Page 57 of Sunsets at the Beach House

“No. I have a better idea. Let’s go back to that beautiful piece of land and watch the sunset.”

Miguel smiled. “I like that idea a lot.” He pointed at her. “But you’re driving. It’ll be good practice.”

“All right.” She was going to go slow and be careful. She had a driver’s license, but she hadn’t driven in years. Roxie and Trina always took her wherever she wanted to go. Might be fun to be behind the wheel again, though.

“Good. Plus, we can see how long it takes to get from here to there. Something good to know for the future.”

The server returned with their receipt. He tucked it into his wallet, then they headed outside.

There were at least two rows of golf carts parked near the café and more throughout the shopping area. At least as many as there were cars. Some of the carts were plain, but some were highly personalized with custom paint and upholstery. Willie was already getting ideas.

They got into their borrowed cart and Willie started up the little motor.

“You know how to reverse?” Miguel asked.

She nodded. “I watched you do it.” She flipped the little switch that put the cart into reverse, then started the engine and slowly backed out of the space after making sure no other traffic was coming.

When she’d pulled completely out of the spot, she flipped the switch again, and started forward.

“Very good,” Miguel said.

She puttered along, not giving the thing much speed, as they were still in the parking lot. “Now, I want to go right when we come out of here, don’t I?”

“Yes. Then straight ahead until you see the sign for The Preserve.”

“That’s easy enough. And from there I should be able to find our lot without any trouble.”

“Should I point out if you’re going in the wrong direction or keep my mouth shut?”

She laughed and turned right. “You’d better tell me. I don’t want to end up in a bad part of town.”

“Do you think Dunes West has a bad part of town?”

She shook her head, loving the breeze going past, as they were now out on the main road. “Probably not. That’s one of the reasons people live in a place like this. To be safer. Or at least to feel safer.”

She found the gated entrance to The Preserve without any issues. She slowed as they approached the guard shack, but the little gate went right up.

Miguel pointed to a thick, rectangular sticker in the middle of the windshield, right near the roof. “I bet that has a code in it that opens the gate. We’ll probably get them when we officially become residents.”

She nodded. “I was thinking we’re going to have to get two golf carts. Maybe one this size and one of those bigger ones for when all the family is visiting.”

“I agree.” He smiled. “I like making plans like that.”

Their lot was just ahead. Instead of parking alongside the curb as Rob had done, she drove over the low curb and onto the lot. Just a little ways, but she did it so they could sit and watch the slowly sinking sun from the comfort of the padded front seats.

“It’s really pretty out here,” she said. “Maybe not quite the beach, but really pretty all the same.”

“If we miss the beach, we can go visit the kids.”

“That’s right,” Willie said. She didn’t think she’d miss it, though. Life with Miguel would be plenty interesting, and she had a feeling her girls would be over to visit often.

The sun drifted closer to the horizon and in a matter of minutes, slipped lower and lower. Miguel reached over and took her hand. The wispy, wandering clouds turned hot pink and electric orange and the sky became a fiery blaze of color that no picture could ever capture.

“Spectacular,” Miguel proclaimed. “And before too long, we’ll be able to watch as many sunsets as we want from our house.”

Willie looked over at him and smiled. She held tighter to his hand. Her heart was full with love for him, with the beauty of the moment, and with the peace that came with being so blessed. “I can’t wait.”

There weren’t many grocery bags to bring up, but Margo carried one anyway. She liked to be helpful and there was no need for Conrad to take them all. Although he did have the rest of them. When they stepped out of the elevator, Claire was in the kitchen, taking dishes out of the dishwasher. Toby was sitting nearby, eager to see if anything like a snack might suddenly appear.

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