Page 4 of Island Girl

“It's not much,” Justin said. “But the view's good and the rent's cheap.”

Merritt walked to the window facing the water. She could seethe deck below, the tables with umbrellas, the Gulf stretching out to the horizon. A boat drifted by in the distance.

“It's perfect,” she said.

“You keep saying that.”

“Because I mean it.” She turned back to him. “I know it's small. I know it's above a bar and probably gets loud at night. But it's mine. That's what matters.”

Justin leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “You sure about all this? It's a big change. Maine to Florida. Teaching to bartending. I don't want you to wake up in a week and realize you made a mistake.”

Merritt thought about it. She thought about her mother's face in those final days, peaceful but so tired. She thought about her father on the porch, telling her to go live her life. She thought about the years she'd spent putting everyone else first.

“I'm sure,” she said. “I don't know what comes next, but I know I'm supposed to be here.”

Justin nodded. “Good enough for me.” He pushed off the doorframe. “You've got about an hour to settle in before your first shift. Happy hour starts at five. Wear something comfortable because you're going to be on your feet.”

“Got it.”

He started down the stairs, then stopped and looked back. “Hey, Merritt?”

“Yeah?”

“I'm glad you're here. We needed someone, and I think you're going to be good at this.”

She smiled. “You don't even know if I can pour a drink without spilling it.”

“You said most of the time. That's better than the last guy.”

She shrugged and nodded. “Good to know. Thank goodness I don’t have big shoes to fill.”

He grinned and disappeared down the stairs.

As she stood alone in her new apartment she paid attention tothe sounds and feel of the place. Voices drifted up, laughing and talking. The sounds of a place where people came to relax, to forget their troubles, to just be.

She pulled out her phone and texted her father.

I'm here. The apartment is tiny but it has a view of the water.

His reply came a minute later.

Send pictures. And call me tonight. I want to hear everything.

She took a photo of the view and sent it. Then she sat down on the bed and looked around at the bare walls and the empty kitchen that had little more than a microwave, stovetop electric burners and the small bathroom with the questionable shower curtain.

It wasn't much. But it was hers.

And for the first time, Merritt knew she was right where she was meant to be, at least for today. Tomorrow would have to wait its turn.

CHAPTER 2

Merritt came downstairs at four-thirty, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans like Justin had suggested. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she'd traded her driving sneakers for the comfortable flats she used to wear when teaching.

Shorebirds was quiet. A few tables had customers finishing late lunches, but the dinner rush hadn't started yet. The ceiling fans turned lazily overhead, pushing around the warm salt air that drifted in through the open windows. She could hear the soft clink of silverware and the distant sound of waves.

Justin stood behind the bar, slicing limes. He looked up when she came through the back door.

“There she is. Ready for your first shift?”