Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74467 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
“I will. Thank you for helping me today. It was great seeing you.” She stepped forward and gave him a hug.
“I’m glad you’re back, Eloise,” he said as he reached for her hand and gave her fingers a little squeeze. “I’ll see you around?”
“I’ll be here.” Here could’ve been anywhere in Seaport, but if he looked hard enough, he’d find her. Not that she wanted him to look. Or did she? She didn’t mind being friends with him and reconnecting with former classmates, but that would be it. Eloise wanted to focus on herself and her art and help make the Endless Summer series the best one yet.
Eloise and Margaux followed Fraser out. He helped load the suitcases into Margaux’s truck and then took off toward the restaurant where he worked. Margaux lived on the other side of town, steps away from the beach. From her house, you could see the mansions, separated by the ocean. Eloise had spent many mornings and evenings at her aunt’s house, watching the majestic beauty of the sun rising and setting every day or witnessing an osprey dive for food.
Every year, Margaux and Eloise would hold a tea party in the backyard and invite everyone they knew. The one caveat—you had to dress from the gilded age. An ode to the summer cottages built in the 19th century: The Marble House owned by William Vanderbilt, and The Breakers owned by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. These houses were mansions with numerous bedrooms, living rooms, and fireplaces in each room. Not to mention the sprawling acres of lush green lawn used for parties, galas and any other social event of the summer. Of course, the view was spectacular, overlooking the cliffs where the Atlantic Ocean ebbed and flowed. There wasn’t anything “cottage” like when it came to them. These homes belonged to the elite of New York City.
From Margaux’s front yard, you could see the backside of the homes and they were a mere one mile away, across the bay if you were to swim. Women and young ladies flocked to Margaux’s, dressed to the nines and ready to hold their pinkies out while they sipped tea and ate biscuits with clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches, and an assortment of other foods and desserts. For one day out of the year, women got to pretend they were partying with the Fifth Avenue elite.
Eloise missed those fun days. She would have to suggest to her aunt that they revisit their tea party now that she was back. Although, she wasn’t sure if Margaux still had their dresses or if any of their old friends were still around. Sometimes, people moved away when the economy changed, or tourism took over their beloved area. But Eloise had a feeling some of the ladies were still around and they could easily relive their moments.
Margaux pulled into the driveway of her baby soft pink, three-story home. The large farmer's porch with white columns allowed for optimal viewing of the bay, while the upstairs balcony gave Margaux the best vantage point. As a kid, Eloise loved spending nights on the balcony, under the stars with the sound of the waves lulling her to sleep. What she didn’t like was the briny smell of seaweed waking her in the morning when the tide brought it in.
But it was the studio in the backyard where Eloise would spend most of her time, in the full apartment on the ground level. But it was the upstairs loft that had always been her favorite with the glass wall leading to a nice sized balcony with a partial overhang, which afforded her the ability to paint or lie out in the sun without leaving the confines of her home. She’d always said she would live there one day, not ever realizing her day was now.
They climbed the three wide planked stairs to the porch. Margaux stopped at the door with her key poised at the lock. “I’ve done a lot of redecorating since you left.”
“You sent me pictures. Remember?”
Margaux nodded. “Personally, I don’t think pictures do this place justice.”
Before she stepped inside her aunt’s home, she turned slightly. Across the street, there was a wide section of lawn. It was private lawn space for the residents along the road and cared for by a homeowner’s association type company the residents hired. Technically, each home on the road owned the section in front of their house. On Margaux’s portion, two Adirondack chairs faced the water with a small table in between them. Along the side, before the private space started, was a well-worn path leading to the beach. People from up the street and sometimes blocks away would walk and use this path, often pulling wagons full of chairs, umbrellas, and whatever else they needed for their beach day. Thankfully, all the beaches in town had restrooms, which were paid for by the annual beach pass every resident needed or the tourist who visited.