Page 4 of A Winter Thaw

She reached The Birchwood House a few minutes later and walked around the side so that she could enter through the kitchen door. She didn’t want to run into Elaine or Michelle, since the wrapping done at Common Thread was distinctive, and she had a feeling they would know she’d bought them gifts there if they saw the packages. There was an old servant’s staircase that led from the kitchen to the second floor, where Audrey’s bedroom was, and she wanted to climb it so that she could keep the presents hidden.

I probably should have gotten a big bag to carry them in, she thought with a chuckle, enjoying the feeling of being sneaky as she crept inside the kitchen. But this is kind of fun.

She glanced around the kitchen quickly, making sure that Elaine and Michelle weren’t there. She started to tiptoe toward the entrance to the back staircase, and she was halfway across the room when she heard her mother call her name.

“Audrey!” Elaine called. “Are you in here?”

“Ahh!” Audrey squealed and raced toward the door to the staircase. She ripped it open and stumbled through. “Don’t come in!”

“What?” Elaine said, stepping into the kitchen.

“I have Christmas gifts!” Audrey cried. “Don’t look!”

Elaine laughed and covered her eyes as Audrey shut the door to the staircase.

“I’ll be right back downstairs!” Audrey called out, laughing breathlessly. “One minute!”

Audrey scurried up the stairs to her bedroom, still pausing in the hallway to make sure that Michelle wasn’t upstairs for any reason. Once the presents were safely stowed inside her closet, Audrey returned to the kitchen, smiling innocently.

“What on earth was that about?” Elaine asked with a chuckle. She was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Audrey said with a serene tone.

Elaine shook her head, grinning. “You were up to something. Didn’t I hear you squeal something about presents?”

“Hey! Shh!” Audrey said. “You don’t know anything. And that’s thanks to my stealth skills. Do you want to ruin your Christmas gift?”

Despite the fact that it was a joke, Elaine’s expression drooped and she let out a groan.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” Audrey asked, hurrying over to her. “I’m just joking.”

Elaine shook her head. “Oh, it’s not that, don’t worry. It’s just that the subject of Christmas presents has me all in a bother.”

“What? Don’t sweat it,” Audrey said in a teasing tone. “Just get me a box of chocolates and a couple of books and I’ll be happy as a clam.”

“Oh, I already have your gift. You were very easy to shop for. Unfortunately, Shep is decidedly not easy to shop for.”

“Ahh.” Audrey sat down next to her mother, nodding sympathetically. “That does sound tricky. Something with a baking theme, maybe? Or would he feel like that was putting him into a box?”

“That was my first thought too, but he likes to buy all of his pans and things himself. He’s so particular about what’s good quality, you know. I don’t think getting him some kind of cutesy baking-themed thing would be right, do you? I mean, I can’t get him oven mitts with little smiling pieces of toast all over them—although I did see those online and I thought they were just adorable. But Shep isn’t silly like we are anyway. And besides, I’m sure oven mitts are on his list of things he cares about buying quality versions of.”

“Well, what about something else he likes? Baking isn’t his whole life, right? Doesn’t he like reading?”

Elaine wrinkled her nose. “He told me once that he likes to read on his Kindle and the library app has all the books he could ever want or need. I don’t think buying him a book would be the right move—besides, sweet romances and cozy mysteries aren’t really his thing, and I never read anything else besides the classics. Last I looked at his bookshelf, it seemed like he owned most of those already. So it wouldn’t make sense for me to buy him a book because I can’t remember what he already owns, and all of the newer books that I’m familiar with he probably wouldn’t like.”

Audrey did her best to hide a smile as she listened to Elaine. Her mother was chattering on like a smitten teenager, gushing about all of her concerns.

She sounds like a teenager overthinking the first gift she’s ever going to give her boyfriend, Audrey thought with an internal chuckle. Like it’s the most important thing in the world and it could define their relationship.

“I’m sure he’ll love whatever you get him, Mom,” Audrey said with a smile.

“Well, I want him to actually like it.” Elaine sighed. “You know? I don’t want him to just be glad I got him something, I want his gift to be something he’ll truly be excited about. He’s given me such thoughtful presents, and I want to be able to do the same for him, especially at Christmas. But I don’t know what to get him.”

“You’ll figure it out, Mom, don’t worry.” Audrey squeezed Elaine’s shoulder, reflecting that she was glad that Shep had brought so much additional excitement and depth into her mother’s life. “Shep cares about you. I think it’s sweet you want to get him a great gift, and I’m sure you will. But it’s not something to stress over.”

Elaine smiled and sighed before sipping her coffee. “You’re right. I just feel so… hyper about it.”

Audrey laughed. She understood how love could do that to a person. She’d certainly experienced her fair share of love-struck jitters when it came to her boyfriend, Evan McBride.