Page 15 of Coastal Reflections

Clark’s expression became sardonic. “You seem like you’re trying to hide it, but it’s clear to me that this new little attempt at creating a life for yourself is falling apart. A leaky pipe just after you’ve opened the place? That couldn’t have gone over well with anyone.”

Audrey remembered the face of a grumpy guest who had been very displeased when he’d been told they had to shut the water off during the repairs and she swallowed.

Ignore him, she told herself firmly. He’s just trying to bother you as part of a power play. Don’t let it get to you.

Although she tried not to take the comment to heart, it still hurt. She hated the idea of Clark stomping back into her life and knocking down her self-respect as if it was a sandcastle he’d decided she had no business making.

“But anyway, I’m not here to rent a room,” Clark continued. “I wouldn’t anyway, even if you had one available, not in a place like this.”

He’s acting mean, Audrey thought. He was always like this during our worst fights—being nasty on purpose. I think it means he’s scared or hurting, but that’s no excuse for how he’s treating me right now. After all he’s done, to swoop in here without an apology and then to be rude on top of it!

“I’m here on business,” Clark continued.

“What kind of business?” Audrey blinked at him. Their divorce was finalized. Their house was gone, since he’d stopped paying the mortgage long before he ran off. He couldn’t very well try to fight for custody of Michelle because she was a grown woman.

“That.” Clark caught sight of the grandfather clock, which was resting in the front entryway. “The grandfather clock.”

“What?” Audrey gaped at him. The clock had started countless conversations with guests, and it was one of the best antiques at the hotel. It was also the only piece of furniture that Audrey had taken from her old home with Clark, and she’d done it because she’d known she had every right to—the clock had belonged to her grandmother.

“I want the clock.”

Shock pulsed through Audrey. She could hardly believe that any of this was happening. “You have no right to that clock,” she told him.

Clark shook his head. “I think you’ll find that I do,” he told her. “Either we can come to an amicable agreement, or I can choose legal action. It’s your choice.”

Audrey simply stared at him, feeling stunned.

Clark shrugged and glanced at his watch. “I’d better get back to the car. Molly is waiting for me. I don’t want to leave her stranded in there for too long.”

Audrey felt sick to her stomach. She watched Clark leave the hotel, nausea buzzing in her gut. The fact that he’d brought his young girlfriend whom he’d left her for all the way to Coral Sands with him was like the final and most painful blow.

Audrey stared at the closed door for a few heartbeats and then turned around and started to ascend the staircase. She’d forgotten all about dinner. She made a beeline for her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

CHAPTER NINE

Michelle stepped into the tiger lily room, observing the handymen with interest. The two men were squeezed into the closet, talking in low voices and using terms she didn’t understand. She heard “welding” and “drywall”, and those she understood, so she gathered they were figuring out how to finish up the repairs on the leaky pipe.

“How’s it going?” Michelle asked, smiling pleasantly.

The men turned around and blinked at her for a second before returning her smile. The older man, the one who they’d officially hired through Evan, was smiling in a genuine way, but the other one looked a little wary. He was young and skinny, and she had a feeling he was worried she was just there to check up on them and fuss about what they were doing.

“Pretty good here, Michelle,” the older man, whose name was Frank, said. He nodded slowly, a gesture that reminded her of her few memories of her grandfather. “We need to do a tiny bit more welding on this pipe, just to make sure the leak is good and fixed, and then we’re going to start the work on the drywall. Once that’s had enough time to sit, we’re going to sand this whole wall and redo the paint.”

“Sounds perfect. And don’t bother with the paint, actually—I was thinking it would be fun to paint the inside of the closet a bright orange, to match the theme of the room, so we can do that ourselves.”

“Orange walls, huh? I like it,” Frank said with a chuckle.

His assistant made a scoffing noise, implying that he didn’t, and Frank gave him a harmless punch in the shoulder to shush him.

Michelle hid a smile. These two could have started their own comedy routine as far as she was concerned. “I want to find a silver lining in all this, you know,” she said. “Get something good out of it.”

“Mmhmm.” Frank nodded. “It’s hard when things go wrong.”

Michelle nodded, and she swallowed as she thought of her mother. Audrey was acting very strange—she’d invited Evan to dinner the night before, but then not come down from her room, texting all of them to say that she had a migraine. The lasagna that she’d made would have been burnt to a crisp if Elaine hadn’t happened to come inside, smell it, and rescue it. It had been a little too brown on top, but still delicious—however, Michelle had been unable to enjoy her meal fully because she’d been worried about her mother. Elaine and Evan had been quiet too, and she’d had a feeling they were worried also. It wasn’t like Audrey to disappear without a real explanation. Headaches weren’t usually enough to keep Audrey from explaining herself in person.

Pushing her concerns about her mother to the side for the moment, Michelle returned her attention to the two repair men.

“We’ve got plenty of coffee and pastries in the lobby downstairs,” she told them. “Feel free to help yourselves. Sounds like you’ve got some tiring work on your plates today.”