Page 16 of Coastal Reflections

The younger handyman perked up immediately. “Pastries?” he said. “Like doughnuts?”

Michelle grinned, pleased she’d been able to get past his indifferent exterior. “Absolutely. Cream-filled, chocolate-filled, lemon-filled, and crullers. Made by Townsend’s.”

“Oh man.” The younger handyman gave Frank a high five. “Thank you, Michelle.”

She laughed. “For sure. Well, let me know if you need anything. I’m just a holler away.”

“Sounds good.” Frank smiled at her. “I don’t anticipate us running into any trouble, though. It’s a good thing this was caught when it was, and it’s even better that you didn’t waste any time in getting it repaired. This leak could have done a lot of damage if it had been left alone. It would have leaked through the floor and damaged the ceiling on the floor below us.”

Michelle shuddered. “I’m glad that didn’t happen. This has already felt like plenty of trouble—even though you guys have been doing a great job. I’m really glad Evan knew to call you. We have him to thank for that. We definitely would have wasted more time trying to figure out who to hire. He just knew right away.”

“Perks of small-town living,” Frank said cheerfully. “And perks of being a mayor—he knows just about all the local businesses inside and out. We’ve been able to prove how good our work is on several occasions, and Evan remembered. He’s a good guy like that.”

“He is a good guy.” Michelle nodded, thinking fondly of Evan, who felt more and more like a member of their family with each passing day. Even though it had been sad and troubling that Audrey hadn’t shared the dinner with Evan, Elaine, and Michelle the night before, Michelle had noticed how comfortable the three of them were together. They hadn’t felt the need to bother with small talk or force a conversation that none of them really wanted to have. She liked that.

Evan really is a good guy, she thought. He’s genuine and thoughtful, and he really cares about Mom. She’s blossomed so much since meeting him. I’m really glad that Mom is in an enriching relationship now—her marriage with Dad definitely wasn’t that.

Michelle was just about to excuse herself and go back downstairs when she heard footsteps in the doorway. She turned and saw Audrey standing there, looking unwell. Her face was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. More concerning than that, her eyes were red as though she’d been crying.

“Hey.” Michelle hurried over to her mother, her brow furrowing in concern. “How are you feeling?”

Audrey shook her head. “I’m hanging in there.”

“We were worried about you,” Michelle said, touching Audrey’s arm. “We still are. You made that beautiful dinner and then insisted on spending the rest of the evening in your room. That’s not like you—and Evan came over and everything.”

Audrey pressed her lips together but didn’t say anything, and Michelle’s concern intensified.

“Is your headache going?” Michelle asked gently.

Audrey shook her head again.

“Oh no! Maybe you should go see a doctor, Mom. That’s a long time to have⁠—”

“I never had a headache,” Audrey admitted. “Something—something happened yesterday and it shook me up badly. I just needed some time to deal with my emotions on my own. It wasn’t something that you or even Evan could help me with.”

Michelle glanced behind her at the handymen. They seemed totally absorbed in their work and were talking to each other in normal tones as if they had no idea an emotionally vulnerable conversation was happening a stone’s throw away from them. Even so, she wanted to take her mother somewhere a little more private.

“Let’s step out into the hallway for a second,” Michelle said, taking Audrey’s arm and walking with her into the hallway. Sunlight from a nearby window flickered across the wooden floorboards, and they stood close together next to a bookshelf filled with antique books.

Audrey looked as though she was in danger of starting to cry, and Michelle put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Mom, what happened?” she prompted gently.

Audrey inhaled. “Yesterday, when I was in the front hallway, the door opened and—and your father came into the hotel.”

Michelle’s jaw dropped. “What?”

Audrey nodded. “He just showed up totally out of the blue—I guess with Molly in the car—and he demanded that I give him the grandfather clock.”

Michelle shook her head, feeling a combination of disbelief and rage. “Who does he think he is?” she spluttered. “After everything he did to you, the very least he can do is leave you alone. I can’t believe he would show up and demand something—and something that absolutely doesn’t belong to him at that! That clock belongs to you. It was Great-Grandma’s. Dad is acting like a totally self-absorbed, unfeeling jerk, which I guess is on brand, but I want to⁠—”

“Hey.” Audrey placed a gentle hand on Michelle’s arm, a ghost of a smile playing across her lips. “Thanks for wanting to swoop in to my rescue, but don’t get carried away, okay?”

“Okay.” Michelle took a deep breath. “But what are we going to do? We’re not going to let him take the clock, that’s for dang sure.”

Audrey sighed. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. I thought about it a lot last night.”

Michelle could see how exhausted her mother was, and she had a feeling that Audrey hadn’t gotten much sleep. “Why don’t you take it easy today, Mom? Just curl up on the couch today and read a good book. Or take a bubble bath. Do something that will feel relaxing. You deserve a break.”