Page 40 of See You Next Month

“Is this yours?” Kelsey asked.

“Yep,” Sylvie said, stepping onto it and holding out her hand for Carmen then Kelsey and Isabella.

“Is having a boat on the islands kind of like having a car on the mainland?” Isabella asked.

“Sort of,” Carmen replied as she made sure they wouldn’t hit the sides of the boat slip as Sylvie backed the boat out. “We love to spend time on the water when we’re not working.”

“I don’t use this boat for anything but us,” Sylvie said, smiling at Carmen.

“I thought you said your kids were joining us,” Kelsey said.

“They are,” Carmen replied. “They have gone sailing with a friend.”

“They’ll drop them at the beach behind Peaches and they’ll ride back with us,” Sylvie explained.

As they sped across the water to St. John, Kelsey leaned back, in awe of the incredible view. “I can’t get over how beautiful it is. One thing we want to talk about in the video and blog is the beauty of this place. I can’t imagine ever getting used to it.”

“Yeah, I wonder what we’ll think as the year goes along,” Isabella added. “I can’t imagine not being amazed, though.”

“I still enjoy going to work every morning,” Sylvie said. “I get to see this on my way to St. John. There are times it looks different depending on the weather, but it’s always beautiful to me.”

“I suspect it will be just as beautiful next December as it is now,” Kelsey said. “Maybe I should think about retiring here.”

“You could!” Carmen said excitedly.

“Would you miss the mountains?” Isabella asked.

“Nah, I’m a beach kind of girl.” Kelsey smiled.

“You know, what’s stopping you now?” Carmen asked. “You can work from anywhere. Maybe you both should think about that as you come back each month.”

“Oh, I could just see the fit Spencer would throw if I tried to move the boys out of North Carolina,” Isabella scoffed.

“They have two parents,” Sylvie said.

“Yeah, but we put a stipulation in the divorce agreement about staying in North Carolina,” Isabella explained.

“You have to stay there?” Kelsey asked.

“Not exactly. Spencer and I have an agreement if either of us want to leave the state,” Isabella replied. “We did that so the boys could have a stable living environment, but if something comes along it doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.”

“So you have options?” Kelsey asked.

Isabella shrugged. “Kind of.”

“Here we are,” Carmen said, moving to the front of the boat.

“We’ll tie up to this buoy, set the anchor, and walk onto the patio at Peaches,” Sylvie said. “It’s the back way.”

Kelsey looked out over the water to the sand and saw the familiar patio. “I guess it isn’t deep?”

Carmen chuckled. “It’s about knee deep. Come on.” She held out her hand and helped each of them slide off the boat and into the water.

“This is awesome!” Kelsey exclaimed as they walked through the water. She reached over and grabbed Isabella’s hand. “Have you ever taken a boat to a bar?”

Isabella giggled. “I don’t think I have.”

Liz, Alex, and Riley welcomed them as they ambled through the sand and onto the patio.

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