Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Elaine pushed open the door of Townsend’s Bakery, smiling as the bell jangled cheerfully overhead. She was greeted by the delicious smells of sweet pastry, and by Iris, who waved at her excitedly even though she was in the middle of helping another set of customers.
She lingered in the back of the shop, glancing at the pastry case and wondering what to order. A second later, the door of the kitchen swung open and Shep came out, smiling at her.
“Good morning, Elaine,” he said, wiping his flour-dusted hands on a damp towel. “What brings you in so early?”
Elaine caught Iris staring at Shep in disbelief, and she held back a chuckle. Shep never came out of the kitchen to greet customers, no matter how busy the bakery was. She appeared to be an exception, and the thought made her heart glow with happiness.
“Oh, various things.” She smiled at him, noticing the way his blue-gray eyes warmed as their gazes met.
She liked how messy his gray hair looked.
He always reminded her a little of a bear that had just woken up from hibernation, and she felt pleased knowing that, in this case, he’d roused himself from his cave just for her.
“You know, I can still deliver the pastries to The Birchwood House later today,” he told her.
“I’m planning on it. I hope you didn’t feel you had to come out here and do that for me.
I know that was our original deal, but well, I have to be out by you later today anyway.
And besides, the exercise is good for me. ”
Elaine had seldom heard Shep string together so many sentences at once, and she felt a little as if she’d just been handed an enormous bouquet of flowers.
“Oh, I know. I didn’t come here to get the pastry order,” she said.
“Besides, I wouldn’t want to assume it’s all ready yet.
You’re not due to deliver it until this afternoon, so I wouldn’t want to rush you.
Like you said, it’s early in the morning.
I just—well, I had other things to come into town for. ”
Shep’s eyebrows lifted quizzically. “At seven a.m.”
Elaine laughed. “Well, it’s a beautiful morning, even if it is a little cold. I wanted to go for a walk, and once the library opens, I might get a book.” The library didn’t open for another couple of hours, so her excuse was a flimsy one. “Besides, I thought I’d pop in and buy a pastry for myself.”
“Oh, well, certainly, but you could also add one to your order for the hotel. I’d be happy to throw in something extra for you.”
Elaine pursed her lips, teasing him by acting a little pouty. “It seems like you want me to stay far away from your bakery. If I wasn’t smart, I might think that you didn’t want me around.”
Shep’s mouth popped open but no words came out. Elaine felt a little bad for putting him on the spot, since she knew that banter was not his thing. The other customers had already left the shop, and out of the corner of her eye, Elaine could see Iris grinning quietly.
Elaine chuckled inwardly. Iris seemed to be her cheerleader during all her interactions with Shep. Iris always seemed determined to push Shep toward interaction, especially interactions with Elaine.
“I’m joking, Shep, don’t worry.” Elaine chuckled and put her hand on his arm, letting her fingertips linger there for a moment. “And as far as pastry goes, I think I’d like an apple cinnamon scone, please. Those look absolutely mouth-watering.”
Shep smiled, looking relieved. “You got it.”
While he went to wrap up her scone, Elaine felt her phone buzz in her pocket.
She pulled it out and saw a text from Audrey.
Elaine gasped when she read what it said and quickly slipped her phone back into her pocket.
She stared into space for a few seconds, her heart hammering in her chest. Then she pulled her phone out of her pocket again and stared at the screen, her heart racing.
Shep walked back toward her, carrying a wax paper bag with her scone inside. “Here you—” he started to say, and then he noticed the expression on her face. “Is something wrong?”
“Oh, I hope not.” Elaine let out a breathless laugh. She looked down at her phone again, feeling immobilized by fear.
He reached out and touched her on the shoulder, which snapped her back to reality. She smiled at him gratefully.
“Here,” she said, showing him her phone screen. “Audrey just texted me and told me that we got a review—not just a customer review, but a full article in a magazine that features attractions along the East coast. I’m just petrified of what it will mean for us if it’s bad.”
