Page 50 of Summer Ride

It was only a two-hour drive to St. George Island. When he parked in front of the Hideaway, a massive three-story home, Kara was awake and scrolling on her phone, looking for updates on Abigail’s condition.

Thankfully, the news wasn’t saying much. He hoped they would keep what the little girl had gone through quiet, but he knew better. Eventually, Kara would find out and relive the horrors of her past all over again.

Chapter Fifteen

It took Carter a couple of trips to bring in everything from the car. While he did so, she put away the food and unpacked their things in the main bedroom.

On their first trip to the seven-bedroom home, they had stayed on the top floor in one of the smaller rooms, since they had gone there with a large group of friends. But with just the two of them this time, she chose the biggest and nicest room on the middle floor, which was the main living space.

The place was technically three floors high, but since it sat up on stilts, the main floor was technically the second floor. The bottom or ground floor of the house was wide open. Mainly, it was used to park cars and to hold kayaks, canoes, and pool equipment. There was also a small bathroom down there for pool guests to use.

She knew that Carter could have happily kept all of his things in his suitcase during the stay, but she wasn’t that kind of person. Her type-A personality forced her to know where everything was at all times. She supposed it was due to what she’d gone through early in life. Because she’d had nothing for years, the need to be organized was a driving force in her life. When things were tidy, she was happy.

Carter had easily accommodated her methodical quirks early in their relationship. Now it was just second nature for him to clean up or put things back where he’d gotten them. It was another reason she’d fallen for him.

Carter had told her that he had enjoyed the way she’d organized his pantry with little labeled bins. After that, he’d asked her to do the same for his closets and bathrooms.

She could spend weeks or months away from his place, but when she returned, it was just as clean and organized as when she’d been there last.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized Carter had always gone out of his way for her. This vacation was a good example. He could have spent his well-earned days off anywhere, but instead, he chose a place that she loved.

She looked around the living and kitchen spaces and out at the calm waters outside the massive wall of windows and felt most of her stress disappear.

Here in the main part of the home, the windows faced the crystal-clear emerald waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The high ceilings, with light-colored wood planks, made the rooms seem even more spacious. There were matching wood floors and thick area rugs that she had envied so much she purchased similar ones for her own place. The rugs now sat rolled up in Carter’s guest bedroom until she figured out where she was going to put them.

The furniture in the living room had dark wood and a soft grey material, much like Carter’s furniture, which she had helped him pick out several years back.

The twelve-person dining table that sat along the back wall would most likely go unused while they were there. The last time they’d been here with a handful of friends, they had used it for both meals and game nights.

Kara loved the private pool and beach, but her favorite place in the house was the kitchen. It was modernly styled in soft greys and had all new appliances. It was gorgeous and functional.

Directly off the main rooms was a wide staircase that led up to the top floor. Past the staircase there was a hallway that led to the bedrooms on that floor.

There were five bedrooms and four bathrooms on the top floor. On the main floor, beside the bedroom they were using, there was another bedroom with its own bathroom. There was a smaller powder room close to the laundry room.

When they were done putting everything away, they changed into swimsuits and headed down to the pool to cool off.

It was around noon, so they took some of Isaac’s chicken salad in small containers, along with some fruit and crackers to enjoy poolside.

The moment she finished eating, she pulled off her coverup and slid into the pool with a sigh.

“Want a float?” Carter asked, grabbing one of the large floating devices from the storage area under the house. He tossed it into the pool next to her.

“Yes, but what I’d really love is a fruity virgin drink and some music,” she said with a smile as she climbed carefully into the float.

“That could be arranged,” Carter said. “Do you want anything else while I’m up there?”

She shook her head as she slipped on her sunglasses and relaxed back in the float. “Nope, I’m good.”

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he headed up the stairs.

She leaned back on the float, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin as the water kept her cool.

Her head still ached from hitting the floor the night before, but just knowing that she’d saved Abigail from Axel had her humming a tune in her head.

Music started from the deck above her, and she laughed at Carter’s choice of classic rock.

“This loud enough?” he called out to her.