Chapter 20
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.
Elaine reached Townsend’s and pushed open the door, immediately greeted by the fragrant aromas of sugar and pastry dough.
“Hi, Elaine!” Iris called out cheerfully and then continued to busy herself with the customers she was assisting.
Elaine slipped past Iris, unable to keep from smiling gleefully. She always enjoyed barging into Shep’s kitchen. She knew the fact that he tolerated her intrusion on his private space meant that she was special to him.
Shep was standing at his counter, carefully pouring sugar into a measuring cup. He didn’t seem to hear the door open, and Elaine took a few steps into the kitchen before clearing her throat loudly.
Shep whirled, dropping the bag of sugar and nearly dropping the glass measuring cup.
“Oh goodness,” Elaine gasped, hurrying forward to help clean up the spilled sugar. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Shep’s ears were a bright shade of pink as he set down the measuring cup and began to gather the spilled sugar into a little mound using the sides of his hands. “It’s all right.” He paused for a moment and smiled at her. “It’s nice to see you.”
She smiled back at him, feeling a flush of happiness. For a moment there, she’d been afraid that she’d irritated him. That was the last thing she wanted, considering what she was about to ask him!
“It’s nice to see you too,” she said warmly. “I have a question for you, Shep. Do you have a minute?”
Shep shrugged. “This cake doesn’t need to be ready for another four hours, so I have plenty of time. What did you want to discuss?”
“Well—” Elaine paused and took a deep breath.
For a moment, her courage failed her entirely and she wanted to make up some other excuse for needing to talk to him—she could pretend that a vegan guest was coming to stay at The Birchwood House, or that someone had a nut allergy and all the baked goods would need to be nut-free—
“Yes?” Shep prompted kindly, brushing the mound of sugar into a batter-crusted bowl and then dumping it in the sink.
I can do this, Elaine told herself firmly. I’ve lived through all kinds of challenges and done incredible things with my life. I can handle asking a man to spend some time with me, and I can handle phrasing it in a way that makes it sound like a date.
She clasped her hands together and inhaled.
“I was wondering if you would like to spend some time with me tomorrow night.” She’d meant to say more—she’d meant to start out by talking about how much their friendship meant to her and how much she enjoyed spending time with him.
Instead, she felt so flustered that she was unable to get out more than the invitation itself.
“I was thinking we could walk through the lovely autumn trees and all the lights on Main Street. Maybe get some tea or some gelato.”
Shep’s eyes were wide with surprise. He looked as though someone had just told him that the aliens had landed in the middle of Coral Sands’ town square. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, as if he was trying to speak but he couldn’t manage it.
“I—I’m sorry, Elaine, but I’m busy. I won’t be able to accept.”
Disappointment flooded her stomach like a rush of cold water.
She felt sure that Shep was simply making up an excuse because he wasn’t willing to go on such a romantic outing with her.
After all, he was famous for avoiding social engagements.
What could he possibly have going on the following evening?
I guess I overstepped, she thought, feeling sad and also a little embarrassed. Maybe he does just see me as a friend after all.
“I understand.” Elaine smiled at him, keeping a stiff upper lip. She was determined not to let him see how disappointed she was. “I’ll go on my way then—I don’t want to interrupt your baking. Good luck with your cake!”