Page 32 of Coastal Reflections

Elaine turned around and gave her an amused smile. “Michelle, it’s Saturday. Why don’t you just take the day off?”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Michelle said. “What if someone tries to get in contact with us?”

“You know Saturdays are slow for emails and phone calls,” Elaine said. “Most people plan their vacations during the workweek, and they use their weekends to relax. We don’t have to deep clean anyone’s rooms today, since they’re all booked, and we’ve already switched out the towels in all the bathrooms and given our guests breakfast. Someone needs to be here to greet the guests that are arriving at three o’clock, but I can easily do that. Why don’t you take the day off?”

Michelle bit her lip. She squirmed, since she loved the idea of taking a day off but she didn’t want to abandon her post. “But what if someone does call or send an email?”

Elaine shrugged, laughing. “Then we’ll respond to them another time. Take the day off, Michelle. Read your book for a while and then go have some fun. You’ve been working very hard—you deserve a nice break.”

Michelle pressed her lips together, hesitating. She was so invested in her work at The Birchwood House, and she truly enjoyed it. She didn’t know when the last time was that she’d taken a full day off, however, and the idea was tempting.

“Okay.” She smiled. “I will, thanks Grandma.”

“Good.” Elaine walked over and kissed Michelle on the top of her head. “That’s why this is such a great set-up, with the three of us working here. We can take turns doing the work. Don’t you do any work today. I know you’re going to want to keep checking for emails.”

Michelle laughed. “You know me well. Okay, Grandma. I’m just going to sit here and enjoy my book and drink coffee—and then who knows where the day will take me?”

After she’d finished her second cup of coffee and an apple cinnamon doughnut while she read, Michelle’s day took her out of the mansion and along the streets of Coral Sands. She spent an hour and a half browsing in The Seagull’s Nest Antiques, and she found an antique mystery book there which she suspected was now out of print. She bought it and then made her way to Coral Sands’ comfortable, sunny library, where she curled up on an armchair by a window that overlooked the ocean and read for another couple of hours.

As the sun began to set, her stomach started to growl, and she decided to take herself out to dinner at Crossroad’s Bar & Grill. She sent a quick text to Audrey and Elaine to let them know she wouldn’t be home for dinner, and then she left the library, stepping out into the chilly dusk.

This has been such a lovely day, she thought with a smile as she made her way to the restaurant. I’m so glad Grandma convinced me to take the day off.

At Crossroads Bar & Grill, she was seated at a cute little booth in the corner, and she ordered a Reuben and French fries. She read more until her food arrived, enjoying the various appetizing smells and the sounds of people talking and laughing.

She had just popped a second golden, crispy French fry into her mouth when she noticed a new person walk in through the front door. It was as if a sensor inside of her was going off, making her notice this person even though several other newcomers had hardly caused her to glance at the front door.

It was Theo, his hands in his pockets. He was wearing an old-fashioned plain black leather jacket with a collar, and he looked both roguish and respectable in it. She found herself staring at him for a few seconds before she tore her eyes away, feeling herself blush a little.

Just great, she thought, staring intently at one of the French fries on her plate and wondering if Theo would notice her or not. This is such an inconvenience. Here I was having a nice dinner and in comes Theo.

Her words flew into her mind instinctively, a knee-jerk reaction to the sight of Theo and the way he made her insides as jittery as a dancing marionette. The truth was, however, that although she felt nervous at the sight of him, she wanted to talk with him more than she wanted him to go away.

She risked glancing up at him again. He wasn’t looking at her, which was a mercy—or so at least she told herself. He walked up to the to-go order counter that was located near the front doors.

“Oh hey, Theo,” the hostess working the counter said, glancing up from her phone and looking bored. “Your order isn’t quite ready, sorry. It’ll be another few minutes.”

“Aw, really? You couldn’t hear my stomach growling from a mile away?”

The hostess giggled. “Even if I could, it wouldn’t change the fact that your food isn’t ready.”

Theo shook his head. “I’ll have to leave this place a one-star review.”

Michelle frowned, feeling something twist in her stomach. A second later, she realized with alarm that it was jealousy. She didn’t like to see Theo teasing and joking around with anyone but her.

The hostess gave her hair a little flip before disappearing into the kitchen, and Theo turned around and surveyed the restaurant listlessly.

Oh no, Michelle thought, looking back down at her plate and feeling her cheeks grow hot again. Oh no no no no no no no no. He’s going to see me, isn’t he?

She risked a glance upward and immediately made eye contact with Theo. Drat. He was looking straight at her. Even worse, he must have realized that she’d known that he was there and that she’d been watching him, since she’d looked up and immediately locked eyes with him all the way across the restaurant.

He put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. Michelle pretended to look around the room, but she kept him in the corner of her eye. He watched her, and then he shuffled his feet, and then he started to walk toward her.

Michelle squirmed. She picked up her Reuben, as if she was about to take another bite, but then she promptly put it down again. She picked up her glass of root beer, took a sip about the size of a dew drop, and then set her glass back down again.

“Hey, Michelle.”

She looked up and saw that Theo was standing in front of her booth, grinning down at her.