Page 10 of Coastal Reflections

She smiled. “It is huge. It hardly feels like it—a hundred guests sounds like a lot of work, and I guess it has been, but it’s also been so fun I’ve hardly noticed it. It’s been like meeting new friends every weekend, and oftentimes during the week. We get to chat with them, and we all have breakfasts together, and play games together here in the parlor at night. Changing a few beds and restocking gift baskets with toothbrushes doesn’t seem too hard at all.”

Evan smiled at her. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying having them here. I’m sure they sense that care and it enhances their experience at the hotel. Didn’t that one woman just say as much in that glowing review she left you online?”

Audrey blinked at him, feeling surprised and grateful. A few seconds later, tears sprang into her eyes and she shut them, trying to hold her emotions back.

“What is it?” Evan asked, touching her arm in concern.

She shook her head, smiling at him as a couple of tears escaped her eyes. She set her glass of wine down on the coffee table so that she could take both his hands in hers.

“I really appreciate your support,” she told him, looking into his eyes. “When I was married to Clark, I told myself that he was supportive of me, but the reality is that he wasn’t, not really. He said kind things to me here and there and he’d do things for me if I asked him to, but there’s such a difference between someone agreeing to do something you’ve asked of them and someone doing things for you without you having to ask. It’s clear to me you really care about me and The Birchwood House. The fact that you went and read our recent reviews all on your own shows me that you really, genuinely care about how the hotel does, and you’re not just talking about it to be kind to me. That means a lot to me.”

Evan held eye contact with her, his gaze tender. “I really do care.”

“And you rushed to our rescue the second we had that issue with the leaking pipe, and you did such a good job of keeping me steady even though I wanted to panic.” She shook her head. “Being with you is such a contrast to being with Clark. It’s made me realize that even though I tried to convince myself for years that it was all okay and worth it, my marriage was never really that great. I kept putting a brave face on it because I thought that was the right thing to do, but I never admitted to myself that it was never what I thought it would be. I wanted the kind of support that you’re giving me, and I never got it with Clark.”

Evan slipped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed her tightly. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that,” he said softly. “You deserve better than that, and you certainly deserve better than the way he ended up leaving you.” For a second, a fierce look came into Evan’s eyes that Audrey found impressive, and it made her heart start beating faster. “But I think,” he said slowly, looking into her eyes again, “that it all led you to the right place. I’m so grateful that you’ve returned here to Coral Sands, and that we can be together.”

“I am too.” Her voice was soft, and she took a deep breath, wanting to kiss him. She was just about to lean in toward him when Michelle strolled into the parlor, whistling.

“Oh, hey!” Michelle paused, looked slightly abashed for one second, and then grinned. “Sorry to interrupt. I was just coming in to work on managerial stuff.”

Evan and Audrey looked at each other, and Audrey could tell they were both holding back a sigh.

“Michelle,” Audrey said, her tone carefully tactful, “I think we’re good. You’ve been keeping tabs on everything extremely well, and it’s all organized perfectly. I just checked the email inbox about an hour ago and I checked the voicemail as well, and we don’t have any new bookings for this week.”

Michelle shuffled her feet, glancing at the receptionist desk as if it was some kind of escape pod. “Well, sure, but there’s still other things I could do. I could check our inventories, I could get ahead on laundry for this week, I⁠—”

Audrey shook her head, holding back a chuckle. “Michelle, everything is super caught up. There’s no need for any of that. Why don’t you take the night off? You should spend the evening doing something other than work.”

Michelle bit her lip, her shoulders tensing. Then she let out an enormous sigh. “I might just do that,” she said, and turned around and made her way up the grand staircase.

“What was that all about?” Evan laughed. “She didn’t seem very excited about the prospect of getting the night off.”

“I don’t know,” Audrey said thoughtfully, gazing in the direction of the staircase. In her gut, Audrey knew that Michelle’s sigh had something to do with Theo. He was the only person who ever made her sigh like that. “But I hope she ends up having a wonderful time tonight.”

Evan’s phone began to ring in his pocket, and he pulled it out and looked at the screen. “Ah, I have to take this,” he said reluctantly. “I’m sorry. I won’t be a minute.”

“No worries,” she assured him.

Evan squeezed her hand and stood up, going into the corner of the parlor to take his call so that he wouldn’t disturb her—and so that he could pace. Audrey had learned a long time ago that while Evan was on the phone, he liked to pace.

She sighed contentedly and sat back against the couch, sipping her glass of Cabernet. The taste was crisp and hinted at chocolate and blackberries, and she closed her eyes and relished it. She was feeling relaxed and grateful, and she liked listening to the sound of Evan’s deep voice talking in the background.

She heard footsteps clattering down the staircase, and she looked up just in time to see Michelle hurrying down the front hallway, wearing jeans, a black leather jacket over a neon green sweater, a white beanie, sparkling silver earrings, and dark red lipstick.

Huh, Audrey thought, watching her daughter slip out the front door and hurry across the garden toward the sidewalk. I guess she is planning on having some fun tonight.

Evan finished his phone call and returned to the couch, wrapping his arms around Audrey the moment he sat back down. “Now,” he said. “Where were we?”

Audrey chuckled. “I was saying I’m so grateful for the way you support me.”

Evan stroked a strand of hair back from her face. “I will always be there to support you,” he said softly.

Audrey took a deep breath, feeling a rush of gratitude. Her heart was full as they shared a tender kiss.

* * *

“What am I doing? I shouldn’t be doing this,” Michelle muttered as she hurried along the sidewalk of Coral Sands. Her feet were taking her—rapidly—toward The Brick Oven, but her head had been arguing with her every step of the way.