Page 23 of A Winter Thaw

Thomas would be so proud of us, she thought warmly. We’ve accomplished so much together. He would have loved to see the hotel.

She inhaled, missing her husband but feeling a glow of gratitude in her heart for everything he’d been for her, and for the fact that she now had Audrey and Michelle by her side, working as her teammates in work and life.

Feeling satisfied that she was ready for her day, Elaine left the bathroom and crept across the bedroom. Audrey was still sleeping, and Elaine decided not to wake her. It was still very early, and Elaine wanted to make sure that Audrey felt rested before the big day they had ahead of them.

She slipped on a pair of comfortable flats and walked over to the window. Pulling the curtains back a little more, she gazed out across the city of Boston. Early morning sunlight was gleaming on the windows, making them flash with golden light, and slow-moving lines of cars trailed across the streets like a rainbow river. Elaine loved the mixture of old buildings and modern ones, although she liked the old buildings much better. History thrilled her, and she felt a surge of pride as she reminded herself that The Birchwood House was just as old as some of the antique buildings she was looking at.

Her heart began to pound with excitement as she contemplated the day that awaited her and Audrey. They would eat breakfast at the hotel and then go to the conference, and she was anxious to learn everything she could from the seminars they planned to attend.

She grabbed her purse and picked up the printed itinerary for the business conference before slipping quietly out of the hotel room. Once in the hallway, she took a deep breath and began to walk briskly down the stairs.

This is an adventure, she thought, her skin tingling. She felt intrepid, as if anything might pop up around the corner at any minute. I’m so glad we decided to do this.

She tucked the itinerary into her purse and made her way to the breakfast room of the hotel. It had old-fashioned windows that looked out across the street, and for one moment, Elaine felt as though she’d been transported back in time.

The breakfast was set up as a buffet, and the whole room smelled heavenly. Elaine sniffed the warm scent of fried dough mixed with the fresh scent of fruit and whipped cream. She got a plate and helped herself to the fluffy waffles, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and three slices of bacon. She poured herself a steaming cup of coffee and went to sit in front of the window, feeling hungry and contented.

Once she’d taken a few bites of her food, which was extraordinary, she spread out the business conference itinerary on the table in front of her. She felt a thrill as she looked over the titles of all the seminars. Some caught her interest more than others, and she was eager to speak with Audrey so that the two of them could decide which ones they wanted to go to.

I suppose we could split up if need be, she thought, but I’d rather go to everything with her. I think it’ll all be more fun if we go to everything together.

Elaine jumped a little when she realized that someone was sitting down in the chair opposite hers. She’d been so engrossed in the itinerary that she hadn’t noticed the person approach.

“Audrey!” she said a second later, laughing. “I didn’t see you until just now. You look great.”

“Thanks,” Audrey mumbled, and yawned. “You look great too.”

Audrey did look great—she was wearing her favorite black dress with a white leather jacket and her red heels. She’d also done her makeup expertly and used a daring lipstick shade that matched her shoes. She also looked incredibly sleepy.

“Did you get a good night’s sleep?” Elaine asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“I did. I slept like a baby.” Audrey yawned again. “I’m just still groggy. I feel like I could have slept for another three hours.”

Elaine chuckled. “How can you be sleepy when we’re in a new city? I feel like there’s something interesting everywhere I look.”

Audrey laughed. “Oh, give me another half hour and then I’ll be just as excited as you are. You’ve always been cheery in the morning, Mom. You’d be this cheerful even if we were back home.”

Elaine shook her head, smiling. “I’m definitely extra cheerful today. I’m so excited about the conference. Take a look at this.” She handed Audrey the itinerary. “I think we should go to these two seminars for sure. Budgeting and marketing are the two things I think we’re the least experienced in, don’t you?”

Audrey nodded. “Well, I think we’re inexperienced in all of it, technically.” She grinned. “But I agree—those are the two things I feel like I’m still struggling with the most.” She let out another enormous yawn, and Elaine patted her on the back.

“Go on and get some of this delicious food and some coffee,” she said. “That’ll be just the thing to wake you up.”

“Sounds great.” Audrey stood up. “It smells incredible in here, so the food must be good.”

“It is.” Elaine speared a blackberry with her fork and held it up. “This fruit is all fresh and sweet. Tastes as good as homegrown berries in the summer.”

“Wow.” Audrey glanced out the window and gestured to the light snow that had begun to fall. “It’s definitely not summer now!”

“No, it isn’t.” Elaine smiled and took a few moments to look around the dining room, appreciating the whimsical Christmas decorations while Audrey got her food and coffee. For a moment, she started to fret again about getting a gift for Shep, but then she shook herself.

I won’t worry about that right now, she told herself firmly. I’m just going to enjoy the conference with Audrey. I’m sure we’re going to have a marvelous time learning new things.

She felt a flutter of nervousness along with her excitement. The other people attending the conference were likely to be stylish and savvy city people. She hoped that she didn’t come off as some kind of country bumpkin.

A few moments later, Audrey returned with her own plate of waffles, fruit, and bacon as well as a steaming mug of coffee.

“Oh, this just hits the spot,” Audrey said with a contented sigh as she took a long sip of the hot beverage. “I can feel life returning to my body.”