Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Elaine tucked one of her soft gray curls behind her ear and looked around her kitchen with a smile of satisfaction.
There, she thought, noticing the way the countertops gleamed in the sunlight. Everything’s as clean as a whistle, now.
She hurried over to the kitchen window that offered a good view of the driveway.
Her heart flopped with disappointment when she saw that Audrey and Michelle still hadn’t arrived, but she smiled again a moment later.
After all, they were sure to arrive soon.
The moving van carrying their belongings had shown up a couple of hours earlier and a stack of boxes and several suitcases were now arranged neatly in the center of Elaine’s garage.
She liked having her daughter and granddaughter’s things there.
It made them feel closer to her, and she couldn’t wait to hug the both of them.
Her whole body was tingling with excitement, and she wondered with delight what she should cook the three of them for dinner that night.
She knew what all of Audrey’s favorite foods were, but she wanted to make sure she made something that Michelle would love also.
She had awoken very early in the morning, too excited to go back to sleep.
Feeling wide-awake and full of energy, she’d decided to get up and get right to business.
She’d been determined to deep clean every common area of the mansion, and she’d spent a productive, peaceful morning scrubbing and dusting and sweeping.
She loved cleaning, and it wasn’t very difficult for her to clean the rooms that she already used, as well as the guest bedrooms that she’d prepared for Audrey and Michelle.
There were plenty of rooms in the old mansion that were completely unused, and those were gathering dust. It would have taken her more than one morning to clean out those rooms!
She hummed to herself as she began to gather up all her cleaning supplies, returning them to a small closet in the main hallway.
She thought to herself with a smile that her home looked very tidy indeed—not a stray cobweb anywhere.
She’d only found a couple, but she felt good about the house being so well-cleaned.
It was one of the ways she showed love, she thought, tucking the basket of cleaning supplies back into the closet.
She showed her care and her attention to her daughter and granddaughter through making sure the house was lovingly scrubbed clean before their arrival.
She made her way into the parlor, fluffing the pillows on the couch and arranging the knit throw that she had draped across the comfy armchair.
I can’t wait to sit in here with other people, she thought, feeling a thrill go through her. It’ll be just like old times.
She’d been lonely, living in the large old mansion by herself ever since her husband had died several years prior.
She had friends over often enough, but she missed the cozy nights at home with her family.
She adored her mansion, which had been in her family for generations, and she would never have sold it and gone to live somewhere else.
Still, it was much too big for just one old lady, she thought with a chuckle.
She bustled back inside the kitchen to check on the blueberry scones that she had baking in the oven. She decided that they needed just another couple of minutes, and she took a deep breath of their buttery, sweet aroma before shutting the oven door.
She made a pot of tea and then took the scones out of the oven. She arranged the teapot, three teacups, and a basket of the piping hot scones onto a tea tray and carried it out into the parlor. She had just set it down on the coffee table when she heard a knock on the front door.
“What perfect timing!” she gasped, nearly squealing with delight. “They’re here!”
She hurried to the front door and tugged it open. Michelle and Audrey were standing on the front porch, and she was just about to throw open her arms and welcome them inside, when the next thing she knew, Audrey had her arms wrapped around her tightly.
“Oh, I’ve missed you,” Audrey said, embracing her mother warmly.
Elaine held her back as tightly as she could, shutting her eyes and feeling her heart flood with a happiness so sweet it almost ached.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Elaine said. “And Michelle!” She took her granddaughter into her arms as soon as Audrey stepped back from their hug.
“Look at you, so grown-up. I feel so honored that you both have come to stay with me. We’re going to have a wonderful time. ”
Elaine was careful not to mention what had happened to Audrey. They’d already discussed it over the phone, and she knew that her daughter didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
What Audrey needs now is joy, and healing, Elaine thought firmly. I’m going to make sure her time here is as happy as possible.
“Something smells delicious,” Michelle said, sniffing the air eagerly. “Blueberries?”
“Yes, blueberry scones!” Elaine confirmed with a nod. “I made them so we could have some tea together. Did the two of you have breakfast?”
