Page 27 of Live Like There's No Tomorrow
She couldn’t wait to see him. She gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. She couldn’t wait, but she was going to make herself wait. She hadn’t told him she was here. She’d talked to Austin, the realtor, who had found her an adorable little house down by the water, a little way out of town. She’d asked him not to breathe a word to anyone about her arrival. He was going to meet her at the house this afternoon to give her the keys and do a walk-through and everything. Was she crazy? She could call Ben right now and tell him she was almost there. She wasn’t going to though. She was trying to be sensible. It didn’t feel right to make him responsible for her. She’d meant what she said about coming to him as an equal. She didn’t want to be a visitor, or a guest. She wanted to live here, have her own life here. It really was crazy to think that the two of them could start out like a normal couple—not with the history they shared—but she wanted it to be as normal as possible.
It was weird to drive through town. Everything had changed, and yet nothing had changed. Main Street was busy, many of the stores were still the same. Their signs all looked bright and freshly painted. The sidewalks were well kept and orderly. The trash cans looked new, the flower beds were well kept. It seemed someone with an eye for detail and orderliness had taken charge of town business. She smiled to herself; she wouldn’t be surprised if it were Pete!
Her smile faded as she entered the square. She could have skirted town, but she’d needed to drive through and see. The resort looked as though it’d had the same kind of makeover as the rest of town. The lodge looked smart, the Boathouse had an amazing two-story deck where people were sitting out eating over the water. She slammed on the brakes at the sound of a horn blaring. She’d pulled straight out into the path of a big pickup truck. It was a good thing the driver was paying more attention to the road than she was. She raised a hand and gave him an apologetic smile as he passed. Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together. She needed to get to the house, get settled in, and take a nap. She shouldn’t be driving down memory lane while she was jet-lagged.
The directions Austin had given her took her straight to the house, no problem, and she was grateful for that. He was waiting for her when she arrived. Or at least she hoped the guy sitting in the truck on the driveway was Austin. She really didn’t want to see anyone else.
“Charlotte?” He smiled and came to greet her as she got out of the car.
She nodded and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Austin. Thanks for arranging this so quickly, and for keeping quiet about it.”
“Of course. I don’t talk about my clients’ business anyway, but I understand it’s especially important to you to be able to spring a surprise.”
She nodded, wondering how well he knew Ben, and what, if anything, he knew about her.
“Come on inside. I’ll show you around and then leave you to it. Do you need a hand with your bags?”
“Yes, please. That’d be wonderful.” She opened the trunk and pulled out one of the suitcases.
Austin took hold of the other one. “Where are the rest?”
She smiled. “This is it. I travel light.”
“Wow!” Austin chuckled. “Any chance you could give my girlfriend lessons? She packs more than this when we go away for a week.”
“And I bet she looks great the whole time you’re away. We’re all different, we need to celebrate those differences. I’m pretty mobile but I look like a scarecrow most of the time. Your girlfriend might need a moving van to go on holiday, but I just know she looks amazing.”
Austin smiled and nodded. “Yeah. She does. Thanks for shedding a different light on it for me.”
Charlotte grinned. “My pleasure. Come on. No offense, but I want to get inside, do the walk-through and get rid of you as soon as possible.”
Austin laughed. “None taken.” He carried the case to the front door and unlocked it, holding it open so she could go in first.
“Oh, my goodness. This place is gorgeous!” Charlotte loved it. It was small for an American house, which meant it was still much bigger than she was used to. She dropped the case and went to the big prow window that looked out over the lake. She closed her eyes to keep in the tears that threatened to fall. “I always wanted to live down on the water.”
“Well, now you do.”
She nodded. “It’s beautiful.”
“Let me show you around.” He led her through to the kitchen. It was huge! She loved it. Maple cabinets and stainless steel appliances, it was just her style.
Austin opened the fridge, looking uncertain. “I asked the cleaning crew to do a basic shop for you. I figured you’d probably be tired when you arrived, and I didn’t think you’d want to blow your surprise by being spotted at the grocery store.”
Charlotte laughed. “You might be my new favorite person! Thank you so very much.”
Austin smiled. “You’re welcome. You’ve got everything you’ll need for the next few days at least.”
Charlotte nodded. “Thank you.”
After he’d shown her around the house and shown her how the appliances worked, she walked him to the door.
“Feel free to call me if there’s anything you need. Anything for the house, or anything to help you with your surprise.”
Charlotte smiled. “Do you know Ben well?”
Austin nodded. “We’ve worked together for a good few years now. It’s funny, we don’t hang out much or anything like that, but I do consider him a good friend. I think everyone does.”
She smiled. “That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
