“It belongs to my wife, but she doesn’t ride it much anymore.” He ran his hand over his stubbly chin, the sound of his rough whiskers almost painful.
“Oh really?” Charlie chuckled as she said, “Does she know you’re selling it out from under her?”
He laughed and ran his hand across his chest. “You’ve never met my wife, but if I didn’t get her approval to sell anything of ours—especially something of hers—she’d skin me alive. Barbara Phillips is not a woman to mess with. She’s also right in there making a latte for someone as she watches us out here.”
His fear of his wife warmed Charlie for some reason. “Okay, if you promise she is on board with you selling this beauty, I’ll take it. No need to make me a deal.” She reached into the pocket of her baggy shorts and pulled out the hundred dollar bill she had in her possession. “In fact, will you include the bike lock? If so, Idon’t need change for this.”
“Don’t be silly. You can’t pay me as much as the bike for the lock, young lady.”
“Sir, you have a healthy respect for your wife, and you just complimented me on my age. I think fifty is a fair price for that lock. It looks like a quality one. And if I don’t have the lock and my new bike gets stolen before I have a chance to buy one, it’s worth at least fifty to me. So please take this, and let me ride off into the proverbial sunset.”
He pulled a key from his pocket. “Are you sure I can’t get some change for you? This is my shop right here.”
Charlie looked to the cute coffee shop, Java at the Beach Hut. “How about you give me a free cup of coffee next time I’m in the area?” She didn’t want him to feel like it was charity, but she also really liked the guy and thought the bike was worth a lot more than he was selling it for.
“That sounds good. But you’ve got to give me your name for that.”
She stuck out her hand. “I’m Charlie Paulson. It’s nice to meet you…” She trailed off, hoping he’d give her his name as well.
“Great to meet you, Charlie,” he said as he took her hand. “I’m Ted Phillips.” His grip was warm, his skin soft and grandfatherly. “Are you new to the area?”
“You could say that.”
“Well, don’t be a stranger, Charlie.” He handed her the key to the lock and said, “Let me know if you have any problems with the bike, but it should be in perfect shape. There’s a shop around the corner where we had the bikes tuned up every year or two.”
“Thanks, Ted. I’ll see you soon.” The personal connection in the neighborhood felt odd, yet comforting. After nearly fifteen years, she didn’t know anyone’s name in her Manhattan neighborhood, other than her doorman, Ramis.
The key slid easily into the lock, and it popped open with a quarter turn. She coiled up the cable and placed it in the basket as she swung her leg over. She prayed she wouldn’t embarrass herself in front of Ted or all these strangers by crashing. Pedaling in cheap, hotel gift shop flip-flops wasn’t ideal, but she hadn’t thought that through before she’d bought the bike. She pushed off with one foot and was surprised that muscle memory took over. For the most part.
It turned out that riding a bike came back to her like…riding a bike, she guessed and laughed at her own bad dad joke. She wobbled a little bit at first, but as she pedaled, she found her balance and smiled. This felt really…good.
She rode to her hotel, which only took a minute, but she didn’t want to stop. After a moment’s hesitation, she kept going, the wind blowing her hair around, invigorating her for the first time in longer than she could remember. First through Mallory Square, then into Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, where she hopped off her bike for a few minutes and walked down to the water. Although the bike was a beach cruiser, she didn’t think it was actually suitable to ride on soft sand. She rode over to the Southernmost Point Bouy in the continental US and on a whim, took a selfie of herself with the large statue with her brand-new phone and texted it to Ashley.
It was the most lighthearted she’d felt in a long time, and she reveled in the joy found in the simplicity of it all.
By the time Charlie got back to her hotel, it was nearly sunset, and as promised, Ashley had texted her several times.
Ashley:Love the pic andthank you for getting a phone. I feel better knowing you’re not there without any means ofcommunication. Parking is tricky. I found a few grass lots one or two Keys away, but nothing in Key West itself. Is that okay?
She must have gotten tired of waiting for a response because after about a half an hour, she’d texted:Did you get lost after leaving the phone store? Anyway, if you want your car indoors or actually on Key West, your best bet is Sunshine State Storage. It’s probably five miles from your hotel, but they have storage units big enough for your car that are exterior access, so you can drive right in. I called, and they have units available, so I reserved you one. Lmk if you need anything else. Or if you’d rather park your car in one of the uncovered dirt lots I found.
And text me once you see this. You’re freaking me out here.
Of course Ash had sent a link directly to the storage place, but before she tapped it, Charlie sent a quick text letting Ash know everything was fine, and she’d just been out enjoying the sunshine and breeze.
Charlie couldn’t believe she was excited to own a bike, but everything felt different in Key West. She thought about texting her parents. Even just a quick,here is my new number, but after tapping it out, she deleted it all and clicked the link Ash had sent her instead.
It was an orange and beige building that didn’t really fit Key West, but it would work perfectly to store her car. Maybe she’d go do a little shopping since the one outfit—if she could even call it that—she’d purchased from the gift shop was embarrassing, and her yoga clothes desperately needed to be washed. Then, she could go drop the car off and grab a Lyft back to the hotel before herbig moveto Harper’s place in a few days.
It might be easier to move if she had a car, but everything she owned right then could easily fit into her bike’s basket, and it was only a handful of blocks, so she wasn’t worried about it. What shewasworried about was Harper seeing her grossly opulent car and inferring something.
She’d been in Key West for five days, and last night had been the first time she’d slept through the night since she’d arrived. Although she didn’t know what was coming, she loved being able to lie in bed at night and hear the ocean. Being able to sleep again. Though she hadn’t found it today, maybe she could find the courage to text or call her parents tomorrow.
Chapter Five
Harper stared into Franky’s chocolate brown eyes, looking for something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Franky stared back but didn’t seem to have any sage wisdom.
“Am I doing the right thing leasing this apartment to her, Franky?” Harper pursed her lips, but Frankyarooedand lay down. “Well that’s not helpful.”
