Chapter 8
Today is the day we get our new home, and I’ve been so excited about it that I barely slept. My mind hasn’t been able to settle, too full of anticipation, nerves, and restless excitement, I can’t shut off.
I woke up extra early, took Neptune on a long walk while the town was still quiet and half-asleep, and came back buzzing with energy I didn’t know what to do with. By the time the sun was fully up, my bags were packed and waiting by the door.
The Otter Rock Hotel has been wonderful, but I’m ready for a bed I can call my own and a kitchen that doesn’t involve sandwiches and takeout containers. I’m ready to feel settled. Planted. I want to belong somewhere again.
Work goes by in a blur, either because it’s an easy day or because I’m floating through it.
I’m not entirely sure which. As soon as I clock out, I’m moving on pure adrenaline, skipping to my truck, driving straight back to the hotel, and stuffing my bags and Neptune’s bed into the back.
At the front desk, I turn in my keys, hug Mark like I’ve lived there for years instead of days, promise to bring Neptune back to visit, and then we’re officially on our way.
From the hotel, the drive to our new neighborhood is barely ten minutes, but it feels like a transition into something new.
We’re on the south end of Depoe Bay, where the homes have a very classic Pacific Northwest coastal charm—with soft beach colors, cedar siding, wide porches, big windows, wraparound decks, and greenery everywhere.
Tall trees line the streets, thick shrubs and ferns fill the yards, and moss climbs the trunks.
Through the spaces between the houses, I can see the ocean stretching far out, blue and endless, framed by rooftops, trees, and sky.
“We’re here,” I tell Neptune with a smile.
He’s panting, tongue out, tail thumping the seat like he understands every word.
When I turn into the driveway, I sit still for a moment.
The house is even better than the pictures.
Built in a classic eighties coastal style, lifted on supports, with a wide wraparound deck that circles the entire upper level, and big windows that make it feel open and bright.
It looks sturdy and airy at the same time, like it was built to last and built to breathe.
I press the garage door opener and drive the truck in, deciding we’re exploring first and unpacking later.
The door from the garage opens straight into the kitchen, and Neptune follows immediately, eager and alert, already claiming the space as his own.
The kitchen is a little outdated, just like the listing photos showed—older cabinets, classic counters, nothing fancy—but it’s clean, functional, and bright.
It opens into a massive living room, and I stop in my tracks when I see the windows stretching across the back wall, floor-to-ceiling glass facing the Pacific Ocean, light pouring in from every direction, blue water and open sky filling the space.
For a moment, I stand there, trying to process that this view is real, that this house is real, that this is my life now.
I walk to the back door and open it, and Neptune bolts into the yard like a kid released onto a playground, sprinting in circles, ears flapping, joy pouring out of him in every direction.
Laughing, I pull my phone from my back pocket and record him running, the ocean stretching behind him like a postcard backdrop, then send the video to my sisters with a simple message.
Me:
Home sweet home.
Almost immediately, my phone starts ringing.
I answer the video call, and both April’s and June’s faces fill the screen at the same time.
“Oh my God.” June gasps immediately. “Look at that smile.”
April lets out a full-on scream of joy, and when I catch my own reflection on the screen, I see it too—a huge, uncontrollable grin stretched across my face.
“This place is unreal.” I flip the camera around, pointing it toward the backyard, the open space, the ocean stretching out behind it like a piece of art.
“Oh my God!” they both squeal at the same time, and I can’t help but giggle.
Neptune hears the chaos and comes running toward me, which immediately sets them off again.
“Neppy!” June shouts. “You look so happy!”
“Oh my God, he’s so fucking cute!” April screams, and I laugh as Neptune stares up at the phone, clearly confused but fully enjoying the attention, his tongue lolling to the side of his face.
“Show us everything!” April demands.
I slowly turn the phone, showing them the rest of the yard, the open space, the way the ocean sits so close it feels like part of the house.
“Oh my God, look at all those windows,” June moans. “Stop it. I’m quitting my job. I’m coming over right now.”
“Seriously,” April adds, “I’m booking my flight. There’s no way around it. What the fuck.”
“I literally just got here.” I laugh between giggles. “I haven’t even seen most of it. Let’s do a tour.”
