Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79190 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Before the sun said its last goodbye for the day, she reached the cottage. She had every aspect of her rental memorized. Each free moment she had in school, she looked at pictures and imagined herself in the small, blue house with a white porch. All she had to do was go out the backdoor, walk a few feet, and she’d be in the water. Her rental included a private beach and a dock. Not that she had a boat or any intention to rent one. Caroline was fine walking wherever she needed to. Rain or shine.
Caroline heaved her luggage up the three stairs, pressed the code into the lockbox on the wall, and waited for it to click. Inside, there was the key she’d need for her stay. She inserted it into the lock and turned. The sound of it disengaging brought a smile to her face. “I’m home,” she said to whoever could hear her.
Inside, she flicked the light on and took in the space with its classic New England feel that looked even better in person. The exposed beam, white wainscoting, and blue accents appealed to her. She wanted a beach house and not the stuffy apartment she had rented for her city job.
“This . . . this feels like home.”
Caroline walked through the small cottage until she reached the backdoor. She pulled open the curtains and gasped. “Oh, my.” The view was better than anything the owners could’ve captured on film. She opened the door and stepped out, ditching her shoes before she reached the beach.
She paused when her bare toes touched the sand. It was still warm, and the surrounding air smelled like sea salt, summer, and fun. That’s if fun had a smell. Caroline took her steps slowly, pausing only to run her fingers through the seagrass. When she reached the water, she carefully dipped her toe in, and was pleasantly surprised to find the temperature warm enough for her. She went in farther, up to her knees, and played with the waves as they crashed around her legs. In the distance, a horn sounded. She looked out over the horizon at the line of boats making their way into the harbor. A boat tour was on her list of things to do. . . so was drinking mudslides and pina coladas while she sunbathed.
Caroline had an endless amount of time. That’s how she wanted to think of it. As far as she was concerned, fall was so far off it would never come.
Caroline fell asleep with the bedroom window open and woke to birds singing, the curtains blowing, and the sun shining. She rarely slept with her window open at Yale. While it was an Ivy League school, the students liked to party, and her dorm room faced the quad. The noise was too much to bear.
After she showered and dressed, Caroline headed into town. Everyone she passed said hi or good morning to her, and while she waited in line for her coffee, she checked her notes on the things she needed to do today. First on the list was to get groceries. Then, she was going to explore. She wanted to know every nook and cranny of Seaport. Leave no stone unturned as some would say.
Her phone chimed with a text from her mom. Dread filled Caroline. She had forgotten to let her mom know when she arrived last night. She apologized and promised to send some pictures later. Her mom was a little more supportive than her dad, but she still worried.
Caroline ordered an iced macchiato with skim milk and a banana nut muffin. When the barista called her name, she took her breakfast outside and walked a block to the park. She sat on the wall, which was the perfect height for her, and people watched.
For being a small town, it was busy. Traffic moved slowly along the cobblestone road, people biked, walked, and some moseyed. It was as if they didn’t have anywhere to be, much like her. Being on her own time was the best time.
Today was going to be perfect.
By the time the sun was directly above her, she’d done enough for the people watching and was ready to explore. Each store had something different to offer. There was a fudge shop and she stood at the window longer than she cared to admit, watching as they made candy in the window. Next to it was a liquor store. Caroline would go there later to get what she needed for her pina coladas. She window-shopped at the local jeweler and saw a mermaid necklace her sister, Jackie, would love.
Caroline walked into Seaport Souvenirs and perused the rack of postcards. She had a hard time deciding which ones to buy and bought ten. Her mom would love getting them in the mail every week.