Coastal Reflections (Coral Sands #3)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Audrey Lowe took a deep breath, enjoying the woodsy aroma of the autumn wreath that she held in her hands.

She’d put it together that morning using real autumn leaves, berries, and a few cinnamon sticks.

Since it was still early September and many of the trees were just starting to change color, she didn’t have a great many beautiful leaves to choose from.

She’d filled in the gaps of her wreath using pieces from the autumn-scented potpourri she had upstairs in her bedroom.

She’d used pinecones, dried flowers, and dried cranberries, and the effect was both charming to look at and delicious to smell.

“It’s round, right?” she murmured, holding it up against the clear blue sky, which she could see clearly from her spot on the front steps of The Birchwood House’s porch. “Yeah, it’s round.”

Her daughter Michelle, who was raking the first harvest of fallen leaves, looked up and shook her head at her, laughing. “That wreath is perfect, Mom.” She ran her fingers through her shoulder-length dark brown hair, pulling it off her face.

“Aww, thank you, sweetheart. I guess it does look pretty nice.”

Audrey had always loved crafting, and doing things with her hands that also involved her creativity.

Ever since she and Michelle had left the city they’d lived in to move to Coral Sands, Maine, she had found that she felt more creative than ever.

When she, her mother Elaine, and Michelle had all decided to turn the family mansion into a hotel and historical site, her imagination had been kept busy for many months.

After scouring away many years’ worth of dust in the bedrooms upstairs, the women had set to work decorating the mansion, which they’d christened The Birchwood House.

They had displayed family heirlooms and whimsical antiques in the parlor and downstairs hallway, and they’d decorated each bedroom using a charming color theme, adding thoughtful gift baskets to every room.

They’d set up a coffee bar and snack table in the kitchen, making sure that their guests would have something to munch on when they needed it.

In addition to all that, they’d planned various breakfast menus, since they’d decided to run the hotel using a bed and breakfast model.

It had been tiring but extremely rewarding work, and Audrey had loved every second of working with her kindhearted mother and spunky daughter.

She stepped up to the front door, where a wreath hook was already attached. She placed the wreath carefully on the hook and stepped back, placing her fingertips against her lips.

“Is it straight?” she murmured, cocking her head to one side. She stepped forward and adjusted the wreath slightly and then stepped back again. “Michelle?”

“Yes, Mom?”

“Is this wreath straight?”

Michelle shrugged, hardly looking at the wreath. “Looks fine to me.”

Audrey sighed, not feeling content with the way the wreath was hanging.

It wasn’t perfectly round on the outer edge, which she liked since that made it look rustic—but it also made it look a little lopsided in her opinion.

She picked the wreath up and turned it a few degrees to the left and then hung it back up on the door.

“How about now?”

“Still looks fine, Mom.” Michelle laughed.

Audrey threw her hands in the air. “That’s what you said last time,” she grumbled good-naturedly.

She hurried down the porch steps and turned around so that she could inspect the wreath from a clearer distance.

She crossed her arms, frowning and swaying slightly back and forth to see the wreath from different angles.

“I still don’t think it’s quite right,” Audrey said, squinting at the wreath. “Doesn’t it look as though it’s a little too far to the right?”

Michelle rolled her eyes playfully. “Stop being so much of a perfectionist, Mom.”

Elaine stepped out of The Birchwood House at that moment, chuckling softly.

Her curly silver hair was tied back with an antique pearl clip, and her bright blue eyes were shining cheerfully.

“It’s a good thing Audrey is a perfectionist—otherwise we never would have gotten The Birchwood House into such great shape in record time. ”

“Well, sure, and it also helps that she’s dating the mayor, who was extra quick to help us out with permits and handyman work,” Michelle teased.

Audrey playfully swatted her daughter’s shoulder. “Hey, is it my fault he happens to be extremely efficient?”

“He’s especially efficient when it comes to you,” Michelle said, grinning impishly.

Audrey laughed. Even though she’d been pretending to be annoyed by Michelle’s words, the truth was that she agreed with them. A huge part of why they’d been able to get The Birchwood House up and running so quickly was because of Evan McBride, Coral Sands’ mayor and her handsome boyfriend.

