Eve stepped forward slightly. “But please, can we drop the doctor titles? It is just Eve.”
“And Mia,” Mia added, her smile becoming more relaxed, the warmth radiating from this big, extended family clearly reaching something inside her that had been cold for too long.
“Well, we’ll let you get to your rooms,” Holly said, stepping forward. “Welcome, and we hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Thank you,” Eve, Mia, and Lila said. Lila gave Duke and Brandy another pat before she followed Eve and Mia up the stairs.
The second-floor hallway was quiet, the carpet muffling their footsteps. Jack had given them rooms twelve, thirteen, and fourteen, all in a row.
Lila stopped outside the middle room, staring at the number like she couldn’t quite believe it. “I get my own room?”
Mia unlocked it and pushed the door open. “You do. But the adjoining doors stay open, so either Eve or I have eyes on you at all times.”
Lila stepped inside, her face glowing. “Deal. I cannot believe I get my own room.” She immediately pulled her phone from her pocket. “I have to message Angie. She is never going to believe this.”
Mia took her luggage into the other adjoining room, leaving Lila in the middle room. Eve and Lila stood at the door of Mia’s room, looking inside as Mia set her suitcase on the bed and looked at the door to the bathroom.
“I’m not going to lie,” Mia said, turning back to Eve and Lila with the first genuine smile Eve had seen in days. “I am going to check out that tub.”
“You do that, sweetheart,” Eve said, warmth filling her chest. “You deserve it.”
“Yeah, Mom,” Lila agreed, snapping pictures of the rooms with her phone. “Go have a good soak and...” Her eyes widened suddenly. “Oh shoot. I don’t have deodorant and need new heads for my electric toothbrush.”
Mia groaned, exhaustion creeping back into her expression. “Okay, well, let me get my luggage into my room, and we can go find a store.”
“I’ll take Lila,” Eve offered quickly. “I need some things as well.”
“Are you sure?” Mia asked, relief shining in her eyes.
“Of course.” Eve nodded and then smiled at Lila. “We’ll leave in ten minutes?”
“Cool,” Lila said, disappearing back into her room.
Ten minutes later, Eve and Lila climbed into the rental car, a nice silver SUV that William had insisted on renting for themafter fetching them at Jacksonville International Airport. The drive from the airport had been full of William’s stories about St. Augustine’s history, his love for the city evident in every word.
Lila buckled her seatbelt and looked at Eve expectantly. “Do you know where you’re going, Aunt Eve?”
“I think so,” Eve said, pulling the directions Jack had given her from her pocket. “Jack gave me directions to a store in St. Augustine and one here on Anastasia Island.” She smiled at Lila. “Which one do you want to go to?”
Lila didn’t hesitate. “As I’m sure Mom needs some alone time, I think you and I should go and explore St. Augustine. It looked so interesting when we drove through it earlier.”
“I’m with you there,” Eve agreed, starting the engine. “Maybe we can check out William’s store he is always talking about.”
“Yeah!” Lila’s enthusiasm was infectious. “I’d like that.”
The drive into St. Augustine took twenty minutes, the late afternoon sun casting golden light across the streets. The city unfolded around them like something out of a postcard. Historic buildings lined the roads, their architecture spanning centuries. Christmas lights were strung everywhere, draped across storefronts and wrapped around lamp posts. Garlands hung from doorways. The cobblestone streets gleamed in the fading light.
Eve found parking near the historic district, and they walked, taking it all in. The air smelled like the ocean and something sweet, maybe roasting nuts from a vendor somewhere nearby. People strolled past them, couples holding hands, families with children pointing at decorations, tourists snapping photos.
“This place is amazing,” Lila breathed, her eyes wide. “It feels like we stepped back in time.”
“It really does,” Eve agreed.
They walked another block before Lila suddenly stopped, pointing at a street vendor ahead. “Can we get a hot chocolate? Oh, and a hot dog from a street vendor?” Her voice held hope and mischief in equal measure. “Mom never allows me to get them in Los Angeles.”
Eve suppressed a shudder. “I’m not sure we should be eating from them anywhere in the world. And we just had lunch.”
Lila gave her a look. “You hardly ate yours. And you know I’m not big on spaghetti, that’s why I picked at mine. To be honest, I’m starving now.”
