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“Okay, if you say so,” I said, though I was glad she wasn’t able to see me since I rolled my eyes as I agreed with her. I wasn’t convinced she was right, but I wasn’t going to argue with her about it now.
God knew I was going to have to find some sort of job when I got there, but I had time to settle in before having to worry about that.
“And don’t forget the guys,” Erin teased me.
“Slow down! Just because you found your happily ever after down in the Keys doesn’t mean I’m going to do the same,” I said. “Pretty sure I need to figure out more of me before I run off with some asshole who’s got big muscles.”
Erin was the one to laugh now.
“And this is following all of last year when you were telling me to sleep with my boss,” she said.
“And now look at you. You married the guy, got a step-daughter in the deal, and have a kid with him,” I replied. “You’re welcome.”
Erin laughed, then doubled down on what she’d said before.
“With your looks, I know you’re going to find some hot surfer dude who’s going to sweep you off your feet. Maybe some guy who has a guitar on the beach or something.”
“Now we’re talking,” I told her. “Get me a beach bum any day, and I can forget about these rock stars who have been nothing but a headache since I’ve tried to break into the industry.”
“I have faith in you,” she said.
“Thanks,” I told her. I knew she meant it, but it was one of those things that really didn’t matter in the big picture. The support was nice, but there was only so much that her support did for me when I was out in the real world. Now, with the crazy idea of packing up my life and moving all the way down to Florida, I was ready for a change.
And I was pretty sure getting a guy out of the deal was the last thing that would happen.
“You know, after the way things fell apart with Jared a few months ago, I’m not so sure I want to get involved with some guy right now,” I admitted.
“And you don’t have to if you don’t want to, I’m just saying that with your looks – your long, beach babe hair and your hips that just don’t quit, you’ll be popular, trust me.”
“Except my beach waves are black,” I told her.
“You’re too hard on yourself,” she said.
“That’s fair,” I replied. “I guess I’m a bit more nervous than I want to let on.”
“Don’t be,” she said. “You’ve moved enough times. You know the drill by now, and more than that, you can send me pictures when you get there. I really want to see your new place, and since it’s going to be a week before I can get up there in person, you’re going to have to send me the pics to at least give me a taste of things to look out for.”
“I will,” I promised. “But hey, I better get going. I have a few calls to make before I get down there this afternoon, and I better get those done before I actually land.”
“Alright,” Erin said. “Safe flight, and I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Thanks,” I told her. “Love you.”
“Love you,” she said.
I hung up the phone, then sighed as I looked at the other passengers who were getting ready to board the plane along with me. I wasn’t too nervous about the move itself, but I was a little apprehensive about some of the logistics I had to deal with moving forward.
A job would have to happen, and sooner rather than later would be preferred. I would like to settle in with a bit of a community as well. I wasn’t worried about making friends, but I did want to form a social circle to not only hang out with but to be able to get my name out there as a musician who was looking for work. I had long since learned that you never knew who was going to be that one person who chanced into your life and changed your world, so I never put it past anyone to have that power.
At last, I boarded the plane, and then my day became a blur until I found myself standing in my new bungalow in Islamorada. I’d gotten the keys from one of my new landlords – a sweet older man by the name of Andrew Vlajos, and I now had the freedom to look over my place and make it my own.
It came furnished, though lightly, but I was grateful all the same. I hadn’t brought much of anything with me, and I wasn’t going to complain about any of the furniture in the place.
It was really the view that had brought me here, anyway. I couldn’t believe I had been lucky enough to get a place on the beach, and with the waves lapping on the shoreline, I couldn’t stop from running outside and pulling out my camera.
I flipped the lens so it was facing me, and threw up my hand in a cute peace sign and shouted, “My new backyard!”
I was making a short video to send over to Erin, but I didn’t have a chance to check it before I heard the condescending scoff of someone nearby.