“Yes, but I’m still starving.” Michelle laughed. “Nothing makes me hungrier than flying on an airplane at an unnatural hour of the morning.”
“I can imagine,” Elaine said with a chuckle. She loathed flying herself, which was one of the reasons why she hadn’t seen her daughter for so long. “Well, let me know if the scones are enough for you. I’m happy to whip up some scrambled eggs and bacon as well.”
“The scones should be good for now, thanks, Grandma,” Michelle said with a grin.
Elaine’s heart warmed to hear herself called “Grandma.” She was greatly looking forward to getting to know Michelle better.
“Mom, the place looks incredible,” Audrey said, looking around the front hallway with a radiant smile.
She gazed at the grand front staircase from a vantagepoint which offered a view of the stained-glass windows on the upstairs landing.
“I love these new paintings you’ve hung in the hallway here.
It makes the white walls look so breezy and welcoming.
This place always seemed full of sunshine. ”
“I know what you mean,” Elaine said. “I love that it has plenty of windows to let in the natural light.”
Audrey shook her head. “It’s more than that. There’s something really beautiful about this house, even more than how beautifully you’ve decorated it and the natural light. I can’t explain it—it’s just got such a good aura about it. But maybe I just feel that way because I grew up here.”
Michelle shook her head. “I didn’t grow up here and I feel the same way. It’s like there’s joy in this house, I can feel it.”
Elaine blinked back tears. “That’s a wonderful thought. I certainly feel a great deal of joy today, since the two of you are here. Let’s have some tea and then I can give you a tour of the house if you’d like.”
“Yes please,” Michelle said, and Elaine wasn’t sure if she was responding to the offer of scones or the offer of the tour, but she couldn’t help chuckling at her granddaughter’s youthful enthusiasm.
“I can’t wait,” Audrey said. “I love this old house so much.”
“I haven’t changed all that much,” Elaine said, “but I know if it were me, I’d want to see it all again. Like visiting an old friend. And we can even peep into all the rooms that I’ve been keeping shut.”
Audrey nodded emphatically. “I absolutely want to see it all again. You’re right, it’s like visiting an old friend. A very lovely, delicate-boned old friend.” She laughed, gesturing to the delicate carved panels in the front entryway, which had been painted white sometime in the 1950’s.
Elaine ushered Audrey and Michelle into the parlor and poured them cups of steaming hot Earl Gray tea. She loved having women over for tea even if they were women she barely knew, and having her precious daughter and granddaughter there with her meant the world to her.
“Here you are,” she said, handing Audrey a steaming hot cup that had been sweetened with ample milk and a couple of sugar cubes. “Michelle, how do you like your tea?”
“Cream and sugar please,” Michelle said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had Earl Gray tea before.”
“I hope you like it,” Elaine said. “If you don’t, feel free to ask for something different. I find that it’s a lovely, smooth taste, but black tea isn’t for everyone.”
Once they were all settled with their tea and scones, Elaine wanted to turn the subject toward the length of Audrey and Michelle’s visit. She didn’t want to pressure her daughter, but she was hoping that Audrey was planning on staying in Coral Sands indefinitely.
Forever would be too good to hope for, Elaine thought, although her stomach fluttered with happiness at the thought.
“I’m so very thrilled to have you both here,” she said, smiling warmly at her family. “It’s so good to not be by myself in the place anymore. How long do you think you’ll be staying here?”
Audrey swallowed her tea and set the teacup down gently. “Not too long, don’t worry Mom. I do want to stay in Coral Sands, but we’ve inquired about available homes for rent with Red Spruce Realty. We haven’t heard back from them yet, but I’m sure something will turn up soon.”
Elaine shook her head emphatically. “Oh, there’s no reason for that. If you’re planning on staying in Coral Sands, please just stay here with me. It’s not an inconvenience in the slightest. I would love to have company in the house again—you have no idea how much.”
Audrey and Elaine shared eye contact and a warm smile.
Perhaps, Elaine thought, her daughter did know what it was like to be alone in a big house.
She’d spent plenty of time alone in hers while Clark was away at work.
Audrey’s eyes seemed to be telling her that she understood Elaine’s desire to have conversation and laugher fill up her empty rooms again.