Page 25 of Coastal Reflections

Audrey set down her hairbrush on her vanity table and sighed. For a few moments, she stared down at the hand-carved jewelry box on the table without seeing it. Her father had made it for her and given it to her on her sixteenth birthday, and it was an object that always reminded her of how much he loved her. At the moment, however, her thoughts weren’t on her father, but on her ex-husband.

Clark’s presence in Coral Sands was still rattling her badly. She’d had several nightmares about him coming into the hotel without being let in—one time she’d even dreamt that he was standing over her bed while she slept, watching her, and she’d woken up with her heart pounding. She knew that he was bullying her, and that in the long run, he had no power over her and that she shouldn’t let his presence in town bother her so much. But a wounded heart never takes direct orders from the brain, and she still felt jittery whenever she thought about the fact that he might appear again the next time she went out around town.

She shook herself, sighing again. She placed her fingers on the jewelry box her father had carved for her, tracing the familiar woodwork. She smiled, feeling comforted by the thought of her kindly, wise father. She wished she could talk to him about everything that had been going on in her life, but she knew what he would have told her if he was there. He would have reminded her that she needed to keep her chin up and not let cruel people hurt her. He would tell her that Clark was in her past and she didn’t have to let him into her present.

And he definitely wouldn’t have been okay with Clark taking Grandma’s clock, that’s for sure, Audrey thought, shaking her head. He probably would have clocked Clark if he’d tried to take it.

She chuckled at her own silly joke and went back to doing her hair and makeup. She was getting ready for a date with Evan, and she felt a yearning to simply be able to enjoy that process again, instead of being filled with anxiety about Clark. She told herself firmly that soon her life would go back to normal, and that in the meantime, she was going to do her absolute best to stay calm and not fret too much about someone who didn’t deserve that much of her energy.

She finished doing her hair—she’d pinned part of it back but let most of her curls fall freely, since she knew Evan loved them—and then started to apply a becoming dark pink shade of lipstick. She had just finished coating her lower lip when she was struck with a sudden pang of worry.

Clark had threatened to take the grandfather clock, and he’d told her that she’d be sorry if he didn’t get his way. What was he planning on doing? Could he really take legal action against her?

She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a few moments, biting her lip and feeling a surge of anxiety.

Come on, Audrey, she told herself. You own that clock. He’s just bluffing and being a bully. You’re not going to let it rattle you, and you’re going to enjoy your date with Evan today.

Evan had invited her on a picnic, and she couldn’t wait to get out into the beautiful autumn day and spend time with her boyfriend. Evan was always thoughtful, but to her, a picnic lunch was a whole new level of considerate, since it required planning and preparation.

Once her makeup was finished, she stood up and went over to her closet. She was already wearing her favorite pair of stretchy gray jeans along with a plain black V-neck t-shirt, and her eyes scanned over her clothes, looking for something that would complete her outfit.

I want something warm but cute, she thought with a smile. Something that looks like it belongs out on a picnic.

A moment later, her eyes settled on one of her favorite sweaters—a cozy dark red one that was a little oversized and offered a lot of warmth. With it she paired a white infinity scarf that Michelle had knit her and a pair of brown leather boots. She added a white knit hat that matched the scarf, since the day was chilly and she wanted to make sure she stayed warm.

Once her outfit was complete, she stepped back from the window to admire it. She grinned, deciding that it was the perfect outfit to take out on an autumn picnic—cute and also warm and cozy.

She glanced at her watch and noted that it was five minutes before Evan had told her that he would arrive at The Birchwood House to pick her up. He was usually early, and she decided to go downstairs right away to see if he was already there. If he wasn’t, she could sit in the parlor and enjoy looking out across the yard of The Birchwood House. The leaves of the birch trees had been falling more and more, and she loved watching the golden leaves flutter to the ground.

She made her way down the grand staircase, enjoying the sounds of the guests talking and laughing or playing music in their rooms. As soon as she reached the parlor, her face lit up in an expression of joy. Evan was sitting on the couch, typing out something on his phone—probably an email. His duties as mayor never seemed to leave him alone, and although he was no longer a workaholic, he was still a master of efficiency and usually stole quick moments to deal with the business of Coral Sands however he could.

“Hey,” she said, hurrying forward to hug him.

He smiled brightly at her and stood up, welcoming her into his arms. He hugged her tightly, and she felt herself relax, feeling suddenly completely safe. Evan smelled like musk and faintly of woodsmoke, and she took a few deep breaths, thinking to herself that if Clark showed up at that moment, she wouldn’t mind at all. She wouldn’t feel threatened by Clark if Evan was there.

“Are you okay?” Evan asked, placing his fingers under her chin and gently lifting her head up.

“I am now,” she said, smiling at him. “Thanks for coming to get me, and for inviting me on this date. I’m really excited.”

“Of course.” He gave her a big kiss. “I’m really excited too. Just wait until you see the spot I picked out.”

“Can’t wait. Are you all ready to go?”

“Almost. I confess I don’t actually own anything resembling a picnic blanket.”

She laughed. “Well, don’t you worry, we’ve got you covered. Let me run upstairs and grab one of the blankets from the upstairs wardrobe.”

Audrey hurried back up the stairs and met Elaine in the upstairs hallway.

“Hi, hon! Aren’t you going on your date?” Elaine asked. She was restocking the hallway bookshelf with all the books that had ended up in various places around the hotel.

“Yup, just grabbing a blanket. Evan doesn’t have one.”

“Oh, take that patchwork quilt,” Elaine said, her eyes lighting up. “I made it when I was a teenager, and your father and I used to take it out on picnics together.”

Audrey gave her mother a hug. “Sounds perfect, thanks Mom.”

She went to the wardrobe and located the colorful quilt, which was tucked away in the back on the top shelf. She gathered it into her arms a little reverently, thinking to herself that her parents’ love showed up for her in so many little ways.