I’m so appreciative of what my life has become, she thought, looking up at the beautiful mansion in front of her. The birch trees that surrounded the house rustled in the fresh, cool autumn wind. For a while there, I never would have dreamed I’d be this happy.

She thought with a slight shudder of the circumstances that had led her to Coral Sands.

Her husband Clark had left her for a younger woman, and although she’d felt him growing distant, the betrayal had come as a complete and life-shattering shock.

He’d simply disappeared without a word, and for days she’d been frantic with worry that he’d been seriously hurt or worse—only to discover that he’d left her without bothering to leave so much as a note.

It had been an incredibly painful experience, but she’d held herself together and decided that she was going to start over again somewhere else.

Since Michelle had just lost her job at a travel agency for calling them out on shady business practices, she’d decided to move with Audrey.

They’d soon decided on Coral Sands, Audrey’s hometown, and as soon as they’d arrived, Elaine had insisted that they move into the mansion with her.

Things had been getting better and better for Audrey ever since, especially after Evan McBride had come into her life.

At first, things between them had been strained and awkward, since Audrey thought Evan was overly fussy and particular, and he couldn’t seem to forget about the way she’d accidentally splashed coffee all over some important township documents he’d been carrying.

They’d soon realized there was a spark between them, however, and Evan had been patient enough to wait until Audrey was ready to start dating again.

After the pain of Clark’s betrayal, opening her heart up to someone was a terrifying step for her, but she’d taken a leap of faith and she’d never been happier about having made a brave choice.

Evan had helped them with restoring The Birchwood House to its former glory, and so had Audrey’s friends Penelope Hurst and Harper Clements. Together with their community, Elaine, Audrey, and Michelle had turned the mansion into the hotel of their dreams.

I’m amazed by how life has turned out, Audrey thought. I’ve rekindled old friendships and made incredible new ones. My old life got shattered, but the new life that I’ve built is even better. I’m surrounded by people who love and support me, and I get to work with my two favorite women every day.

“I have to agree with Michelle though,” Elaine said, taking a long look at the autumn wreath. “That looks plenty centered to me. Unless someone comes along with a ruler or a tape measure, I think we should be in the clear.”

Audrey laughed, and Michelle shuddered dramatically.

“Saints preserve us from ever getting a guest like that,” she said. “Can you imagine what the reviews would look like?”

The three of them exchanged a commiserating glance. Now that the hotel had opened and was still taking baby steps as a new, generally unknown business, reviews were something that the three of them thought about a great deal.

“I think the chances of anyone that fussy coming within a hundred miles of here are very low,” Elaine said with a laugh.

“Come on inside, you two. I just got a box of pumpkin muffins from Townsend’s Bakery.

They smell absolutely delectable, and I thought we could have some apple cider while we eat them. ”

“Oh, yes please.” Michelle tossed the rake down onto the ground unceremoniously.

“Sounds great to me too.” Audrey smiled. “I need to stop staring at this wreath, clearly.”

They trooped inside to the kitchen, which smelled fragrant with the apple cider that Elaine was heating up on the stove.

Audrey looked around the cozy room with a smile.

Already she’d been making wonderful new memories there of cooking breakfast for the guests with her mother and daughter.

Sometimes things got a little hectic and overwhelming, but they were learning how to communicate better and to stay on top of cooking a lot of food for many people at once.

Elaine was the captain of their ship during those times, calmly steering them onward with gentle reminders and instructions.

Michelle scampered over to the white paper box on the kitchen island and opened it eagerly. Her mouth popped open in surprise when she saw how many muffins were inside the box.

“Gosh, there must be twice as many as usual in here,” Michelle said.

“Oh wow.” Audrey peered over Michelle’s shoulder. “Why did you order so many, Mom? We don’t have more guests coming, do we?”

Elaine shook her head, shrugging. “No, they were just in there. Shep didn’t charge me extra or anything. I guess they just had a lot of extra muffins and wanted to give them away.”

“Oh, sure.” Audrey grinned, exchanging a playful glance with Michelle. She knew they both suspected that Shep had put so many muffins in the order because he was falling for Elaine.

Shep Townsend owned the most popular bakery in town, and his pastries were all incredible—delicious and skillfully made.

