Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Evan straightened the papers on his desk and stood up. He’d lingered in the office for an extra hour, but he’d been unable to concentrate on work, and for the first time since he’d had the stomach flu, he was leaving the office before six o’clock in the evening.
He glanced back at the stack of papers before leaving the office.
He had more than enough time to deal with them the next day but leaving work unfinished on his desk was something he simply didn’t do.
He took a half-step toward the papers, telling himself he was going to just do the work quickly and then leave, but he stopped himself.
I can do it tomorrow, he told himself firmly. Right now, I need to deal with the problem that’s been making noise inside my brain all day.
The problem was Audrey. Her beautiful eyes and her lusciously curly hair and the way she made him feel as though having fun was actually something worth his time. Ever since their date at the flea market, he’d been thinking about her.
I’ve got to talk to her again, he thought as he left the office, making his way down the somewhat creaky wooden stairs of the town hall. I can’t just keep thinking about her indefinitely. I need to actually speak to the woman.
He knew that Audrey was living with her mother Elaine, and he knew where Elaine’s mansion was—everyone in Coral Sands did.
It was in a beautiful old residential district filled with all the oldest and most charming houses of Coral Sands.
Elaine’s mansion was located on the corner of the street, just two blocks away from the main road that ran through town but still pleasantly secluded because of a large lawn and several tall old maple trees.
With his briefcase held tightly in his hands, he made his way toward Elaine’s house. He didn’t know exactly what he was going to say to Audrey, but he knew that he wanted to see her again.
He reached the sidewalk in front of the mansion a few minutes later. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that Audrey was on the front porch of the house. It was under construction, and the parts that had already been built look incredible despite still being unpainted.
“Ta da!” Audrey said, placing a potted plant on top of the railing. “Doesn’t that look nice?”
A young woman who Evan suspected was Audrey’s daughter came up behind her and wrinkled her nose at the plant.
“It looks great now, but all we need is one gust of wind and it’s going to be bye-bye, plant.”
Audrey shook her head. “Not bye-bye, plant. Just bye-bye, flowerpot.”
The young woman laughed. “How about we hang a pot from the top of the porch? I have that friend who sells macrame plant hangers online. We could buy a few from her and hang up plants all over the porch to our hearts’ content.”
“Sounds amazing.” Audrey smiled at her. “Brilliant idea, Michelle.”
Evan smiled as he approached. He liked the cheerful banter between the two of them. It reminded him of the way he and his son interacted whenever they were working on something together.
“The porch looks great,” he called as he approached.
Audrey whirled, nearly knocking over the potted plant. “Evan! Hi! I—oh gosh, I guess you do know where I live, don’t you?” She laughed breathlessly, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Behind her, Michelle was giving her a pointed look, but Audrey seemed determined to not make eye contact with her.
“Evan, this is my daughter, Michelle,” Audrey said.
“I remember you,” Michelle said, shaking his hand firmly. It was a friendly gesture, but also a little fierce, as if she was communicating, don’t hurt my mom, or else. “I was at the coffee shop during the great cappuccino explosion of Coral Sands.”
“Oh, don’t bring that up,” Audrey groaned, covering her face with her hands.
Evan chuckled. “Unfortunately, I don’t remember you. I was too preoccupied with my documents, I guess.”
“I guess.” Michelle lifted her shoulders in an easy shrug, then added, “So, are you here to talk to my mom?”
“I am,” he said, turning his gaze to Audrey. She’d been looking at him, but as soon as he turned in her direction, she glanced away and made a show of looking around the porch.
“I’m glad you like the porch,” she said, seeming to be changing the subject. “It does look wonderful. It’s been coming along extremely well.”
Elaine stepped out of the house a moment later, bearing a tray of iced tea and brownies. Evan’s eyes widened, surprised at her seemingly super-human ability to notice that company had arrived and whip up refreshments immediately.
“Hello, Evan,” Elaine said, smiling at him warmly the way she always did. He noticed, however, that there was a gleam in her eyes that wasn’t usually there. “Would you like some iced tea and a brownie?”
