Page 8 of Coastal Reflections

“Oh, thank goodness.” Audrey let out a huge sigh of relief.

“We should knock on all the bedrooms and let guests know we’re going to be turning the water off in fifteen minutes or so,” Harper said.

“We should.” Audrey felt a knot in her stomach. “And I need to call this couple and let them know about the leak. We can move them to the violet room, and we’ll have to offer them a refund, obviously. I hope none of their stuff is damaged.” She felt her voice crack again, since she felt worried the couple would be upset and leave The Birchwood House a bad review. One of the other guests might do so as well—no one liked to be told that they were going to be without water in the middle of their vacation.

“You can do it,” Evan assured her, taking her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes. “You have a wonderful hotel here, and your guests love it. They’ll understand that it’s an old house and life happens.”

Audrey inhaled, feeling immediately comforted by his reassurance. “Okay. Thank you. I hope you’re right.”

“I’ve got to get back to the town hall for a meeting,” Evan said, glancing at his watch. “I wish I could stay.”

“Psh, you’re only the mayor, don’t you think you could flake out on a meeting just this once?” Audrey teased.

Evan chuckled. “No, but as soon as it’s over I’m going to come back and help my friend fix your pipe.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t have to do that.”

“I want to.” He smiled at her.

“How can I ever thank you enough?”

“You just did by calling me sweetheart.” He gave her a quick kiss and then disappeared with a wave.

Audrey stared at the empty doorway for a second, wondering how on earth she’d gotten so lucky.

“He’s pretty smitten with you,” Harper said with a chuckle. “I’m still not a big fan of men overall at the moment, but I have to admit, you seem to have found a good one.”

The corners of Audrey’s mouth tipped upward. “They’re out there, you know. And I have to confess, I’m pretty smitten myself.”

“Come on,” Harper said, squeezing her shoulder. “You call that couple, and Michelle and I will knock on people’s doors and give them the bad news.”

“Thank you so much for helping.”

Harper placed her hand on her heart and pretended to swoon. “Just call me sweetheart and it will be all the repayment I need.”

Audrey laughed and Harper grinned and darted through the doorway.

She’s right, Audrey thought with a chuckle. That was a dramatic statement he made. But he means it. How did I end up with him? I feel like I live a charmed life, and I can’t imagine what it would be like without Evan.

For a moment, she allowed herself to forget all about her current troubles and focus on the future. Despite the threat of potential bad reviews and the looming cost of repairing the pipe and drywall in the closet, the future looked incredibly bright indeed.

CHAPTER FIVE

Michelle pushed open the front door of Morning Brew and took a deep breath of the fragrant, nutty aroma of coffee. She loved visiting the cozy coffee shop, and after the rough day The Birchwood House had the day before, she was treating herself to a maple nutmeg latte and preparing to settle down at one of the corner tables for a couple of hours with a good book. Morning Brew offered a cozy, bustling atmosphere, and Michelle had found that sometimes she could get lost in the world of a book better if she was surrounded by noise and movement. Perhaps it was the way the hustle and bustle reminded her more fully that her book was an escape from reality, and it made her enjoy it that much more.

I’m glad everything has been worked out at the hotel, but man that was a stressful day, she thought as she approached the coffee shop’s counter. I could really use a little “me” time. I can’t wait to snuggle down with a delicious beverage and the last hundred pages of this mystery.

She ordered her maple nutmeg latte and settled down at her favorite corner table with her book. She’d only read half a page before her name was called, and she retrieved her drink from the counter, noticing how lovely the latte art looked in the cheerful oversized yellow teacup.

She was fully engrossed in her novel, imagining the settings and characters vividly, when all of a sudden something outside her book caught her attention. She looked up, unsure of what it had been, and then she saw Theo standing at the counter talking to the barista.

I heard him talk, and it snapped me out of my book? she thought, surprised. I’ve been tuning out everything else for almost half an hour. I guess his voice really is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me.

She laughed at her own joke, which she knew Theo would have appreciated since it was in the vein of their longstanding “frenemies” relationship. Theo turned and looked at her just as she chuckled, and she could tell by the look on his face that he’d already known she was there and had looked over at her several times already. She wasn’t quite sure how she knew, but his expression had a hopeful, puppy-like quality to it rather than a surprised one.

“Yes?” the barista asked him. “What can I get for you?”

Theo tore his eyes away from Michelle. “Yeah, hi. Um, sorry, could I talk to your manager? I’d like to hang this poster up in your front window if I can.”