Page 17 of Coastal Reflections

“Thanks, Michelle, but… well, I’d rather keep busy. I’ll talk to you later.” Audrey gave her daughter a quick hug and went on her way.

Michelle stood silently in the hallway for a few moments, her brow furrowed as she stared into space. She wished she’d been there when Clark had first arrived at the mansion. She would have kicked him out so fast it would have made his head spin—and any conversations he’d felt he needed to have with Audrey would have had to go through her first.

She swallowed, feeling determined to guard her mother like a bulldog during whatever more of the ordeal was coming.

“Oh, shoot!”

The exclamation had come from Frank, loud and full of concern. Worried, Michelle popped back inside the tiger lily room.

“Is everything all right?” she asked.

Frank shook his head. “It’ll be okay, but there’s lead in this old paint in the closet. That means we’ll have to be extremely careful when we’re sanding it down. Lots of specialized cleanup—and you’ll want to make a note of that for any other renovations you ever want to do in the house. It’s an old building, so there’s probably lead paint in a lot of places. Not that big a deal, but it’ll make things a little more complicated.”

Michelle nodded, feeling generally unconcerned. “Thanks, Frank. Let us know if you need anything from us, otherwise I trust you to take care of that.”

Frank assured her he would, and Michelle stepped back out into the hallway.

A little lead paint is nothing compared to the predicament that I’ve just been apprised of, she thought, crossing her arms as she walked down the hallway. Lead paint has an answer—a way to be resolved. What on earth are we going to do about this situation with Dad?

CHAPTER TEN

“Here we are, the sage room,” Elaine said, opening the door to reveal a beautiful bedroom decorated in light, earthy greens. “There are plenty of towels in the bathroom, and there’s a welcome basket there on the bed for you.”

“Oh, this is lovely,” said the elderly woman who had booked the room for the weekend. “So tranquil and relaxing.”

“I’m so glad you like it,” Elaine said, meaning her words sincerely. “Just let us know if there’s anything you need.”

The woman promised that she would, and Elaine took her leave. As she walked away down the hallway, the smile that she’d kept on her face while she was with the guest disappeared.

I wish the girls and I could have a relaxing weekend, she thought with an internal sigh. Especially Audrey. Heaven knows she needs it. I’m glad we were able to convince her to just watch a movie and take a hot bath last night, but she still looks so weary this morning.

Elaine started to descend the staircase, her mind turning over their new problem of Clark’s arrival. She hadn’t seen him herself, since he hadn’t returned to the hotel since he’d first jump-scared Audrey, but when she did, she felt like giving him a piece of her mind. She’d liked him well enough when he and Audrey had first started dating, and he’d seemed to her like a careful, considerate young man. She’d realized, however, as the years went on that he was a showman—he knew how to appear charming, and how to sweet-talk people. She’d observed, whenever he and Audrey visited Coral Sands, that he said all the right things but didn’t actually treat Audrey all that well. He’d tuned her out when she was talking about something that excited her, and he’d declined several invitations to go on outings with the family, choosing instead to stay at home and peruse golfing magazines or watch TV.

He’s a selfish man, Elaine thought, pressing her lips together. I can’t believe he had the nerve to come back here and demand something of Audrey after everything he’s put her through. If I was strong enough—and if I wasn’t worried about damaging it—I’d take that grandfather clock and hurl it right at him.

She reached the bottom of the staircase, still lost in thought, when she heard a familiar sound. It was that of someone clearing their throat in a deep, grumbly kind of way. As soon as she heard the sound, her heart leapt up, and a feeling of gladness swept through her.

“Shep?” she said, turning toward the parlor.

He was standing in the doorway, looking a bit awkward. He was holding a blue knit hat in his hands, looking like an old-fashioned gentleman caller. She felt absolutely thrilled to see him and she had to hold herself back to stop herself from giving him a hug.

“Shep!” she repeated warmly. “It’s wonderful to see you. What warrants such an unexpected honor?”

Shep cleared his throat again. “We have a meeting scheduled for this afternoon. We wanted to go over the weekly pastry order and its schedule and talk about any adjustments.”

“Oh my gosh!” Elaine gave her forehead a good-natured smack as she shook her head, laughing. “A meeting that I asked for, and then completely forgot about. I’m so sorry, Shep. I—well, I’ve been a bit preoccupied this morning.”

Shep cocked his head to one side. The expression of concern on his face was subtle, but clearly genuine. “Is everything all right?” he asked her gently.

Elaine shook her head, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about it, Shep. Let’s go into the parlor and I’ll get us some coffee.”

There was a coffee maker and white mugs ready on a beverage table in the parlor, and Elaine poured them both steaming mugs of the rich, dark liquid.

“Black?” she asked, feeling sure he took his coffee that way even though she’d never asked him before.

“Um, no, cream and sugar please.”

Elaine hid a grin. It made sense that Shep would like cream and sugar, since he ran a bakery. Clearly the man must have a sweet tooth, since he made such impeccable sweet pastries.