Shep gazed at her for a few moments, and she could practically see the wheels in his mind turning. She could sense that he was trying to protect her, and she felt grateful for it.
“Do you want me to read it first and let you know what it says?” he asked her.
“Would you?” Elaine breathed a sigh of relief. “That would be amazing.”
Shep nodded and she pulled the review up on her phone, then handed the device to Shep as if it was suddenly red-hot.
Shep began to read the article, and she watched his eyes flicker rapidly over the screen. It was clear to her that he was reading at a speedy pace, but his expression remained unchanged. It was completely blank, and he showed no signs that he was reading something positive.
After a few seconds, she couldn’t stand the suspense anymore. “What does it say?” she begged, wringing her hands a little.
Shep looked up with a smile. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Elaine. This review is fantastic.”
Elaine squealed with happiness, fanning herself with relief. “Oh, thank goodness. And thank you for checking for me, Shep. I admit the thought of the hotel getting off to a bad start had me terrified.”
Shep shook his head as he handed her phone back to her. “Even a bad review couldn’t stop The Birchwood House. I have no doubt the hotel will succeed enormously, because of what a big-hearted and determined woman you are.”
Elaine blinked at him, feeling surprised by his sentimental words and experiencing a glow of happiness in her core.
It meant a great deal to her that he thought so highly of her, and that he had that much confidence in the hotel.
“I would have thought your descriptors of me would be ‘stubborn’ and ‘pig-headed,’” she teased.
“I know you haven’t forgotten the way I inserted myself into your kitchen without permission. ”
Shep chuckled. “Well, those too.”
She laughed, delighted by the fact that he was joking around with her. A few months ago, she never would have dreamed that Shep Townsend would be standing in the front of his shop with her, joking with her and supporting her through something that gave her anxiety.
“Here you go,” he said, handing her the scone. “On the house. Consider it a celebratory gift for the great review.”
“Oh, Shep, thank you. Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Of course. I’ll see you later.”
She smiled at him. “Well, there’s a hot cup of coffee waiting for you at The Birchwood House.”
Shep smiled back at her, and she gave Iris a wave before leaving the shop.
As she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she felt a spring in her step.
Autumn leaves scuttled across the cement in front of her as she strolled down the street, and the sky overhead was a radiant blue, untroubled by any clouds.
She carried her scone over to a park bench that was in the midst of a little rock and flower garden that was placed in between the hardware store and the fire station. It was quiet, and a little fountain there gurgled pleasantly.
Elaine sat down on the bench and opened the wax paper bag that held her scone. She took a delicate bite out of it and then made a noise of delight and took a big chomp out of it.
I swear that man is a magician, she thought, staring into space with a fond expression on her face.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and pulled up the review again. Even though Shep had assured her it was fantastic, she still felt nervous about reading it. She took a deep breath and began, her eyes quickly scanning the words of the article.
In a few seconds, her eyes were shining and she was grinning from ear to ear.
Shep was right—the review truly was fantastic.
The author—who must have stayed at The Birchwood House as a kind of secret shopper, not telling them she was a reporter—gushed about not only the beauty of the house and the comfort of the bedrooms, but also described Elaine, Audrey, and Michelle at length, talking about how much fun it was to spend time with them and how they had made everyone’s stay more comfortable.
This is wonderful, Elaine thought, tears springing to her eyes. I’m so glad The Birchwood House is turning out to be everything we dreamed it would be.
She stayed on the bench, finishing her scone and reveling in the beautiful weather and the knowledge of the shining review. When she was finished, she stood up, eager to get home and talk with Audrey and Michelle about what the reporter had said.
She headed back toward The Birchwood House, feeling as if she was on a cloud. Her heart was singing, and every bird that sang in the tree branches seemed to be echoing the cheerful music that was playing inside her.
Why do I feel this way? she wondered as she walked. Is it because of this great review? Or because that pastry was so incredibly yummy?
Or was it because of the surprisingly warm interaction that she’d shared with Shep?
.
.