Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Elaine stood back and watched with excitement as the workers from Hilltop Hardware carefully removed the cracked panes of glass from the parlor’s latticed picture window. She appreciated the care with which they were working, and she enjoyed observing the process, which fascinated her.
Behind her, down the hallway, came the sound of Michelle’s laughter and the smell of the strawberry cream cheese cookies Elaine was baking. Elaine glanced down at her watch and noted that it was time to take the cookies out of the oven.
“If you have any questions for me, please let me know,” she said to the handymen. “I’ll just be in the kitchen.”
They assured her they would, and she made her way down the hallway, enjoying the sweet aroma of the cookies and the sound of the folk music that Michelle was playing on the radio.
I’ll give those boys some cookies once they’ve cooled a little, she thought. They deserve a little something extra after working so hard. That picture window is going to look just magnificent when they’re through.
She stepped into the kitchen and smiled.
Her daughter and granddaughter were both hard at work, and the cozy kitchen felt full of life in a way that brought her joy.
Michelle was sitting at the kitchen table, tapping her fingers near the keyboard of her laptop as she stared into space, thinking.
A half-drunk glass of iced coffee was at her elbow, and she was wearing a cozy pink sweatshirt and leggings.
Audrey was also dressed casually, since the three of them had declared that they were determined to finish getting the mansion ready for guests as soon as possible—by the end of the day, if they could manage it.
Audrey was wearing form-fitting jeans with a hole in the knee and an old blouse that had some colorful paint speckles on it.
She was in the middle of polishing a beautiful vintage tea set that was one of the Sutton family heirlooms. Elaine paused for a moment to think to herself that her daughter was truly a beautiful woman.
She’s such a catch, Elaine thought, wanting to shake her head in disgust when she thought about Clark’s infidelity. She’s so pretty, and she’s got a determined, charismatic energy that I’m sure plenty of men find attractive. Men like Evan!
She suppressed a smile as she moved across the kitchen to take the cookies out of the oven.
She grabbed her favorite oven mitts—yellow with daisies printed on them—and carefully pulled the cookie sheet out of the oven.
She tested one cookie with a straw and was pleased to see that they were perfectly done.
“Those smell jaw-droppingly good,” Michelle said, taking a sip of her iced coffee. “Can we eat them, or are they for something specific?”
“You can eat them.” Elaine chuckled. “I made them to celebrate our big day—and I also always like to have something to give the handymen when they work here.”
“Sweet.” Michelle jumped out of her chair and hurried over to the cookies. “These look amazing, Grandma.”
“Thank you.” Elaine smiled. “Be careful, they’re hot.”
“I will.” Michelle smiled, picked up a cookie gingerly, and blew on it as she made her way back to her seat at the kitchen table. She took a small nibble out of the cookie and sighed with happiness. “Oh my gosh, so good.”
“Do you want one too, Audrey?” Elaine asked.
Audrey looked up from her work with a smile. “I will in a second here, thanks. I’m nearly done with this, though, and I’d like to finish it first. I can’t wait to put it on display in the parlor. It’s going to look so beautiful with all the other antiques.”
Elaine nodded. “I think we’ve decided to put all our best pieces in the parlor, and that’s how it should be. I think most of our guests will find that to be the most inviting room in the house.”
“Every trinket in this place is a source of history,” Audrey said proudly. “They’re beautiful, certainly, but they also serve to showcase the history of Coral Sands. I can’t wait for people to see all of them.”
“I can’t either,” Michelle said, swallowing the last bite of her cookie. “And speaking of people seeing this fine establishment we’re opening, we still need a name for it. I’ve been brainstorming for the last half an hour and I still haven’t come up with anything good.” She sighed.
“Read us what you have,” Audrey said. “Maybe one of the things you wrote down is better than you think it is. Or maybe we can kind of cut and paste a name from the ones you have written down.”
“Maybe,” Michelle said, wrinkling her nose doubtfully. “So far I have, ‘Sutton Generations House,’ ‘Coral Sand’s Oldest House,’ ‘Coral Sands Domestic History Museum,’ and ‘The Mansion Near Main Street.’”
“Hmm, I like ‘The Mansion Near Main Street,’” Elaine said.
Audrey made a “hmm” sound and stared into space. “I think you’re on the right track, but none of those really have a ring to them, do they?”
