“People are easy to win over.” James grins. “I can give you some time to think about it. I don’t think anyone else is interested in this place. A few people have tried to develop there in the past, but the locals have all been a bit too stubborn.”
I stare into the luscious blue water, my heart growing the more I look at it. I think I’m falling in love with this place.
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “Developers are all idiots. I’ll assure these people I’m going to leave their beautiful island intact and tell them to pack their bags. How hard can it be? I’m more charming than any builder anyway.”
I say it, but I don’t quite believe it yet. If only things were as simple as asking nicely and people obeying. I have an uncomfortable feeling that this might be harder than I want it to be.
“I’ll set up a time for you to go visit.”
I nod slowly. “You know what, what the hell? Make the offer. As you say, when I own it, I can do what I want, and these people will have to go. That’s a later issue. I can’t stay in my apartment here, and I don’t want to fall in love with the place only for someone else to snatch it from under me. Make the offer.”
Havenridge is going to be mine.
CHAPTER 3
BILLIE
Iwake up at 5:30 a.m., just as the sun is getting ready to peek out over the horizon. I rub my eyes, taking a deep breath to cast the last of my sleepiness away, then get out of bed, opening my curtains wide to look out on the ocean.
Ever since I moved out of my mom’s place, I’ve delighted in waking early and greeting the sun as she wakes up. There’s nothing like walking along the beach as the sun rises. Nothing like watching the sky turn from inky blue to gold, watching the water reflect the beauty of the sky.
It’s the perfect way to start the day.
I head for the bathroom to wash my face and brush my hair, sticking my tongue out at myself in the mirror as I force the brush through my unruly blond curls before slipping into a blue sundress. Then I slap on some sunscreen, slip into my sandals and head out for my morning walk.
The warm, salty air fills my lungs the second I open the door. It makes me smile. Life here in Havenridge really is perfect.
Sometimes, the tourists look at us like we’re simple, and our satisfaction with our way of life is something to be pitied rather than celebrated. Sure, it’s true we don’t have subways and skyscrapers out here, but we can see the stars. We can breathe fresh air. We can walk wherever we want and live our lives from day to day rather than worrying about spreadsheets and emails.
Some people on the island do have remote jobs. Some people even own little boats so they can commute. I remember when they first installed fast internet here. Everyone on the island was in such an uproar about us getting a satellite tower.
But no one’s complained since they realized that actually, yeah, fast internet is worth it. We might not live big, exciting lives here, but everyone likes to stream TV shows.
I slip off my sandals when I reach the shore, feeling the sand squish between my toes. Looking down at my feet reminds me I need a pedicure. My pink nail polish is chipped and old and needs a little love. But that’s a later problem.
All that matters right now is the sea.
“Hi, Janet,” I call to a woman who runs past me. She waves before continuing on her run. She never stops to talk while she’s in the middle of her exercise, but she will come into the cafe without fail later. She always does.
It’s what I like about this island; the routine, the community. The knowledge that nothing ever changes.
Some people get scared by that, but for me? Consistency is what I like.
The sun creeps up into the morning sky, and I wrench myself away from the beach and head up into town. I could spend all day on the beach, but I have things to do. I have a cafe to run.
I walk along the narrow beachfront street, glancing at the sea one last time before rummaging in my bag. I find my keys as I get to the cafe, and when I unlock the door, the wind chime hanging on the window rattles a pretty welcome.
I grin as I flip the sign around from closed to open.
I’m not really ready to open yet. I still need to sweep the floor and kick the coffee machine into action, but it’s slightly past six, which is later than I usually like to open up. I might be an early riser, but there’s no way I would be able to open in time to catch the people on the fishing boats before they left.
So, I like to be open for when they come back from their first run, and for those who set off a bit later. They’ll forgive me if I’m still getting ready when they come in; they’ll understand that I’m only human. I know them all as friends anyway.
The coffee machine is just burbling to life when the first trickle of customers starts coming in. “Morning, Jeff,” I call without even turning to look, the sound of his boots in the doorway giving him away.
“Morning to you, Miss Billie,” he calls. I set a cup under the coffee machine and spin around to face him. “What pastry can I tempt you with this morning? I’ll get your breakfast cooking up in a minute.”
He stares at my display cabinet and hums thoughtfully. “Chocolate croissant for me,” he says. “And Carl will have a muffin. He’s on his way. He sent me ahead to get the coffees in.”
