Page 34 of Coastal Reflections

“Whoa.” Michelle’s eyes widened. “I remember those shoes.”

“We remember the shoes, but we can’t remember when our rivalry started.” He shook his head, laughing. For a second he looked impish, as if he was about to tease her again, and then his expression shifted. “I think,” he said slowly, his tone surprisingly vulnerable, “if we were ever willing to put our old rivalry aside, we’d have more reasons to get along—and maybe even really enjoy each other’s company—than we might think.”

Michelle swallowed, suddenly acutely aware that her heart was thumping in her chest. “I wouldn’t be too sure,” she found herself blurting, seemingly unable to let go of her usual stubbornness.

She immediately regretted brushing Theo off—although she’d said it in a teasing way—instead of returning his vulnerability. She didn’t have a chance to say anything else, however, because at that moment a waitress walked up to their booth holding a to-go box.

“Here you are, Theo,” she said with a smile. “Your to-go order is all ready.”

Something about the way the waitress was smiling at Theo made Michelle realize in a flash that Theo must be considered to be one of the catches in Coral Sands, as far as young men were concerned. The revelation made her blink rapidly and it rendered her speechless until several beats after the waitress had walked away.

Theo stood up, picking up the box containing his food. “I’m just saying, Michelle—I think if you’d keep an open mind about me, you’d be surprised.”

Michelle felt completely tongue-tied. Theo left before she could think of anything to say in response, and she watched him walk away across the restaurant.

She sat quietly for a few minutes, staring down at her food but forgetting all about it. She didn’t eat a bite as she thought about what Theo had said.

What did he mean by it? she wondered. Is he saying that he thinks we should stop teasing each other so much? What would our dynamic be if we weren’t always teasing each other?

She allowed herself to imagine such a thing for a moment. She pictured herself running into Theo at the supermarket, or along the beach somewhere. If she didn’t immediately say something snarky to him, what kind of things would she say? Would she act all sweet and affectionate toward him—would she smile at him the same way the waitress had smiled at him? What if he wasn’t saying something sassy to her that she immediately felt the need to counter-sass? Would she spend more time noticing his mesmerizing dark eyes, or the way he liked to tuck his fingers into the pockets of his jeans, or the way his arms were so long the sleeves of his leather jacket barely reached his wrists?

Michelle kept picturing such a thing for another several minutes. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn’t realize she wasn’t eating her food and that it was getting a little cold. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts, in fact, that she didn’t realize she was blushing.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Elaine set down her knitting and sighed. She was sitting in her bedroom at The Birchwood House, attempting to enjoy a restful Sunday afternoon. After taking a day off for herself, Michelle had insisted that Elaine and Audrey do the same, and so Elaine had been granted a whole day in which to relax.

She was enjoying herself, there was no doubt about that. She was sipping a cup of coffee that had been flavored with pumpkin spice creamer, and she’d nibbled away at a slice of apple cinnamon coffee cake until it was gone. For a while, she’d read a book and now she was attempting to knit a scarf that she intended to give to Audrey as a Christmas present.

Although she was having a lovely day, she hadn’t quite managed the part where she was supposed to relax. Instead of feeling serene, her brain was buzzing with thoughts. Her mind was so busy that she’d even struggled with reading, something that hardly ever happened to her.

She couldn’t stop thinking about Shep. She was amazed by how much their relationship had blossomed since she’d first barged into his kitchen. She’d always considered him to be a kind man, but in the past she’d never thought about socializing with him even a little, since he was so reclusive. The fact that he was now her dearest friend, beside Audrey and Michelle, both shocked and thrilled her.

Life is full of surprises, she thought, staring out her window across the beautiful backyard of The Birchwood House. The golden leaves of the birch trees rustled in the wind as if they were the ruffling feathers of a giant bird. A bright blue sky added a luscious contrast to the yellow hues of the trees, and Elaine couldn’t help smiling when she saw the beautiful sight.

She thought of how supportive and thoughtful Shep had been to her, especially lately. He’d always encouraged her when it came to the hotel and its progress, and lately he had been encouraging her in other areas of her life as well, such as the situation with Clark. She shook her head, still marveling over the box of pastries that he’d left on the porch for her. The sweetness of that gesture had touched her deeply, and she couldn’t stop wondering what it meant. Did Shep just see her as a friend, or as more than that?

She set her knitting down, stood up, and began to pace around the room. She felt flustered and restless and also incredibly happy. Although she’d started out her day feeling content enough to sit down and do restful things, she now had too much energy for sitting still.

I want to tell him how I feel, she thought as she paced, and the thought made her heart beat faster. I want to tell him—that—well, that I want to spend more time with him.

That was a safe statement. It implied everything that she was starting to feel, but it didn’t come right out and state it directly. She had no idea if Shep was interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with her, even if he was starting to feel the same kinds of things that she was. A crush didn’t equate to wanting to date someone, and she had no idea if Shep would be willing to be in a romantic relationship after the loss of his wife. There had been many years after she’d lost her husband during which she was sure she would never want to date again.

I do feel that his recent softening is a sign that he might be starting to consider it, she thought. I might gather a box of pastries together for a friend, but I wouldn’t know all the favorite pastries of even a very good friend. That’s the kind of attention that people usually only pay when there are romantic feelings involved.

She continued to pace, feeling both scared and elated. She knew she wanted to tell Shep how she was feeling, but the thought made her incredibly nervous. She also didn’t know when she would be able to talk with him again. Whenever she picked up the bakery for The Birchwood House from Townsend’s, she was usually in a hurry—and even when Shep dropped the bakery off at the hotel, which he had been doing more and more often, one or both of them was usually in a hurry then too.

I hate to have to wait a long time to talk to him, she thought, biting her lip. I’m working up my resolve here and I want to get this conversation over with before I lose my nerve.

In a flash, she knew what she was going to do. Just like she’d done when she wanted to talk to Shep about becoming business partners with The Birchwood House, she would go to the bakery and simply wiggle her way into his kitchen. She knew he’d be there, and although she would be interrupting his workday, he would be able to talk with her while he worked, which would give them plenty of time for a conversation.

Elaine inhaled and then let out a quick little sigh of satisfaction. As soon as she’d made the decision, she wasted no time in getting ready. She put a light coat on over her mint green sweater and changed out her soft slippers for a pair of brown leather boots. Then she made her way downstairs and slipped out through the front door of the hotel.

It was a short walk to Townsend’s Bakery, and as she traveled, Elaine gave herself a pep talk for what she was about to do. She told herself that she would simply walk into his kitchen with confidence and tell him what it was she wanted moving forward—to spend more time with him.

I’ll ask him to do something specific with me, she thought, smiling and almost skipping like a schoolgirl as she walked. I won’t call it a date, but I’ll make sure it sounds like a date.

Once she reached the downtown of Coral Sands, she made a beeline for the bakery, not stopping for anything else—although she felt intrigued by the smells of an exotic tea wafting out of a coffee shop and by the sight of a new mystery book that was being sold at a bookstore.