He was famous for his skills in baking, but he was even more famous for being somewhat cantankerous and extremely reclusive.

He rarely attended social events, and when he did, he always seemed to disappear long before they were over.

When Elaine had announced that she wanted to partner with Townsend’s, both Michelle and Audrey had been very skeptical that Shep would say yes.

Elaine seemed to have the magic touch when it came to the grumpy old man, however, and he’d agreed—after she’d barged into his kitchen and demanded to talk with him a few times.

I’m sure he didn’t just have extras, Audrey thought with a chuckle. Besides, it’s not like these are day old muffins or anything like that. He absolutely could have sold these at his shop. He’s giving her extra because he likes her.

Shep had been behaving differently ever since he’d started spending more time with Elaine.

He’d been talking to people more, and at the grand opening of The Birchwood House, he’d stayed the whole time, which had surprised everyone.

Shep and Elaine seemed to linger over their conversations, and even though Elaine had volunteered to be the one to always pick up the baked goods from Townsend’s so that Shep didn’t have to send someone out to The Birchwood House, he had been delivering the baked goods more and more often himself, claiming that he wanted fresh air and a chance to get out of his kitchen.

Considering that in the past, he’d stuck to his kitchen the way hibernating bears stuck to their caves, his sudden desire for fresh air and sunshine was suspicious indeed.

The three Sutton women sat at the kitchen table together, sipping their hot apple cider and munching on the moist pumpkin muffins.

“Wow,” Michelle said, shaking her head. “What does he put in these? This spice blend is out of this world.”

“I’m sure it’s a secret,” Elaine said. “Shep is very protective of all his recipes, as well he should be.”

“I bet you could wheedle it out of him, Mom,” Audrey teased. “I’m pretty sure there’s nothing that man wouldn’t do for you.”

“Oh, hush,” Elaine said, blushing slightly, and Michelle and Audrey exchanged another look.

Audrey was almost finished eating her muffin when the doorbell rang. She looked up curiously, since none of their current guests would have any reason to ring the doorbell—they would simply walk inside.

“I’ll go see who it is,” she said, standing up and pushing in her chair. “Maybe it’s another guest.”

Sure enough, when she opened the front door, she saw a middle-aged woman standing there, holding a suitcase.

“Hi,” said the woman. Her graying brown hair was wisping around her face and she looked worn out and frazzled. “Do you have any rooms available?”

Audrey glanced over her shoulder at the grandfather clock that was resting in a corner of the front entryway.

It was a magnificent antique and the only large item that she’d transported to Coral Sands from her old home in the city.

It was one of the best antiques in the mansion, a conversation piece and a timeless item that all three Sutton women had agreed looked perfect resting near the front door.

It had belonged to Audrey’s grandmother, Elaine’s mother, and Audrey had loved her dearly.

The clock was one of her most precious possessions, and every time she saw it nestled snugly in her new home, she smiled.

The grandfather clock told her that it was still half an hour before check-in time began, but Audrey decided to give the customer a complimentary early check-in. She looked as though she needed the kind of oasis-from-life that The Birchwood House offered.

“Absolutely we do,” she said with a warm smile. “We have the rose room available and the violet room available. Do you have a preference?”

“Oh, I’ll take the rose room please,” the woman said with a slight laugh. “That sounds lovely.”

“Perfect.” Audrey smiled at her. “I’ll take you into the parlor, and you can fill out the paperwork either using a hardcopy or online. Then I’ll show you up to your room.”

“Wonderful,” said the woman, following Audrey into the parlor with slightly wide eyes. “My goodness, it’s beautiful in here.”

“Thank you,” Audrey said, delighted by how much the woman seemed to love The Birchwood House.

Around her the soothing sounds of the hotel made their everyday music—the grandfather clock in the hallway ticked, one of the guests laughed loudly from the second floor, and the wind rustled the leaves of the birch trees that surrounded the house, letting the sound sigh in through the open windows.

I have such a blessed life, Audrey thought. I finally feel like I can relax and take a deep breath and enjoy having reached this place in my journey.

The Birchwood House was a haven to all of its guests, but it was also a haven to her, somewhere she felt safe and comfortable and excited about facing the future.