Page 5 of Visions of You

I turned my mind back to the woman in front of me. “Congratulations! On both the baby and the wedding.”

She grinned. “Thanks. It hasn’t been dull lately. Today’s a little hectic—I’m helping my brother Gabe, and your apartment is being cleaned. We’ll put you up in a guest cottage tonight, then you can move in tomorrow. Enjoy the experience. Beachfront views aren’t part of the deal, I’m afraid.”

“I can’t believe you’re letting me use an apartment! Thanks for hiring me, Maia.” Even if mice infested my apartment, I wasn’t about to complain, no matter how cramped or old it was.

We walked toward the parking lot so I could collect my suitcases. “I’m glad you’re here,” Maia said. “It’ll be nice to have another woman around. I’m surrounded by men. There’s way too much testosterone around here.”

I assumed she meant her husband and family, and figured I’d get to know them all in time. I lugged my two suitcases out of the back ofmy SUV and Maia stared at them, both brows halfway up her forehead. “You only brought two bags?”

“My dive gear is in a duffel in the back seat, but I figured I’d leave it there for now.”

“Yeah, take today off and just relax. You want to tag along on a dive tomorrow and get the lay of the land?”

“That sounds perfect.”

She grabbed one of my suitcases and rolled it down a concrete path and around the lobby. We passed a casual open-air restaurant and pool area. Reggae beats thumped from a nearby bar. Maia pointed with her head at the airy restaurant, where several groups were eating lunch. “This is Dorado, our casual restaurant. Staff eat in the kitchen. Our fine dining restaurant, Orchid, is on the western side of the island and gets the great sunsets.”

Everything was spotlessly clean and casually tropical, though not particularly modern or luxurious. We skirted a free-form resort pool and neared the palm trees I’d glimpsed earlier. A row of ten cinderblock cottages, all painted light blue, were spaced between the palms and sat on a white sand beach.

The Caribbean Sea washed gently on the shore and a soft breeze blew a lock of hair that had escaped my braid across my face. I tucked it behind my ear as Maia led me toward a cottage.

“This is beautiful!” I said, giving myself whiplash as I took in the area. “I had no idea you had such a big beach.”

“We’re very lucky. Beaches are rare in the Keys, let alone one this big. It stretches all along the southern part of the island. There are ten beach cottages, all one-bedroom units. You’re in number eight.”

She lifted my suitcase up a short flight of stairs onto a screened, covered porch and I followed. Producing a key from her pocket, Maia unlocked the front door, and we entered an open, very stuffy room. She picked up a remote from the coffee table and pointed it at a modular air conditioning unit on the wall. It whirred to life after she pushed a button. “It’ll cool down quickly in here. Don’t worry.”

She left my suitcase next to a king-sized bed covered with a pale blue comforter. A blue sofa and love seat lay across the room.

Maia turned to me. “The bathroom is in the back, and feel free to use anything you want from the minibar. I need to get back to my brother, so I’ll leave you to relax this afternoon. There’s a hammock on the porch, and I imagine you’re ready to swing in the breeze a little.”

We both laughed and I nodded. “I’ll keep the unpacking to a minimum since I’ll be moving tomorrow.”

“I’ll stop by later, okay? I’m sorry I’m not more available—we’ve had a little family drama this morning.”

My smile fell, wondering about the comments regarding her brother. Was she referring to the one whose picture I saw? I knew she had more than one brother. “Nothing serious, I hope?”

Maia waved at me casually. “Not really, and nothing I’m going to bore you with when you’ve just arrived.” She crossed the room and halted at the front door. “All of us are glad to have you, April. Welcome to Calypso Key!”

After a final hug, she exited and left me alone. I glanced around the room. Like the restaurant I’d glimpsed, it was clean and comfortable, though more on the modest side than luxurious. Though it was undoubtedly posher than what I’d be moving into tomorrow.

I smiled. “Myfreeapartment. I’m damn lucky and I know it. I can’t wait until tomorrow.”

Digging a paperback out of my purse, I stepped onto the shady porch and climbed into the hammock. Settling in, I read as a warm tropical breeze gently blew me back and forth.

Chapter Three

Gabe

I glancedaround the bedroom one final time to make sure I hadn’t left anything. The bedroom I hadn’t even slept in last night. My eye fell on the king-sized bed with its hand-carved teak headboard, and I shook my head. The bed was the best piece of furniture I’d ever made, but it was much too big and heavy to move into the new cottage. I’d installed it on my last visit home but had never used the damn thing. And now I never would.

“Hope you enjoy it, April,” I muttered, scowling at the empty room before heading downstairs. The wooden staircase emptied into an open room, painted white with natural wooden floors and trim. I nodded to Lucinda, already at work cleaning with her full arsenal. Hailey and I always used this apartment when we visited, so I was more than a little pissed about having to vacate it. Housekeeping had only performed a cursory cleaning before I arrived yesterday with Hailey.

Apparently, the new divemaster warranted a more thorough approach.

The one good thing to come from our hasty move was that the physical labor eased my sore body, and I’d concluded I didn’t have any cracked ribs after all. With a deep sigh, I exited through the back door and onto a cozy covered patio with a flagstone floor. It faced east and I loved to drink my morning coffee as I watched the pure blue Caribbean Sea. My new cottage also had a sunrise-facing patio, but this one was more like home to me. A soft meow interrupted my musings. I turned as a large gray-and-white tabby stood from where he snoozed on a couch.

I ambled over to him and scratched his ears. He headbutted my hand and purred, making me smile. Then, with resolve, I scooped up the cat in my arms and walked off the patio. “Hemingway, you’re coming with me.”

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