Page 69 of Hide Away By the Sea

Jensen sold his house to Nyla, and the papers were all signed. He was going to leave all the furniture inside so she could use it until she got settled in. In a few minutes, she would be arriving, and I could barely contain my excitement. Not only was she about to step foot in her new home, but I had another surprise waiting for her. It’d killed me keeping the secret from her the past few weeks.

My phone beeped with an incoming text and I smiled, knowing it would be her.

Nyla: Thought I could make it, but I had to stop and get gas. Be there in ten.

Turning off my car,I grabbed the keys to what was now Nyla’s home and waited on the front porch. When she finally pulled up to the house precisely ten minutes later, I ran over and threw my arms around her neck the second she got out of her SUV. She had on a cerulean blue sundress that matched the exact shade of her eyes.

“Home sweet home,” I exclaimed, hugging her tightly.

She squealed and let me go. “I can’t believe this is all mine now,” she said, looking around the house.

Her back seat was full of her things from Boston, so we grabbed all we could, and I led her inside. She dropped her stuff on the floor and went straight to the living room, where there was nothing but a wall of windows overlooking the sound. The water was calm, shimmering like glass under the sunlight. Jensen’s little fishing boat was still tied to the dock, but Nyla had agreed to let us keep it there for the time being since it was too small to keep at the marina with the bigger boats. I stood beside her and smiled when I noticed her face; her eyes were full of wonder and awe.

“How does it feel to be a homeowner for the first time?” I asked, bumping her with my shoulder.

We were both new homeowners now that my grandmother’s house was mine. It was still a something I couldn’t believe—my whole life, I’d only lived in apartments.

Nyla blew out a sigh and laughed, shaking her head in astonishment. “It feels amazing. I can’t thank you and Jensen enough for selling this place to me.”

I waved her off. “Hey, it worked out perfectly.”

When her gaze met mine, I smiled. “We were meant to be here, Nyla. I feel it in my heart.”

Her lips trembled and she turned her attention back to the water. “It does seem right.” She clasped a hand over her mouth and giggled. “I still can’t believe this place is mine.”

I squeezed her shoulder to get her to look at me. “I know you have a lot of stuff to unpack, but I want to show you something. I’ve been keeping it a secret for weeks, and I don’t think I can hold it in any longer.”

Nyla’s face brightened. “What is it?”

I nodded toward the door. “I need to take you somewhere.”

She practically sprinted to the door with the biggest grin on her face. “I’m ready. I love surprises.”

When we got in my car, I handed her a black blindfold with a smirk. “Put this on, please.”

Nyla took it with raised eyebrows and an intrigued smile. “Well, this just got interesting.”

Laughing, I pulled out of the driveway. “Put it on. I don’t want you to know where we’re going.”

Nyla slid it over her head and her eyes. “Fine,” she said, grinning wide, “but if you drive crazy, I can’t promise I won’t vomit.”

“And you’ll be cleaning it up if you do,” I joked back.

Once I knew the blindfold was secure, I drove us toward downtown Southport. It was a Sunday, so people were everywhere, walking around and shopping. However, the place I was taking her to was closed for the day. I had everything set up for her arrival.

Seaside Family Practice came into view a few minutes later, its bright green exterior making me smile.

“Keep the blindfold on,” I commanded as I pulled around back and parked.

Nyla chuckled and held up her hands. “Yes, ma’am. Are we there yet?”

“Yep,” I answered, opening my door. “I’ll help you out.” I went around to her side and opened her door, taking her hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t let you run into anything,” I promised.

She laughed. “Please don’t. I already broke my nose one time by running into a tree. That wasn’t fun at all.”

“Do I even want to know that story?” I said, my shoulders shaking with laughter.

Nyla waved a hand dismissively in the air. “Oh, there was nothing to it. Just me being a clumsy nine-year-old and not watching where I was going. I did a lot of crazy stuff like that when I was a kid.”

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