“Certainly.” Evan smiled and reached for one of the gooey brownies. His stomach rumbled and he realized that in his distracted state, he’d neglected to eat lunch. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Elaine smiled, setting the tray down on a small table. “Help yourself to some iced tea if you’d like as well.” She turned to her granddaughter. “Michelle, there’s a box up in the attic that I need help unpacking.”
“Oh of course, Grandma,” Michelle said, a touch louder than was necessary. “We’ve got to hustle if we’re going to be ready for that grand opening.”
Smiling, Elaine and Michelle excused themselves and went inside the mansion. Audrey watched them go with a slightly alarmed expression on her face. Once the door had closed behind them, she held still for a couple of seconds before inhaling and turning to face Evan with a smile.
“Would you like to see what we’ve been doing to the place?” she asked, her tone a little brisk. He wasn’t sure if his visit was unwelcome to her, or if she was just feeling nervous.
“I’d love to,” he said, meaning it sincerely. He had a professional interest in building improvements, and the reality was that he wanted to talk with Audrey. Getting a tour of the progress that was being done to the mansion would be a great way to break the ice between them.
“Well, here’s the porch,” she said, gesturing to the structure surrounding them with a playful flourish.
“As you can see, it’s still a work in progress down over there, but we’re hoping to have it ready soon.
We had the whole house repainted so that we could be sure to match the color with the new parts of the porch exactly.
And it just needed it—it’s been decades since the house was repainted. It looks nice, doesn’t it?”
Evan took a few steps down off the porch and stepped back to look up at the house. Although it was dusk, he could see that the mansion did in fact look greatly improved.
“It’s always been a magnificent building,” he said, “but a fresh coat of paint makes it look better than ever. It looks brand new, like we’ve been transported back to when it was first built.”
“That’s the idea,” Audrey said, looking proud. “We’ve done some landscaping as well. What do you think of the garden and the new rose bushes?”
“Very nice. Are the rose bushes part of the house’s history?”
They began to stroll across the lawn together, a light spring breeze ruffling against their faces. Evan stole glances at her as they walked, thinking to himself that she looked beautiful even in her old sweatshirt and sneakers.
“They are,” she said, sounding a little impressed that he’d guessed correctly.
“We were looking at all kinds of old photographs of the house as well as old journals, and it turns out that there used to be rose bushes everywhere, but a lot of them died when one of my ancestors was sick for a whole summer. My mom and Michelle and I are very excited about bringing the rose bushes back.”
“It’s a great idea,” Evan said. He looked around the grounds with a smile. “Everything looks great.”
“Thanks.” Audrey smiled and then they walked quietly side by side for a few moments.
“It’s been therapeutic to be able to devote my mind to something,” she said.
“Making our house into a historical site will benefit my mother, and it’ll be good for our whole town as well.
It’s nice to feel satisfaction in something again.
I—well, I haven’t felt much satisfaction since my husband left me. ”
Evan felt a twinge of awkwardness, not knowing how to handle the way she was sharing her heart with him so unexpectedly. Emotions were something that he tended to run from. If he never stopped to process his own emotions, how could he help Audrey with hers?
Despite his hesitancy, however, his heart seemed to know just what it wanted him to say. He found himself speaking his next words effortlessly, almost as if he couldn’t help himself.
“I think it’s terrible that he would do that to you,” Evan said, his tone gentle but firm.
“Marriage is a difficult journey to be on with someone, but I believe it’s one of the best and bravest things we can do with our lives.
If a person has found someone else who’s devoted to them, they should do whatever it takes to make sure that person feels loved.
Breaking someone’s trust is the worst way to shatter a marriage. “
Audrey looked straight ahead as they walked, her face a mask of expressionlessness. At first, he thought he might have offended her, and then when he saw tears in her eyes, he realized that she was trying not to cry.
“Any man who wouldn’t fight for a woman as determined and innovative as you is a fool,” Evan said, meaning the words with a fierceness he hadn’t even realized he was feeling.
I guess I can face my own emotions if I put my mind to it, he thought. I feel strongly that she should be treated well.
