Page 16 of A Winter Thaw

“And how was everything at the hotel this morning? Peaceful, I hope?”

“Reasonably.” She laughed. “We have a lot of guests right now, and I had the audacity to decide to make crepes with strawberries and cream for breakfast, in addition to bacon and fried eggs. We managed it, but it was a lot of work.”

“I’m sure it was a lovely meal. How’s the puppy doing?”

“Behaving very well. I think Michelle will be able to handle her just fine when—” She paused, swallowing when she realized that it was time to tell Shep about the trip. She cleared her throat. “Actually, I have some news. Audrey and I are going away to Boston for a few days on a business trip.”

“You are?” Shep’s expression was totally blank. Elaine’s heart sank as she wondered what he was thinking. She knew that a neutral expression on Shep’s face wasn’t the same as a neutral expression on her face—he often had a blank expression even when happy or interested. Still, she felt a pang of worry and hoped that he wasn’t unhappy about the news.

“Yes. There’s a conference that we decided to go to at the last minute. Anyway, Michelle will be taking care of Puddle by herself the whole time, which was what made me bring it up. I mean, obviously, I meant to bring it up at some point—I wouldn’t have just left town without telling you.” She laughed nervously and glanced at Shep again. He was plodding along beside her, his expression still a total blank.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun,” she continued, hoping to coax a positive comment out of him. “We’re going to stay at a hotel and do a little sightseeing. And of course, the conference itself is sure to be very interesting. Hopefully we learn a lot of things that will benefit The Birchwood House.”

Shep didn’t say anything. She waited for a full seven seconds before blurting, “What do you think? Do you think it’s a good idea that we’re going?”

Shep turned to her and nodded. “I do,” he said. He blinked at her and then seemed to remember that she needed him to have a facial expression or she wouldn’t know what he was thinking. He offered her a polite little smile. “I think it’s a great idea. You and Audrey will have a great time, I know you will.”

Elaine breathed a sigh of relief. “And hopefully it’s a smart business move.”

“I’m sure it is. I’m glad you had the idea to go, Elaine. I think it will be very beneficial for you both.”

She looped her arm through his and hugged it. “I think so too. And it won’t be for long, but I have to admit that I’m going to miss you.”

This time, Shep’s smile was big and genuine. “I’m going to miss you too.” He squeezed her hand. “But we’ve spent more than a few days apart before. We can do it again.”

“True.” She chuckled. “But it doesn’t mean I want to. Seeing you is the highlight of my day. Pretty strange to think about, isn’t it? Not that long ago we hardly ever saw each other.”

Shep’s ears were pink. “Seeing you has been the highlight of my day for a while. I think it was always the highlight of my day even before we became business partners. I would think, ‘Wow, that woman is a breath of fresh air.’ It was a long time before I realized that what I felt for you was romantic interest, though. At first, I thought it was just respect.”

She bumped her shoulder against his playfully. “And there we were, squabbling over cookies and all along you wanted to date me. I had no idea.”

“We didn’t squabble.” He smiled. “We just disagreed. I’m glad you asked me out on that walk, Elaine. If you hadn’t, I don’t think I would have had the courage to tell you how I feel about you.”

She shook her head. “I might have suggested our first non-work activity together, but you were the first one to do a brave, romantic thing. You gave me that box of pastries and then you had the wooden pastry boxes made for The Birchwood House. That gave me hope that you liked me the same way I liked you—enough hope for me to find the courage to suggest our first walk together.”

She smiled, her mind filling with happy memories of strolling down the sidewalks of Coral Sands with Shep. It was something they did together a few times a week now, and all the old familiar places in town were starting to remind her of sweet moments shared with the man she was falling for.

She sighed. “I am going to miss you, though. That’s the one aspect of the trip I’m not looking forward to.”

He shook his head. “You’ll be back before you know it. Enjoy your time there. Big cities are fun to visit, although heaven knows I’d never want to live in one. Too noisy.”

She laughed. “I feel the same way.”

All at once, she was struck with an idea that made her heart beat faster. Maybe I’ll be able to find the perfect gift for Shep in Boston, she thought excitedly. Boston will have all sorts of gift options, I’m sure. Maybe I’ll be able to find something there I wouldn’t be able to get here.

She smiled and took a sip of her coffee, feeling even more eager for her trip with Audrey than she had before.

CHAPTER TEN

“Where are those shoes? Didn’t I just—am I crazy?”

Michelle laughed as she watched her mother turn around in a circle, looking around for the pair of red heels that she’d decided to pack for her trip.

“They’re over here on Grandma’s bed,” Michelle said, going over to the glossy shoes and handing them to her mother. “You moved them when you were showing us your navy blazer, so I think you got distracted and forgot about them.”

“Quite possibly.” Audrey took the shoes and laughed. “Thanks.”

Audrey and Elaine were making the final preparations for their trip to Boston. They were due to leave the following morning, and they were moving about in a flurry, making sure they had everything they needed. Since Audrey was mostly packed, they were all in Elaine’s room, where Elaine was packing her suitcase and Audrey was reorganizing and double-checking hers.