Chapter 5
Chloe
As I pull onto the street, my hands tremble. Super Woman must have jumped into my body. That’s the only reason that I can fathom my ability to run from Bronson Campbell. That man is way too handsome with his perfectly tailored suit and amazing hair. Don’t even get me started on his blinding smile. The sound of my phone ringing makes me jump.
Seeing Brittany’s name appear, I press the answer button on my steering wheel. “Hello?”
“Chloe, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you should leave without us honoring your Mountain View crush, but I never thought Bronson would actually appear—”
I jump in, hearing the distress in Brittany’s voice. “Don’t. Don’t worry about it. Honestly, you did me a favor. Without the whole embarrassment factor, I wouldn’t have had the strength to walk away from that man.”
“Well, I actually learned something interesting. Bronson knows—”
I cut her off again. I could still turn this car around with the allure of some swoony Bronson fact. It’s a chance I can’t take. “Brittany, I have to go. Thanks for everything.”
I click end before she can reply. Mountain View Press, editing, Bronson Campbell…they are all things in my past. Sunshine Shores, blazing my own trail—that’s my future.
As I step outside the Orlando airport, I feel the suffocating, wet heat envelope me. I’m a Denver girl, born and raised. We never had enough money to go on vacations growing up, but, since working for MVP, I have gone on a few business trips. Twice to New York and one time to Los Angeles. Neither of the trips prepared me for this sweltering humidity.
I raise a hand to my hair, my poor, droopy, frizzy hair. In an attempt to fluff it, I give it a little poof, but it”s no use. My bangs are plastered to my forehead, so I swipe them to the side. This is not how I wanted Aunt Val to see me for the first time in three years. I mean, we’ve FaceTimed recently, but I still wanted to make a good impression. You know, show her that the niece she’s letting live with her isn’t a complete slob.
I consider taking off my navy jacket, but all I have underneath is a white tank top. I’ve never been a tank top person. Exposing my shoulders feels risqué. I know it sounds stupid, but I feel safer when I’m more covered up. I guess you could say jackets are my safety blanket…as are pants. I intentionally don’t look down at my khaki-flared ankle pants. I’m positive they are sweat stained. This is humiliating. And don’t even get me started on my high-heels. I have to shuffle to the curb just to keep them from slipping off my feet.
Squinting against the sun, I see a white, compact car slowly pulling up next to me.
It’s Aunt Val. As she gets out, I can see she’s dressed in a white sundress with flip flops. She’s practically radiating light.
“Hello sweetheart!” Her arms are outstretched, but I put my hand up to stop her.
“Hi Aunt Val. I’m sweating through every layer. I wouldn’t—” but it’s too late.
Aunt Val embraces me tightly. “I’m so glad you’re here. You look great! Like you stepped right out of a business meeting.”
I’m too self-conscious to enjoy her hug. I can’t imagine that I smell pleasant. I definitely don’t have the energy to tell her that these are my everyday clothes. “Thanks Aunt Val. You look…incredible. Florida life suits you.”
She put one hand on her hip. “It really does.”
I slide my suitcase in the trunk and open the passenger door. After buckling, she smiles over at me. There’s a light, easy joy emanating from her. I wish I had that. My vibe is more stiff and anxious. More anxious than usual lately while I’ve been anticipating this gigantic life change from a safe and comfortable present to an unknown future.
A fresh wave of panic hits me. What have I done? My breathing speed increases, and my chest feels tight. I close my eyes, trying to remember the relaxation techniques I’ve been researching the last two weeks.
“Are you okay sweetheart?”
“Mhmm.” I say, exhaling. “Just been feeling nervous about the move.”
I feel a hand pat my knee. “You did make a big change, but I think you’re going to love it here. And remember, you can always get another editing job if you want. This is just a stop on your journey.”
I take another deep breath. My aunt’s confidence is soothing. Opening my eyes, I look over at her. “How do you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Move so often. And not just from different states, but different countries too…and change jobs.”
“Oh I like adventure and learning new things. Taking on new challenges makes me feel alive. Or…maybe I just get bored easily.” My aunt flashes her sweet grin towards me.
For the first time, I really take her in. She reminds me of Diane Keaton with her light hair and effortless chic style.
“I hope your adventurous spirit rubs off on me.”
“Oh I don’t think your parents would be too happy about that.” Aunt Val smiles to herself as she keeps her eyes on the road.
“Too late. They’re well into the five stages of grief over me leaving my financially secure career. In fact, I think they’ve gone through all five and have landed back in denial permanently.”
“I understand their concern. They worked hard to provide over the years. Plus, you’re the baby of the family…but they also have to come to terms with the fact that you’re an adult now. You’ve always been so focused on your education and then your career. It makes sense that you’d snap and want to see what else is in the world.”
I nod along to Aunt Val’s words. Is she right? Did I snap?
I must have dozed off because I jump when Aunt Val says, “Welcome home!”
I blink my eyes to make sure I’m not dreaming. As my vision clears, my mouth drops open. “This is your cottage?” I am staring at a four-story, light blue beach house.
Aunt Val nods proudly. The few times we FaceTimed she was in her favorite reading chair, so I never saw the house in all its grandeur. She told me that her job was managing Airbnb rentals for a family, and that one of the perks was living in their vacation home for the summer. But, she failed to mention she was working for the likes of Jeff Bezos.
“So you like it?”
I blow out a laugh. “I mean, I haven’t seen the inside, but I think it’ll work.”
As I open the car door, I hear Aunt Val’s phone ring. She answers it as I grab my suitcase from the trunk.
