Page 51 of The Birchwood House

“It’s an old truck.” Theo shrugged. “But the old ones are the best ones.” He patted the dashboard of his truck lovingly. “She’s a beautiful old girl.”

Michelle, charmed by the way he was being so affectionate toward his truck but not wanting it to show on her face, wrinkled her nose. “You’re weird.”

Gosh, I’m acting like I’m in elementary school again,she thought with an internal groan.Why on earth does he make me so jittery? I feel like there’s a swarm of bees in my body right now.

“Thanks,” Theo said serenely, as if it had been simply a compliment. “Did you enjoy the party the other night?”

She was surprised by how quickly he switched into a real conversation. His tone had shifted from a teasing one to a sincere one in a matter of seconds.

“Uh, fine,” she said warily. “I mean, it was fun.” She watched him with narrowed eyes, wondering when the punchline was coming. He was still going to keep poking her verbally, right? Why was he acting nice all of a sudden?

“I had a great time,” he said. “I noticed you didn’t come over to talk to me.”

“Yeah, that’s because I wanted to enjoy my evening,” she teased with a laugh.

To her surprise, they looked at each other and exchanged a grin. She thought about scowling at him for a second, but the impulse was gone a moment later.

After all, we’re not kids anymore,she thought.I don’t have to constantly act like I don’t like him. I can like him. Well, I can tolerate him politely anyway.

“It must feel exciting, opening up a hotel like that,” he said, turning his truck carefully around a corner. “I know Elaine loves the idea of more people coming into the house. I think she’s really been lonely, living there by herself. I was really happy when I heard that you and your mom had moved in. I think that means a lot to Elaine.”

Michelle was touched by how thoughtfully he was speaking of her grandmother. It was clear that he cared about Elaine, and Michelle found herself drawn to the sweet way he spoke about her.

“I think it does too,” she said softly. “I’m really glad that we’re able to be there for her. And moving back here has been amazing for Mom and me too—it’s not just Grandma. The situation is a win-win-win for everyone.”

“And it’s a win for Coral Sands,” Theo said. Michelle waited for him to crack a snarky joke, but it never came. “I think havinga hotel and historical house combined will be great for our tourist industry.”

“That’s what we’re hoping,” Michelle said, feeling a surge of excitement as she started to talk about their endeavor. “We wanted to turn the mansion into a historical site first, since it’s one of the oldest buildings in town, but then we got the idea to turn it into a hotel too.” She began to speak rapidly, getting carried away by her eagerness. “Honestly, my mom and Grandma have just been amazing. They have all these great ideas, and we’re so good at working together to put it all into play. We collected all kinds of antiques around the house and cleaned them off—I mean dusted them, things like that. It’s not like any of them were actually dirty. Anyway, then we decided where we wanted to put all of them. It’s so much fun making the mansion into a kind of museum as well as the hotel. It kind of matters where we display things, since we want to put the best antiques in the main rooms where everyone can go, but each of the rooms where people can stay have some cool antiques in them as well.”

She took a deep breath, her eyes shining as she thought about their plans and her hopes for the future of Birchwood House. “I guess I’m just so proud of my family. I’m proud of our history, and I’m even more proud of what we’re working together to do now.”

She looked at Theo, and saw that he was sitting quietly, watching her with a smile on his face. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that he’d been giving her his undivided attention. The look of interest in his eyes made her feel special, and she cleared her throat.

“Oh gosh, we’re here.” She laughed breathlessly, looking outside the windows of the truck. “I got so excited about the Birchwood House that I didn’t even notice that we’re parked right in front of it.”

“You got very excited,” he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Michelle wrinkled her nose at him, her old defenses back in a moment. “Are you going to tease me about getting excited now?” she asked, her tone a touch haughty. “I suppose you think it’s unreasonable for me to be getting this excited about a silly hotel.”

Theo shook his head, smiling at her. “I’m not going to tease you about this,” he said earnestly. “I admire the venture that you and Elaine and your mom are undertaking. I think you’re all very smart and capable, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for all of you.”

Michelle blinked at him, wondering if she was imagining the somewhat tender look that had come over his face. She watched with surprise as he plucked one of the roses from the bouquet—a pink one. She was about to scold him for doing it, but her words died on her lips as he tucked the flower gently behind her ear.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

“For what?” she stammered.

“For the car ride.” He grinned.

“Oh. Yeah. Thanks.” She lifted her hand to her ear and felt the rose. It was smooth and soft to the touch, almost like velvet. Her skin buzzed as if she’d been touched by something so delicate it was almost other-worldly.

“And congratulations again,” he told her. “I mean about the hotel. You should be very proud of yourselves.”

“Thanks,” she said. She shifted the bag on her lap and reached for the door handle, opening the passenger side door. “I guess I’d better be going.” She felt flustered and nearly dropped her bag as she was hopping out of the truck.

“Do you want me to carry this to the door for you?” Theo asked, lifting up the bag that he’d placed in the back seat.

“No, I’ve got it, thanks.” She took the bag from him, balancing it carefully in the crook of her free arm. “Thanks again for the ride.”