Welcome to Serenity Springs: A Small Town, Age Gap, Vacation Romance

Chapter 1 Unexpected Arrival

Chapter 1: Unexpected Arrival

Emma

The moment I stepped into Serenity Springs, I knew it was the perfect place to escape the chaos of city life. Little did I know, my peaceful retreat would be disrupted by a charming, yet grumpy, antique dealer, thanks to a hilarious case of mistaken identity.

I rolled down my tinted window, fascinated by the view that greeted me. A wave of excitement washed through me as the wind filtered through the car, creasing my skin.

“This is the best decision I”ve made in a very long time, Sandy. This place is super cool. I think I”m loving it here already.” I took a left turn, steering the car into another street while listening for Sandy”s response. “Sandy, are you there?”

“Oh, yeah. I was… Never mind. So, are you at the hotel already?”

“No. Still driving through the streets, absorbing all the wonderful views. And it”s a guest house. I have the address and I”ll be there soon, maybe.”

“So, what”s the difference between a hotel and a guest house, Emma?”

“When you say hotel, I imagine some kind of enigmatic building on some busy street. This is a modest house, built for tourists. From my research, it”s close to a certain lake and contains every homey equipment and utensil that I might be needing for the next three weeks. That”s a huge difference from what a hotel would offer.”

“Honestly, it doesn”t matter which one of them you choose; I”m just so happy that you agreed to take this trip. For once, you”ll be taking a real break from work,” Sandy sighed from the other end of the line.

“You are right. I really needed this.”

“You”re welcome, girlfriend. Hey, Emma, can I talk to you when you settle in? I”m kind of busy here.”

I noticed she”d barely paid attention throughout the call, which was very unlike Sandy. I had expected the usual bantering of questions about what the street looked like, or what the people were dressed in.

“Busy? It’s the weekend, Sandy, what are you up to?” I pressed for an answer.

“Emma, I promise to call you when you are settled in. It is risky for you to be driving and talking on the phone at the same time. Especially in a new place like that,” she coaxed.

“I know what you”re doing, but it”s fine anyways. Talk to you later.”

“I love you, girl,” she giggled from the other side before dropping the line. I couldn”t help my own smile.

The sky was a mixture of blue and a rusted-orange color. A long stare at the clouds moving made it look like oil paint floating on a drawing board. The sun was large and receded into the clouds as evening came quickly. As much as I”d have loved to take a few pictures, I didn”t, for time”s sake. I had three weeks ahead to explore this serene town. But the first thing I needed to do was get to my apartment in one piece.

“Damn it!!” The car screeched to an abrupt halt with my heart pounding violently against my chest.

I’d almost run down a young deer crossing the road. The animal stood frozen in shock for a moment, then just as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared into the bush at the other side of the road.

That happened all too quickly. Faster than lightning. I had only taken my eyes off the road for a second, trying to reach for my diary, which held the address to the guest house, and I had nearly killed an innocent animal.

My fingers felt sweaty and shaky from the incident. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself. It was a good thing that only a few people were passing through on this particular street. Pushing the door open, I stepped out of the car, needing to be sure I was okay before driving again. I took a survey around the car, checking for scratches. I then guzzled a large amount of air through my lungs, leaned on the car, and allowed my eyes to roll lazily around my environment. A bright yellow light blinking from behind caught my attention.

How I had passed that spot without noticing it surprised me. I warned myself against walking back there, but my curiosity had a better hold on me. My feet were dragging me back through the road I had just driven past. I’ll just check what it is, and then I’ll be back in the car before you know it, I told my subconscious mind.

Moving closer, I realized it was a store, not so big. The owner must have placed a blinking light to catch the attention of people like myself. I peered through the mirrored door, catching a glimpse of framed paintings plastered on the wall.

There were other things I could see from where I stood outside. Beautiful and tempting, decorative items. I was pushing the door and stepping in before I could stop myself.

The foyer contained shelves, each with different ancient, yet unique, objects. No doubt this was an antique store. It had that musty smell of old stuff. An oil lamp was placed on a table facing an armchair in a corner of the room.

The chandelier hanging from the ceiling illuminated the room with bright lights from the tiny bulbs that hung around in it. The paintings on the wall were so enthralling that I was soon lost staring at them.

“Excuse me?” A grumpy voice called, bringing me back from my trance.

“Umm… Hey. Hi… I”m sorry to intrude, it”s just that, you have really nice paintings here.” I cleared my throat anxiously, looking up at the huge figure that stood before me.

His face was masked by a frown and a bit of gray hair lining his beard. He wore an old brown jacket and faded blue jeans, with his hands buried deep in the pockets.

“Who are you?” His frown deepened.

“I… am Emma…”

“Oh, the antiquary, right? Welcome. You”re kind of late, though. I”m about to close up.”

If I was confused by the way he had addressed me, I said nothing about it. At least the frown had disappeared from his face.

“You can come over tomorrow, can”t you?” he raised his brow.

“Yeah, sure, I can. Though I”d really love to see some more of your paintings.”

A low grunt escaped his lips at my request.

“Okay, it”s fine if you don”t want to; I will just check in tomorrow.” I turned to leave.

“Follow me,” he growled.

“Oh, okay.” I placed my feet gently on the marble floor, following his steps as he went through the shelves.

Oh my gosh! This is Richard Ginorl china, right? They are so beautiful. I love them.” I traced my fingers along the beautiful china.

He paused to throw me a glare. “Don”t touch.”

“Okay, sorry about that.” I raised my hands in surrender. He emitted another grunt before leading the way.

“This painting of the Willis Tower, how long has it been here?” I pointed at another framed work.

“Bought it ten years ago,” he answered curtly.

“So, this store has been in existence for ten years?”

“More than that.”

“How long?” I pressed.

“Very long. Longer than I can remember accurately.”

“Did you know the previous owners?”

“Yes. And why all the questions?” He looked at me over his shoulder.

“Let”s say I travel a lot and coincidentally, whenever I go to a new town, I am intrigued with the history of shops like this.” I smiled.

“Hmm.” He nodded, not sharing my smile.

A quick glance through the window jolted my thinking. I realized I had spent more time in the store than planned, and it was now pitch-black outside. I had been so engrossed playing a character that I wasn”t.

God knows who this man was mistaking me for, and how he”d react if he found out I wasn”t who he thought I was. Considering how grumpy he looked and sounded, it was safer exiting and leaving him with the knowledge of who he thought I was.

“Umm… I have to go now. I will be back by tomorrow if you want,” I stopped in my tracks, announcing.

“Okay. How long are you staying?” he asked.

“Maybe three weeks,” I shrugged, trying to sound natural and flow with this new person that I was considered to be.

“We don”t need that long to sign off on the deal.” He was holding the door open by now.

“Err… Thank you and good night,” I stuttered.

“Hmmm.” He gave a last grunt, shutting the door behind me.

I stood at the front porch for a while, letting the breeze blow my hair into my face. There was something exciting about the night that I couldn”t pinpoint. I didn”t know if it was the feeling of being in an entirely new place, or the beauty of this town, or if it could be this strange man I just met.

I approached my car, doing very little to stop the smile that had crept into my cheeks. Amidst the tingling feeling, exhaustion was creeping slowly over me. I needed a good sleep to rest my brain.