I hear her say, “I’ll be there in ten minutes,” and then she hangs up. “Oh Chloe, I wish I could help you get settled in, but I have to run. Apparently, there’s an American oystercatcher with a possible broken wing down by the fishing pier.” She steps up to the door and unlocks it. “Your room is up the stairs to the left.”
As I walk inside, my eye immediately goes to the windows that have a gorgeous ocean view. After a moment, I peel my gaze away and scan the decadent interior. It’s basically an upscale beach hotel. “You really under sold this place. It’s not a cottage, it’s a mansion!”
She smiles. “I’ve found it to be a very nice place to live. I hope you will too.” After a brief pause, she says, “Sorry to run, but nature calls.”
My mind feels frozen, but I register that she isn’t using that phrase how I usually hear it. I robotically reply, “Okay, thanks so much…for everything.” She turns to exit when my brain finally catches up to her reason for leaving. “Wait, you help birds?”
“Well, not by myself. I’m on the rescue team for the Sunshine Shores Seabird Sanctuary.”
“Wow, that’s a mouthful. And very…benevolent of you. Is there anything you can’t do?”
She slides her straw tote up her forearm and then winks at me as she reaches for the door. “I’m sure there is, but I haven’t found it yet.”
After the door clicks shut, I stand in stunned silence. Slowly, I begin to rotate in a circle to take in my surroundings. There’s a beautiful open kitchen with white cabinets and a grand island. Marble countertops spill over the flat surface. Next, there is a cozy, living space. Beyond that is a large rectangle pool, which I can see through the sliding glass doors. The beach sand comes up to the pool fence and stretches out to the teal sea.
My senses feel overwhelmed, and when that happens, I turn to accomplishing tasks. It’s the best medicine for an anxious mind I’ve found.
I grab my rather large suitcase and attempt to pull it up the stairs. I make it about three steps when my arms start burning. I really should work out more. As I attempt to catch my breath, my eyes travel to the backyard and land on a hammock between two palm trees. It’s swaying slowly in the breeze, calling to me.
Without thinking, I slip off my high-heels and give a little squeal as I make my way to the hammock. I have always wanted to lay in one. It seems so idyllic and peaceful, the perfect way to start my new life in Sunshine Shores.
After awkwardly navigating myself into the cocoon of fabric, I take a deep breath. This is just as amazing as I imagined it would be. It’s like floating on a cloud. Closing my eyes, I let myself finally relax.
A minute later, my Zen moment is interrupted by what sounds like a splash. What in the world? I gingerly peer out of the hammock and glimpse a dark figure underneath the water.
My heart starts racing as panic sets it. I slip my phone out of my pocket and hit Aunt Val’s name.
“Hello, dear.” Her voice is muffled by the ocean waves and wind in the background.
“Someone is swimming in the pool. What should I do?”
“Of course you can swim in the pool. That’s totally fine. Make yourself at home.”
“No, I don’t want to swim.” I peek out again and see the mystery person doing what I think is the front stroke.
Holding the phone as close to my mouth as possible, I whisper, “Someone. Is in. Your pool.”
“Oh, it’s probably Leo.”
“Who’s Leo?”
At that moment, shouts erupt through the phone. “We spotted the bird! Sorry sweetheart, gotta go.”
The line goes quiet. What do I do now? Someone, possibly Leo, who Aunt Val did not elaborate on how she knows, is swimming in her pool.
I guess I’ll just have to stay hidden in this hammock until he’s done with his swim because there’s no way to leave without making this completely awkward. Besides, I still don’t know if it’s Leo the serial killer or Leo the neighbor.
I try to settle my racing heart by closing my eyes.
Why can’t anything ever be easy? I just wanted a quiet escape to a sleepy beach town, and here I am in hammock purgatory. I guess there’s worse places to be. Taking a deep breath, I remember what I read about mindfulness. Being mindful means being fully present in the moment. I smell the salty air and feel the cool breeze on my face. I could take a lovely nap right here.
As my tension eases, something begins tickling my arm. I’m about to brush away the sensation when I open my eyes and find a small creature perched. “Lizard!” A shriek escapes my mouth as I try to extract myself from the hammock that suddenly seems more like a straight jacket.
After an intense wrestling match, I tumble onto the ground. It feels like there are a million creepy crawlies all over me. Swatting at my hair and my legs and my arms, I book it toward the house. As I take my third step, I feel water glide across the bottom of my foot. The next thing I know, I’m lying on the hard cement and my lungs are screaming for air. After a few moments of panic, I feel the sweet relief of oxygen filling my chest.
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh,” is all I can manage. My backside is throbbing and my head is spinning.
The sun is bright as I open my eyes. A figure appears in my line of sight, and my brain immediately jumps to Bronson.
“Can you sit up?”
A giggle comes out of my mouth. It’s an out of body experience, like I’m seeing everything happen from above. Hologram Bronson reaches down and props me up so I’m sitting. It feels impossible to stay upright, and the man reaches down to keep me from falling backward.
“Here, let’s get you into a chair.” I feel strong arms guide me. I always thought Bronson looked like he had muscles under those perfectly fitted suits, but this Bronson is even more strapping than I had imagined—which is impressive. I squeeze my eyes shut and count to ten, willing my brain to wake up.
When I open my eyes, I see a male figure walking toward me with a glass of water. As he slides open the glass door, I blink repeatedly. The guy comes into focus. He’s tall like Bronson, but his hair is darker and much longer. He’s calling me by my actual name, not Carly. A choir might as well be breaking out in the “Hallelujah Chorus” because those lips saying Chloe sound angelic.