I hadn’t intended on going to Florida when I began my road trip. In fact I’d thought Georgia sounded nice. But I came to a fork where the highway split, one way taking me to the east and the other taking me to the south, and so went right and headed south. I drove all along the Florida panhandle waiting for a town that just ‘felt right’. When I drove in to a town called Seagrove Beach, I decided to stop—I mean who wouldn’t want to live in a place named Seagrove Beach? As I pulled into the little seaside town, I saw it had a handful of little tourist shops and not a single stop light. A cute café sat directly off the beach so I decided to pull in and get some lunch. I sat down at a table with an umbrella to shade me from the sun, and my waiter came and took my drink order. After ordering an iced tea with lemon, I sat back and looked out at the water. A girl could get lost out in those waves. Perfect! This place was going to be perfect.
“Ma’am, have you decided what you’d like to eat?” The cute, young waiter asked, setting down my tea.
“Can I ask you a question?”
He took up straight and grinned. He was cute, in a young school boy way. Tall, tanned skin, light hazel eyes, and short brown hair, but definitely still a kid.
“Ask away!” He said.
“Do you know where I could find a rental house around here?” I inquired.
“Actually, there’s a bulletin board inside that you can take a look at. The local people pin all of their ads on it. But if you are looking for something a little bit out from town, I know someone that just finished a remodel of a nice two bedroom right on the beach.”
This kid was going to be more help than I could have wished for.
“That sounds great! Do you have their contact number?”
He went back inside the café to put my order in, and came back out with a piece of paper with a number and the name Reece on it. The waiter flirted a bit longer, which I found flattering considering I was probably ten years older than he was, before I got up; leaving him a very large tip. Getting back in my car, I pulled out the paper with the number and hit send on my phone. It rang three times before I man answered. I don’t know why but I’d assumed the name Reece was a girl’s name, so I was a bit shocked to hear a deep voice on the other end.
“Oh, um yes, I’m calling because I was given your number. I’m looking for a place to rent and I was told you might have something on the beach?” This was a first for me. I’d never had to make any calls to find a place to live.
The voice cleared his throat, “Yes actually, I do. I have a little house that just became available. I’m asking a bit more for it because I just did a bunch of work. I would normally place it as a weekly vacation rental, but if you want it for longer than a few weeks, we could work out a price.”
When I’d started this trip, I made the decision to take advantage of my divorce money. Harper had been right. It wasn’t ‘blood money’, it was money that I deserved. Money that—no matter how I obtained it—was still mine. It wasn’t going to be doing me any favors sitting in a bank account accumulating interest, so I decided that I would use it to get my life back on track. West owed me that, since he took so much from me. I had enough to ensure that if I never wanted to work again, I wouldn’t have too.
“The price shouldn’t be an issue. Do you mind if I come take a look?” I asked.
“Feel free. When do you need it?” Reece asked.
“Well, if everything goes well and I like it, would I be able to have it this evening? I just came into town and I don’t have a place to stay yet.”
“I thought that’s what you were going to say. It’s fully furnished and ready to go, so I don’t see that being a problem.”
“Perfect!” I was smiling.
Reece said he was free right then and gave me the address. Putting it in the GPS I made my way out to the little home. Although, that wouldn’t exactly be accurate. The instant I pulled in to the long winding driveway, I fell in love. I never thought I’d find willow trees in Florida, but here they were, lining the drive up to the house; their branches sagging down towards the ground. They were my favorite trees. If trees could look peaceful, then this is what they would look like. As I drove through the weeping branches that shaded the gravel road, I saw a house up ahead that was shingled in a light blue color. It screamed ‘beach house’. I got out of the car and looked at the house, which could more accurately be described as a cottage. There was a wraparound porch that had a small stair case leading up to the front door. Wicker chairs had been strategically placed all the way around the porch so whoever vacationed here could sit outside under the shaded roof and read a book, have their morning coffee, or just sit and watch the ocean.
Just then a gentleman came out of the front screened porch with a wide, welcoming smile. He approached me with his hand extended.
“Emilyn I assume?”
I took a hold of his offered hand. “Yes, you must be Reece.” I smiled just as big as he was.
I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but Reece was an older man with white hair and crystal clear blue eyes. He wasn’t much taller than me, but his smile and gentle handshake made me feel at ease.
He gestured toward the house. “Go ahead and take a look around. I don’t mean to be rude, but I have some phone calls to make. I’ll be right outside if you have any questions.”
I nodded and made my way up the stairs. The salty air felt good in my lungs. It was fresh and invigorating. Walking through the screen door, I was greeted by an open living area. It was large and airy. Rattan furniture with tropical colors furnished the living room. My eyes darted around and took in the space. The only thing I couldn’t see was a television, which was fine because I didn’t want to waste my time on TV. Off to the left was a semi-large kitchen that was open to the living room, making the space look even bigger. Tile floor lead the way down a hall off to the right. Three separate doors at the end indicated the two bedrooms and probably a bathroom. I didn’t bother going in to look; I didn’t need to because I was already in love with the house. What I really wanted to see was what was through the sliding glass door leading to the deck and the beach. When I got outside I stood on the seafoam green decking and looked out over the beach. I didn’t have a neighbor in sight. I swear you could see for miles on either side. It would just be me out here, which was just what I needed. Deciding to give Reece whatever he was asking for the place, I made my way back outside and found him on the phone, leaning against his car. When he saw me approach he ended his call and asked me what I thought.
“I love it! You’ve done a great job on it! How much?”
“I’m glad you like it. I’m asking fifteen hundred a month and we can do a month to month lease if you need it.”
I nodded and he took out all the papers that I needed to sign. When all was done and taken care of, I thanked him and he told me where I could find a grocery store in town. Walking back out on the back porch I slipped off my shoes and decided to go for a walk on the beach. Stepping on to on the soft white sand, I took a deep breath in and let it out, releasing the tension that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I made it out to the edge of the water and a wave came up over the top of my feet. It was like lukewarm bath water. I stood there taking in my surroundings. It was quiet except for the water washing in and then receding back out. My feet were slowly getting covered in sand with every wave that hit them. I could easily lose myself out here in this scenery. The water was a beautiful transparent aqua blue. The heat of the sun beat down on my face and shoulders and saturated my skin. Pulling my feet out of the sand, I turned back towards the house and figured I’d probably better go back into town and get some food for the next few days. It was time to learn how to cook meals for one. That thought made me sad but I pushed it away, telling myself that this would be good for me. I needed to call my parents and Harper and let them know where I was so they didn’t worry any longer than I was sure they already had.