“I don’t think they do,” Michelle said with a sigh. “I think they all fall flat. We want a name that sounds elegant.”
“I agree,” Elaine said, picking up one of the plump cookies for herself. “And maybe think more outside the box, Michelle. I think we can choose a name that doesn’t necessarily describe the purpose of the house.”
“True,” Audrey said, polishing vigorously with deft fingers. “Especially if we’re going to be a bed and breakfast as well, calling ourselves a museum might get confusing.”
“Hmm, good points, good points.” Michelle stared at her list with a furrowed brow. “What about the Sutton House?”
“I like that,” Audrey said.
Elaine pressed her lips together. Although the name did have a nice ring to it, it didn’t click for her the way she was hoping the name of their establishment would.
“I almost love it, but not quite,” she mused.
“And actually, no—I think we should pick another name. When our mansion was first built, the family name was Duncan. An eldest sister inherited the house after marrying a Sutton, and the family name changed after that. So Sutton house wouldn’t really be appropriate, I don’t think. ”
“And I think we should keep an open-ended name now that I think about it,” Michelle said.
“We’re inviting people to stay in our house, yes, but we want them to feel like it’s their home-away-from-home as well.
I think using our family name makes it seem like it’s all our house, not partly their house too. ”
“Good point, Michelle,” Audrey said, smiling at her. “We’ll figure it out. I have a feeling it’s the kind of thing that will just come to us—maybe sitting and thinking isn’t the best way to decide on the name of the mansion.”
“Fair.” Michelle took another sip of her coffee and then closed her laptop. She grinned. “I’m getting another cookie.”
“Get me one too, would you?” Audrey asked. “I’m just about done here.”
Soon all three of them were sitting around the kitchen table, munching their cookies in companionable silence. The room seemed to be electrically charged with excitement as they contemplated the opening of the mansion.
“I can hardly believe we’ll be able to open soon,” Elaine said, her eyes warm. “This house is going to be filled with so much life and laughter.”
“We’re going to have so much fun welcoming people into this house,” Audrey said, holding her mug of lavender honey tea tightly as if she was hugging it with her hands.
“We are,” Michelle agreed. “And it’s all thanks to Evan. He seems to be more enthusiastic about our plans that even you are, Mom.” She grinned slyly.
“He does?” Audrey said, her voice suddenly breathier than usual. “Why do you think that is?”
“Yeah, gee, I have absolutely no idea why,” Michelle said with charming sarcasm.
The flush of heat that spread up Audrey’s face said it all. She cleared her throat and took a long sip of her tea as if she was trying to hide her face from view.
Elaine held back a smile, feeling delighted by the signs that Audrey might be as interested in Evan as he seemed to be in her.
She didn’t want to embarrass her daughter, however, so she decided to change the direction of the conversation.
“We’re lucky that Evan was able to help you get everything squared away in time, Audrey.
It’s nice that he’s so on top of things. ”
Audrey wrinkled her nose. “He might be a little too on top of things,” she said.
“He’s so aware of all kinds of obscure rules and regulations that I’m sure no one really cares about—honestly, I’m surprised he hasn’t said that the birch trees in the front yard might not be up to code.
He was going on and on about something involving tree ordinances and a Coral Sands law that was established in 1902.
I don’t know what that man is going to do next. ”
Across the table, Elaine and Michelle shared a surreptitious look and smile. Elaine knew they both were hoping that whatever Evan did next, it had something to do with Audrey.
They went back to silence for a few moments, all three of them lost in their own thoughts. Elaine took another bite of her cookie, thinking to herself that next time she made the recipe, she might try throwing in white chocolate chips.
Michelle gasped suddenly. “I’ve got it!” She grasped the edge of the table, looking excited.
“Got what? A name for the mansion?” Audrey perked up.
“Yes.” Michelle nodded, then held up her hands to emphasize each word as she announced. “The Birchwood House!”
“I love that!” Elaine cried, immediately feeling the click that she’d hoped to feel when they’d found the right name for the mansion.
“Me too,” Audrey cooed. “It sounds elegant and inviting. And I’ve always associated this house with the birch trees, ever since I was little. I think other people will too.”
Michelle nodded eagerly. “And it’s a white house with black shutters, which is the same colors as a birch tree. All we need is a darling little sign out front and it will feel totally official.”