Audrey turned to him with a smile that quickly widened into a silly grin. “Really? A woman as determined and innovative as me?”
He cleared his throat, blushing slightly. “Well, yes.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” she said softly, touching his arm.
They walked quietly side by side for a few more moments. Evan’s heart rate had quickened, and he felt almost giddy, thinking of the way she’d grinned at him.
She knows I’m flirting with her, he thought. And she seems to be happy about that.
“Would you like to help me put hooks in the ceiling out here?” she asked as they were circling back toward the front of the house. “We want to hang plants along the porch.”
“Yes, I heard.” He smiled. “I’d love to. Do you have a level and a drill? And the hooks?”
She gave him a mock exasperated look. “Do I look like this is my first rodeo?”
“Do you look like someone who frequently uses power tools? No. You look like a woman who came straight from the city.” He laughed as her mouth popped open in protest. “But you do look like a very competent, intelligent woman and you’re right—I should have just assumed you were ready to put the hooks in if you asked me for my help. ”
“Thank you,” she said, wrinkling her nose at him and smiling. “Don’t underestimate me, remember.”
“I’ll remember.”
After the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He hadn’t meant to imply that he needed to remember to not think critically of her—he wanted to assure her that he thought very highly of her. But hadn’t he just suggested that she might be going into a project totally unprepared?
It’s not her, he thought, repressing a sigh. That’s just how I am. I helicopter parent everyone and everything. It’s like I’m always ready for someone else to be not be ready.
He wondered why he’d gotten that way. He hadn’t been like that during most of his life. It was only in recent years, as he’d been working overtime as the mayor, that he’d been viewing life as one giant mess that he had to constantly be on top of.
“Let me go get the ladder out of the garage,” Audrey said. “That’s the one thing I don’t have ready yet.”
“Let me get it for you,” Evan said, starting toward the back of the house. “Is the garage unlocked?”
Audrey hesitated, pressing her lips together. “You know what, Evan? I actually think I’ve got this on my own. Thanks for offering, but you don’t need to help me.”
Evan turned back toward her, feeling confused and disappointed. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “But thanks for offering.”
Evan took a step toward her, wondering what had brought on her sudden change of mind and hoping he could reverse her decision.
“It’s no trouble, really,” he assured her.
“I don’t want you to think that you’re inconveniencing me or anything like that.
Have you considered that I might be offering to help simply because I’d like to spend some time with you? ”
Evan held his breath as he watched her face. He wished he’d had the courage to make a statement instead of asking a question. He did want to spend time with her. He wanted to spend time with her very much.
Audrey cleared her throat gently. Evan imagined that if a bird were to cough, it would make a sound like that.
“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you too, Evan,” she said slowly.
“I did have a great time with you at the flea market, I really did. But I’m just not sure that this makes any sense. ”
At that moment, the front door opened and Elaine stepped out, bearing a wide and benevolent smile. “Do you need a refill on tea or anything?” Elaine glanced at the jug of iced tea and blinked when she saw that it was still full. “Or anything?” she repeated cheerfully.
“No, thank you Elaine.” Evan turned to her with a sincere but forced smile. “You’re very kind, but I think I’d best be on my way.” He extended his hand to Audrey for a handshake and she took it. “I’ll see you later, Audrey.”
She nodded, giving him a smile that looked as forced as his own.
He walked down the steps of the porch slowly, uncomfortably aware that both Audrey and Elaine were probably watching him.
It wasn’t until he was out of sight around the corner that he allowed his shoulders to relax.
He took a deep breath, grateful that Elaine had been wanting to check on him and Audrey but wishing that she hadn’t arrived at that particular moment.
He’d wanted to keep talking to Audrey about why she thought that the two of them seeing each other didn’t make any sense.
Did she simply not like him enough to be truly interested?
Or was it something more than that? He shook his head, sighing.
I wonder if Audrey will ever bring down her walls? he wondered, glancing over his shoulder at the Sutton mansion. I suppose I’ll just have to be patient and wait and see.