a look, and Elaine’s heart sang with happiness.

“Yes, let’s open the doors,” Elaine said, and Iris let out a supportive whoop.

Elaine made her way to the front door, and Audrey and Michelle followed closely at her heels. They had tied a pale blue ribbon across the front entryway, and Audrey eagerly picked up the ceremonial scissors—an antique pair with an ivory handle that they’d picked out at an antique store with some amount of amusement, since it felt unnecessarily fancy. But still, they loved the idea.

“You cut it, Mom,” Audrey said, handing Elaine the scissors. “Michelle and I can open the doors.”

“Okay.” Elaine kissed Audrey’s cheek and took the scissors.

Michelle and Audrey opened the front doors and the group that was standing on the front porch cheered. Theo was there, his eyes fixed on Michelle as if he’d been enchanted. There were several other familiar faces, including Esmerelda, but also a few tourists who Elaine had never seen before. She felt a flutter of excitement knowing that The Birchwood House’s grand opening had caught the attention of people from out of town. It boded well for the future of the mansion.

“Welcome everyone,” Elaine said, her voice loud and clear. “We are very pleased to formally open our home, The Birchwood House.” She cut the ribbon with a flourish and the crowd cheered again.

Laughing with happiness, Elaine stepped to the side and their guests began to spill inside the house. Everyone shook her hand and congratulated her before hurrying off to explore the beautiful building. Elaine noticed Theo lingering near Michelle, and she realized that his usually playful demeanor toward her had changed. Instead of gleeful and impish, he seemed shy. He hovered near her as if he wanted to watch over her.

“Congrats, Michelle,” she heard him say. “You guys have done an amazing thing here.”

“Thanks.” Michelle grinned at him. “Come on and see the parlor—there’s an antique model car in there, made out of metal. I think you’ll really get a kick out of it.”

Elaine was about to turn away from the door and join her guests in the house when she noticed one more person approaching the front door. To Elaine’s surprise, she saw that it was Jill.

“Jill!” Elaine said warmly, giving the other woman a hug. She was determined to leave the past in the past and move on with full forgiveness.

“Hi, Elaine.” Jill handed Elaine an envelope. “I got you three a card. I wanted to say congratulations—and I want to apologize formally to you. I was wrong to think that Evan would show favoritism in the contest, and I was especially wrong to say those thoughts out loud and start rumors. I want to be more open-hearted in the future, and I know that The Birchwood House will thrive.”

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart,” Elaine said, taking the card, which appeared to be made of homemade paper. “We really appreciate it. And don’t worry about the past—it’s all behind us now.”

Jill smiled at her gratefully and went inside the house to join the other guests. Elaine stood in the doorway for a moment, breathing deeply of the beautiful afternoon air. The roses were blooming, and the aroma that they sent wafting into the house was sweet and refreshing.

She opened Jill’s envelope carefully and gasped slightly when she saw the beautiful hand-painted card. It was a painting of The Birchwood House, done in watercolor. In the corner of the card, Elaine noticed the signature of a local artist, and she realized that Jill must have commissioned the card specially for the occasion.

“Oh, we’ll have to frame this,” Elaine murmured.

She opened the card, and a gift certificate for the Bluewater Bistro slipped out. Jill hadn’t written many words inside, just “Congratulations and best wishes—Jill” but her gesture spoke volumes. Elaine felt tears blur her vision for a moment, and then she tucked the card and gift certificate back into the envelope, excited to show Audrey and Michelle.

The grand opening turned into a wonderful party. People played board games in the parlor, and lawn games in the backyard. They gathered in the kitchen to sip beverages and nibble treats and chat, and a sense of community and excitement pervaded the event. People came and went for the most part, but several people, including Evan and Theo and Shep, stayed the entire time.

Elaine settled into a comfortable feeling as she played games with her family and friends. She loved having the house full of people. It was such a big mansion, it felt as though it was meant for many people to be in it at once.

They ordered a few pizzas from The Brick Oven for the guests who were there in the evening, and Elaine found herself sitting next to Shep at the kitchen table to eat her slices of barbecue chicken and pepperoni. She realized a moment later that Shep had stayed near her most of the evening, and Theo had stayed as close to Michelle as Evan had stayed to Audrey. A moment after that, she realized that it was extremely odd that Shep hadn’t left hours ago—or skipped the party entirely because he didn’t want to socialize.

Huh, Elaine thought, glancing at him. She discovered that he was looking at her, which didn’t embarrass her in the slightest. Shep, on the other hand, reddened and coughed and looked hurriedly away.

“I organized a little surprise,” Evan said, standing up from the table once everyone had finished eating. “If you all would like to come out to the backyard, the surprise will begin in about ten minutes.”