Page 7 of One Sweet Day I Found You

Three

Courtney glanced at the clock then out the kitchen window of the guesthouse she’d now be calling home. A quiet, late morning with blue skies revealed a gentle field of marsh not far from the cottage and a trail that led to the sandy edge of the lake.

She stretched her slender, five-foot-six-inch frame to inspect the contents of the kitchen cabinets. They seemed to contain everything a very lucky single girl might need.

She’d taken the trail to the docks and back before sunset last night, happy to discover that the town’s marina was only a little over a mile away. Her family had been to Door County only twice when Courtney had been very young, but never to Heritage Bay, so her surroundings felt as fresh as they had when she’d first landed in Sydney.

Yesterday, after a few hours at the office, when the rideshare driver had dropped her off at her new place, the key had been waiting for her under the mat.

Courtney yawned and sipped from her mug of coffee, remembering the exhausting trio of mishaps yesterday. She was eager to put the day behind her. At least nothing else had gone wrong since.

Courtney returned to the window and gazed at the shimmering water about forty yards ahead.

A hundred yards from the cottage, opposite the lake, a dense cluster of trees sheltered a substantial two-story, pale-yellow colonial from the road where her retired landlord lived. Boasting white shutters and trim, with a rust-red roof and a long row of pink hydrangeas lining the front, the large home radiated a quiet, peaceful charm. Courtney’s guesthouse was a cottage that matched the larger structure.

She went into the bedroom to finish getting ready. Her parents would be here any minute. The bedroom alone was nicer than her old apartment in Chicago. Courtney neatened the pillows and the fluffy down comforter on the queen-sized bed.

Chicago already felt like another lifetime. She’d left the city for Australia six months ago after a painful break-up with the guy she’d thought wasthe one. Turned out she’d been wrong about Austin. Dismally, pathetically wrong.

But the escape to an unfamiliar land abroad, coupled with the chance to give her freelance travel writing dreams a shot, had done wonders for her soul. She’d made a lot of progress.

Courtney headed back to the kitchen for more coffee and heard the quiet hum of a couple of car engines out on the driveway.

Mom and Dad!

* * *

Courtney setthe coffee mug on the kitchen countertop and bolted outside. Her parents had made the three-and-a-half-hour drive from Madison to deliver Courtney’s car.

After the warm greetings and long hugs, her dad tossed her the keys to her old red Camry.

“Thanks so much!” She peeked inside then waved them toward the house. “Come on, I’ll tell you all about my trip. Who needs coffee?”

Forty-five minutes later, Courtney sat back as they finished the last bites of the cherry Danish her mother had picked up in south Door County.

Her dad beamed. “Australia sounded wonderful, and this seems like a great situation for you here, honey. I’m so proud of you.” He sighed with relief. “And I’m so glad you’re back.”

Courtney’s temporary move to Australia had gone surprisingly well. Between her savings, her credit card, and a part-time job at a coffee shop, she’d been able to tour the hot spots, explore, research, and write.

She’d submitted to travel blogs and online publications, taking full advantage of free Wi-Fi in public places, and things had finally started to take off. Most of the stories that sold were unglamorous pieces about travel gear or tips for flying in coach, not exciting things like the Great Barrier Reef or the Sydney Opera House, but still, they’d sold. She’d begun to crack the code.

Courtney’s mom rested her chin on an elbow. “I’m so glad you’re back, too, sweetie, but I don’t understand. You were planning to stay through August, weren’t you? What happened?”

Courtney shrugged. “I don’t know. I just felt like it was time. I guess I got a little homesick. I started looking for jobs, and I was lucky enough to find one, so I jumped on it.”

The truth was Courtney had, for the most part, accomplished what she’d gone to Australia to do—mend her broken heart and finally get her freelance career off the ground.

“Well, that’s a relief. But—really? You’re not in any sort of trouble?”

Courtney straightened her shoulders and sat up straighter. “No. Why would I be in trouble?”

Here we go.

“Is it your credit cards?” She looked around at the tastefully furnished cottage. “Have you racked up a balance again? Do you need help? You know we’re—”

“No, Mom. My finances are fine.” Although, her bank account hadn’t exactlyrunneth overin the past several months.

Australia had been very expensive. In fact, she was all but broke, although she still had a few freelance payments coming. “I snagged this place for a steal, and it came fully furnished. None of this fancy stuff is mine. Oh, and by the way, I’ll be getting paid monthly here, so you don’t need to worry about a thing. I’m writing mostly sponsored content. Businesses pay to be written about. It’s basically glorified ad copy.”

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