Page 28 of Sunsets at the Beach House

He grinned. “So did I.”

Willie was about as happy as she’d ever been. Her wedding was coming together. The flowers Roxie had shown her were perfect. Willie couldn’t have imagined anything better. Now she and Miguel were off to Dunes West in the Uber he’d hired to take them there.

Shopping for land and a new house wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d get to do. The very idea of a new house, a place that no one else had ever lived in, was pretty thrilling. To think that she and Miguel would be the first ones to call it home felt like a gift.

What would it be like to have a new house? She imagined it would be like having a new car, which was something else she’d never had before. As a little girl, she remembered her uncle having one, once upon a time. She could just faintly recall the scents of leather and a kind of antiseptic cleanliness she’d never smelled in a car before.

She looked over at Miguel, seated next to her in the back seat. “Do you think a new house has a new house smell?”

He smiled and nodded. “I do.”

“I can’t wait to see what they have.”

He was holding her hand. He gave it a little squeeze. “Me, too. Nothing is too good for you, my love.”

He’d started calling her that and it tickled her every time he said it. “Well, I feel the same way. Nothing is too good for you. Remember, we’re going fifty-fifty on this.”

“I know,” he reassured her.

“Although I don’t mind pitching in a little more.”

He shook his head. “I won’t hear of it.”

Ten minutes later, the Uber driver pulled into the driveway of the model home that was also being used as the sales office for the Dunes West development. There were more homes lined up down the sidewalk, five or six of them in a row, all with narrow, vertical flags outside proudly proclaiming them as models.

Willie and Miguel got out and went inside. Miguel had made an appointment with a man named Rob Downing and as they walked in, he greeted them.

“Hello, folks. I’m Rob Downing. You must be Miguel and Willie.”

Miguel nodded. “We are.”

The place smelled like cookies. Willie took that as a good sign.

Rob shook their hands. “Great to meet you. I understand you’d like to look at some of our model homes.”

“And see what lots you have available,” Willie said.

Rob nodded. “Why don’t we start there? Sometimes the lot will dictate what can be built, depending on the size and location. Certain neighborhoods in Dunes West have certain requirements.”

“Sounds good,” Miguel said. “We’d also like something with a water view. If you have that.”

Willie nodded. They’d talked about it and since they were leaving the beach, they were hoping for some other kind of water. Dunes West had several lakes and canals. Either of those would be fine with her.

“We do,” Rob said. “If you’re looking for something boatable, we have an area called The Preserve. It’s our most exclusive neighborhood. The lots are oversized, and they all have direct access to the Gulfway Canal, which leads directly to the Gulf, as the name implies.” Rob seemed to be watching their expressions. “Those lots go for a premium, as you can imagine.”

Willie lifted her chin. Premiums didn’t frighten her. “Can you show them to us on a map?”

Rob held his hand out toward the center of the office, where a large table held a display. “I have the layout of the entire property right over here. I can show you exactly which lots still remain.”

“Lead on,” Willie said.

Rob went ahead of them.

Miguel glanced at her. “You know what he means by premium, don’t you?”

Willie nodded. “Expensive. I don’t care. This is the last house I’m ever going to live in. I want exactly what I want.”

He smiled. “Whatever you wish, my love.”

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