I walk them around the yard, show them the proximity to the ocean, and when they start asking about fences—because Neptune—I walk the perimeter and discover there’s a full fence running along the edge of the property near the cliff.
We make our way back inside, and as soon as I open the door, Neptune trots in and sprawls out in front of the windows.
“I guess that’s where his bed’s going,” I tell them, and they both laugh.
We wander through the downstairs together, opening cabinets, poking into corners, testing the worn but big leather couch. When I open one of the cabinets and find the weird built-in compartment, April immediately jumps in.
“That’s for bread storage,” she explains confidently.
I blink. “We really do learn something new every day.”
Upstairs, the oohs and aahs continue, even though there isn’t much to see. Only one bedroom is furnished, and of course, it’s the one with the biggest windows and a king-size bed.
I sit on the bed and prop my phone up as we keep talking.
“Well, I’m definitely coming over.” June grins. “That couch downstairs looks comfortable enough.”
“Get in line,” April fires back. “I claim the couch first.”
“Over my cold, dead body.”
“Wow. Morbid.” I laugh.
They both laugh too.
“So…” April’s tone shifts, and I catch it immediately. “How are the boyfriends?”
I sigh. “I don’t have any boyfriends.”
“Are you still going to dinner with Finn the seaman?” June asks, giggling.
“He’s not really a seaman.” I try not to smile. “He’s a rescue swimmer.”
“I know.” June rolls her eyes. “Seaman is just way more fun to say.”
We all laugh, because honestly, we’re just girls.
“So are you going to dinner or what?” April presses.
“Yeah.” That’s all it takes. The questions come immediately.
“What are you going to wear?”
“When was the last time you shaved your legs?”
“Are you going to put out?”
“It’s just dinner.” My tone turns more serious. “I’m not putting out anything. I’m not doing more than having dinner with a very nice guy.”
“Very attractive guy,” April adds.
“Well, wait, what do you mean?” I frown. “How do you know?”
She scoffs. “Please.”
They both start laughing.
“Do you know how many Coast Guard rescue swimmers named Finn are in Depoe Bay?” June says.
“You googled him,” I accuse.
“Technically, that was me.” June lifts a hand in surrender, and they both laugh again. “He’s a fine specimen,” she adds.
“You two are relentless.” I shake my head. “Yes, he’s attractive, but I barely know the guy. We’re going to work together. It’s just dinner.”
“That’s what I said,” April replies. “I said it’s just dinner, and then after dinner we were dry humping under the stars.”
I burst out laughing, because my perfect older sister doing something that wild in public is something I will never fully believe, even if she swears it happened.
“Have you heard from Aiden?” June asks suddenly. “I’m still Team Aiden.”
“No. Yesterday, when we went to the fire station, most of them were out on a call helping with a fire in Lincoln City, so we’ll be going back sometime next week.”
“Damn.” June sighs dramatically. “It must be so hard to be you. Having to choose between a hot rescue swimmer and a hot fireman. What a difficult life you live.”
Before I can respond, April jumps in. “June, shut up. May I remind you that you’ve been secretly making out with that hot-ass soccer player? Who are you jealous of, exactly?”
They start arguing, voices overlapping, both of them talking at once, when something catches my eye through the window.
I frown and sit up straighter.
“Neptune?”
But he was inside.
“Did he open the door?”
“Who?” April asks.
“Neptune. He’s outside.”
“I’ll call you guys back in a minute.” I end the call before they can respond.
I move quickly toward the stairs, but as soon as I reach the landing, I stop.
Neptune is inside, standing by the window and staring out into the yard. I walk toward him slowly, following his line of sight, and that’s when I see it — a dog outside with the same coloring, the same size, and the same build.
I move to the back door and open it.
“Skye?” I call out.
The dog immediately runs toward me, tail wagging, clearly thrilled to see me, and I recognize the pink collar instantly. She jumps up, licking my chin, and I laugh.
“Girl, what are you doing here?”
And then I hear him.
“May?”
I look up.
Standing at the side of the house in sweats, a T-shirt, and a backwards hat, a six-pack of beer in his hand, is Aiden.