My only reference to this place is from my good friend, Aiden Pearson. He’d grown up visiting Penrose Beach and convinced me to buy some property to help save the town a few years ago.
Which is the reason I’m heading there now. It’s somewhere my family won’t think to look for me.
Have I ever seen it in person? No. But I trust Aiden.
I’m still several miles away from town, stuck in a car with no gas.
I pull up the map again, looking for the nearest gas station.
Five miles away. Well, it could be worse.
I guess I’ll be able to walk off the stiffness I always get when I fly.
This is the most unplanned trip I’ve ever taken in my life, but even stranded on the side of the road feels better than sitting through another conversation about my future.
2
AVERY
One day, it will be my turn to be dropped off at the airport and ready to fly off to an all-inclusive resort. For now, though, I’m the specialty driver.
It’s like an Uber driver, but without the consistency, especially in the offseason for Penrose Beach. I take people who need a ride to the closest major city and pick them up from their journeys since most don’t have a car in our small beach town. Well, small for the next two weeks.
When I arrived last August, I was surprised by the number of people. The streets and beaches, and the boardwalk and marina were all bursting. It’s what the locals call “The Season.” I didn’t understand what they meant until things died down in mid-September, which made it feel like a ghost town.
After a rough breakup from my ex-boyfriend of almost three years, my sister asked me to move here to help be the backup parent to her fifteen-year-old while she travels for work.
Cora is a short-term contract or travel nurse, and she’s gone for inconsistent lengths to varying cities, which is hard when she needs to give Lila a stable home life. There are a lot ofmedical and mortgage debts she found when her husband passed, so most of her paycheck goes to paying those off.
My niece, Lila, might not be able to drive, but her conversational skills could pass her off for nearly eighteen. That’s good because I have someone to talk to, but bad because sometimes I forget she needs a more adult-like influence when it comes to rule setting. I don’t like being the bad guy, but I’ve had to slide into that role more than the fun Aunt Avery I’m used to being. She hasn’t been boy crazy, which I’ll take as a huge win. I might have to resign once that hits.
I’ve tried to settle into the slower-paced life. My coffee shop, Honey & Harbor, opened last Monday, and as much as I would love to say things are going well, obviously I’m still driving people around to make sure the bills are paid.
Lila is sitting shotgun, searching for the next “greatest song in the world” to play, and I’m just trying to get us home before dark.
“Are you sad your mom is gone again?” I ask. Cora is heading to Oklahoma this time for at least a week.
“Yeah, I guess,” she says, keeping her nose buried in the screen.
“That’s not a real answer.”
She turns to me with her eyebrows raised. “It’s not like she’s here a whole lot. I mean, since you moved here, I think I see her once a month for a few days.”
I wince, even though she’s not talking about me. It’s hard because I don’t want to be blunt about Cora’s choices, but she’s missing out on a lot with her daughter. Sure, there’s the panic of finding out her husband had remortgaged their home for a Ponzi scheme, but she could be a nurse in town, or the next town over, and make it work.
“What homework do you have when we get back?” I ask, hoping the change of subject will let my brain rest. Instead, it’slike my mind is set to hyperspeed, going through the long list of things I need to get done before I can go to bed tonight.
I never understood what people meant when they said owning a business means you never really clock out. I get it now. Even though I don’t need to reorder supplies already, it’s more about the financials and trying to figure out how to get people into the shop.
I’ve been so consumed by it that I haven’t done much more than pull my long hair back and get to work day in and day out.
Sure, it’s not completely where I want it to be either, but I’d hoped to use some profits to finish out the decor and such. I have an emergency fund and a small savings account, but pictures and decor don’t seem to fit in either category.
I blow out a breath, glancing toward the setting sun and then back to the road.
“What is that guy doing?” Lila asks, leaning forward in her seat to point.
I raise an eyebrow, trying to follow her finger. “What do you mean?”
