Page 107 of Here & Now

They returned to the entranceway, and Justine paused. “I really appreciate you showing me around.”

“No problem,” Bree said, though suddenly it felt like a huge problem.

“When do you think you’ll be ready to list it?”

Justine was just doing her job, but Bree hadn’t hired her—yet. “Um…”

“I can see that you’ve been clearing things out, and I know that’s not an easy task.”

She has no idea.

“It looks good enough that I think we could list it this weekend.”

“This weekend?” Bree was supposed to spend the weekend with Zane, and she doubted this was what he had in mind.

“I have a few more things to take care of first.”

In a softer voice, Justine said, “I understand. I’ll give you my card, and you can call me when you’re ready.”

Just because I take her card, it doesn’t mean I have to sell the house. “Okay.”

Justine took out a card again and handed it to her. Bree didn’t bother looking at it; she simply slipped it into her shorts pocket.

“Have a nice day, and I hope to hear from you soon,” Justine said.

After she left, Bree went into the kitchen, poured herself a tall glass of water, and slumped down at the table with it.

If timing was everything, her timing was all wrong. She’d come to Sanibel to sell her grandparents’ home, not fall in love with it and want to stay. If she’d met with Justine first, the cottage would have already been listed and possibly sold by now.

She hadn’t just fallen in love with this place, though. There was another reason she was loath to leave. Despite her best efforts, she’d fallen in love with Zane too, and the thought of leaving him tore her apart.

“What am I going to do?” she lamented to the outdated yet charming kitchen.

She glanced at the vintage clock on the wall and saw it was just after three. Zane would still be at work for a couple of hours, and she wasn’t ready to give voice to her feelings yet anyway. Aside from teasing her about making dinner, they hadn’t made definite plans for tonight, so she had some free time.

Instead of sitting there and ruminating, she thought a walk on the beach would do her good. She went into the bedroom and changed into a bathing suit and cover-up. Then she went into the bathroom, put her hair in a ponytail, and slathered on some sunscreen. If I live here, I’ll have to do this all the time.

She gathered her purse, keys, and a tote bag with a beach towel and more sunscreen, slipped on some flip-flops, and went out the door. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of Bowman’s Beach.

Before she got out, she opened her purse to get her phone in case she wanted to take pictures, but it wasn’t there. She rummaged in the tote bag, thinking she might have dropped it in there instead, but no such luck. She thought back to when she’d last seen it and decided she must have left it in the bedroom when she’d changed.

Oh well. If I miss a call, it’s not the end of the world. She set off down the sandy path to the beach, determined to cast her worries aside at least for a little while. When the vast expanse of ocean came into view, she felt some of her tension drain away.

This place held a lot of memories for her, first with her grandparents and now with Zane. It was hard to imagine leaving it all behind. Sure, she could come back and visit, but it wasn’t like she could hop in her car and be here in a few hours. It would require advance planning and extra money for plane flights. The prospect seemed daunting.

On the other hand, she’d lived in Michigan all her life and had roots there. Family, friends, an apartment, her job, her dentist, doctor, and ohmigod…her hairstylist! Nobody knew her hair like Ashley did. You’re being ridiculous! There had to be hairstylists on the island who were just as talented as hers. Besides, given the climate, she wore her hair in a ponytail most of the time, anyway.

She continued meandering down the beach with no destination in mind, veering around shell collectors, swimmers, and sunbathers. The white sand glistened in the sun, waves lapped against the shore, and gulls floated on the breeze. In a word, it was peaceful, something she appreciated now more than ever. The peacefulness must have drawn her grandparents here in the first place and kept them here all those years. She wanted this and perhaps even needed it too, not just to stay connected to them but for herself.

She wandered a little further down the beach until she came to a spot that seemed familiar. This might have been where she’d sat with Zane when she’d interviewed him. She took the towel out of her tote bag and spread it on the sand. Then she toed off her flip-flops, sat down, and looked out to sea.

She allowed her thoughts to roam, and without a phone or watch, she lost track of time. She’d never put much stock in fate before, but she did now. If she hadn’t come here to close out her grandparents’ estate, she never would have met Zane.

Even though their relationship was still new, it felt promising, like the start of something wonderful, something that might change her life forever. How could she walk away from that?

As she sat there, with the warm breeze tickling her skin and the tide rolling in and out, she decided she couldn’t leave, not just because of him but for herself. Returning to Michigan might be the safe thing to do, but that didn’t mean it was the best choice for her. If she’d learned anything from her grandparents, it was to choose happiness every day for as long as she lived. It was a lesson she took to heart.

Feeling empowered and more confident than she had in a long time, she whipped off her cover-up and strolled down to the water’s edge, unconcerned about who might be looking at her in a bikini. If I’m going to live here, I might as well get used to it!

As she trudged into the cool, salty water, the weight of it further solidified her decision. She waded out until she was immersed to her neck, and then she lay back with arms outstretched and floated for a while, letting the swells cradle her. Life is just like this, a combination of letting go and trusting that everything will be alright.

Soon after, she waded back to shore and sat on the towel. She’d forgotten to bring a second towel to dry off with, but the sun would dry her in no time. In her newfound state of contentment, she lay back on the towel and closed her eyes, giving in to her exhaustion. After all, making life-altering decisions was rather tiring.

If only she’d reapplied sunscreen before falling asleep…