Chapter 6
Emerson
Tina's rideshare waits in front of the campground office as we give each other a tearful goodbye hug.
"Thank you for everything."
"Of course. And if moving here doesn't work, you know where to find me in Nebraska."
Right then, the real estate agent I hired yesterday, Talitha Hawthorne, pulls up in her bimmer.
Tina gives me one last hug while I hear the office door opening up behind me.
"Bye, rescuer," she says, giving Darius a wave, and then hops into the rideshare, driving off.
"Hey Talitha," the sexy knight-in-shining-armor says when my real estate agent steps out of her car.
"Darius, thank you for the referral!"
"Of course."
We stand around making small talk for a few minutes until Russ pokes his head out of the office door.
"You've got a call, boss."
"Alright. Well, good luck to you," Darius says, giving me a panty-dropping smile, and I feel my cheeks burn when I grin back at him.
He stares at me for a beat, with his brown skin sparkling in the summer sunlight. When he turns to go into the office, I almost ask him to stay with me. After watching him disappear through the door, I turn to my new real estate agent.
Once in Talitha's car, as we head to the road, she turns and gives me a once-over.
"So, how long have you and Darius known each other?" She says, casually.
"Oh, we just met, like, two days ago."
"Two days ago? Really?"
"Yeah. Long story short, I was running away from a terrible decision, and he was my getaway car."
"Oh!" Talitha says with a laugh, turning onto the road. "I'm going to need more details than that. Were you robbing a bank?" She asks, giving me a playful smile.
"No. I was actually running away from getting married to a lout."
"Oh, damn. A runaway bride," Talitha says, sounding impressed.
"Yep. Basically. And he saw me and offered to help, and then let me stay in his cabin for the week."
"Wow," the agent says, flicking on her turn signal. "I would have thought you guys knew each other longer."
"Why is that?"
"Oh, just from watching you two talk. You have a powerful bond, a powerful connection. I could feel the vibrations."
Surprise fills my body. First, Lady Merla, now Talitha. What is going on here?
Talitha takes me around Sea Glass, showing me a couple of different townhouses available on the market. When we reach the third one, which is just a couple of blocks away from the beach, I gasp when we enter the living room.
"Oh, wow," I say, looking around at the high ceilings and large windows. "This place is gorgeous."
We tour each room, and I fall more and more in love. When we step back into the living area, I don't want to leave.
"This is the one, isn't it?" Talitha says to me.
"It is." I feel a level of confidence I haven't experienced in a long time.
"Alright. Let's place an offer on it," my agent says, and I can't help but let out a squeal that echoes in the empty townhouse.