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1
Lauren Keller used the remote on the larger of her two monitors to turn it off. She still had work to do, but she had to draw a line somewhere. Otherwise, she’d work twenty-four hours a day. She’d allowed herself to go down that path before, but not this summer.
No, this summer was about finding balance. Accepting things as they stood. Being more patient with herself—and those around her.
She sighed as she stretched both hands high above her head and held the position. Sitting at a desk wasn’t the best for her shoulders and back, and Lauren stood and went through a few simple exercises that should help the knot in the back of her neck.
What she really needed was a good masseuse, and she’d ask Cass who to go to here on Hilton Head when she made it downstairs.
She left her bedroom-slash-office on the second floor of Cass’s beach house and went down the hallway. She’d be moving out next weekend, but she wouldn’t be going far. When she’d first decided to come to the island for the summer—as she had last year—she’d secured a rental.
Cass had thrown a fit. A major, royal fit, and she’d insisted that Lauren take the bedroom where she’d stayed last year. Cass had wanted help with the wedding, and Lauren didn’t need bad Supper Club mojo on her hands. So she’d been living with Cass and Conrad for about seven weeks, and the three of them got along splendidly.
Conrad once again worked for the outdoor tour company he’d been with last year, and Cass had plenty to keep her busy with her interior design clients. The house was cool and quiet, and Lauren loved everything about it.
So much so, that she’d started looking at properties here on Hilton Head too. If she was going to live here for five or six months out of the year, she figured she should have her own place.
Everything she did came with a strategy; she couldn’t help it. Her job as a marketing analyst, team leader, and corporate strategist had the label in the title. She barely got dressed without a routine, a strategy to get the most done in the least amount of time.
Right now, however, she set aside her strategies and went into the kitchen. No one else lingered, and she reasoned that it was five o’clock somewhere. Almost here, as a glance at the clock told her. So she popped the top on her Diet Coke and emptied the can into a tall glass.
Cass didn’t own any dishware that was plastic, and Lauren actually liked that about her. It made Lauren feel less like a diva for the nice things she enjoyed. She splashed in an ounce of rum, stirred her drink, and took a healthy sip.
The alcohol warmed her mouth and throat, almost burning as she swallowed. She sighed and relaxed her hip against the countertop, then put away the bottle and took her drink out to the patio.
She sat in the rocking bench and looked out to the ocean, letting her mind come and go the way the waves did as they washed ashore. She could hear them chattering, even as far away as she was, and she wondered what they said to each other. She wondered why she found them so soothing to her soul. She wondered how she could make them part of her permanent reality.
Coming downstairs or out of an office to a drink and the sound of the ocean? That was heaven to Lauren, and she flicked on her phone and started a familiar search for property here on the island.
Her biggest obstacle was price. Oceanfront property wasn’t exactly inexpensive, and it wasn’t infinite. She earned a good salary, and she didn’t really have anything or anyone keeping her in Texas.
Yes, her corporate headquarters were there, but they had branches and offices all over the country. All over the world. She was, in fact, assigned to the Miami office right now, and Lauren traveled for about a third of her working hours anyway.
She thought of Joy, Bessie, and Sage back in Sweet Water Falls. Cherry Forrester too, now that the woman had joined their Supper Club. Joy would especially be upset if Lauren made the move to Hilton Head permanent.
“It’s not permanent,” she murmured to herself. “It’s a few months out of the year.”
Her phone chimed, nearly deafening her, as she’d forgotten to turn down the notification volume when she’d turned off her computer screen. Thankfully, it wasn’t from anyone on her team. No one needed help. There was no crisis.
This text had come from Harrison Tate, Cass’s fiancée. The man she’d marry in just another week’s time.
Lauren’s heart bobbed around inside her body, nearly bursting through her ribs when she finished reading.MaryLou just called, Harrison had said.They approved your rental. You can move into my place while Cass and I are on our honeymoon.
“Thank you, Dear Lord.” Lauren pressed her phone to her chest and smiled up to heaven. She’d always anticipated finding somewhere else to live once Cass and Harrison tied the knot. She’d secured two other rentals—and they’d both canceled on her. She’d been scrambling for a week now, and Harrison hadn’t put his house up for sale yet.
He too was scrambling to finish the last building in a huge construction project he’d been working on for over a year. He wanted it done and signed off before the nuptials got said, and he hadn’t had time to call a realtor, clean up his place, and get it listed.
Cass had put a lot of time and energy into her house, and she was quite particular about the yard, the house, the textiles, all of it. Harrison had readily agreed to move in to her house once they were married, and he’d have his outdoor kitchen transplanted over here once they returned from Bora Bora.
Lauren took another sip of her drink and looked at her phone again. She’d been about to search for property here on the island, and she decided to go ahead and do that. Not rentals, though.
Something to buy.
She swiped and tapped, read about floor plans, and leafed through pictures. There were some really gorgeous homes here on Hilton Head, but nothing that truly spoke to her soul. Her eyes started to blur, and she lowered the phone once again.
“There you are,” Joy said, bringing up Lauren’s head.
“Hey.” She smiled up at her friend. “How was work?”
