The dining room was quiet, just a handful of early risers scattered at tables near the windows. Coffee sat in a carafe on the side table, and Eve poured herself a cup, adding cream until it turned a caramel color.
She settled into a chair near the window and pulled out her phone, typing “Circle Pond St. Augustine” into the search bar.
Circle Pond Gate Community popped up.Yes, this was it,Eve thought, remembering the pictures on Mia’s phone.
She scrolled through the images of the community, admiring the houses. Each one more beautiful than the last. A circular cul-de-sac with a large park and pond in the middle. With houses ranging from sprawling mansions to more modest yet gorgeous homes. Trees lining the streets. A gated entrance with elegant iron scrollwork.
It looked like the kind of place people raised families. Put down roots and built lives.
“Are you interested in Circle Pond?” A male voice came from the side of her.
Eve jumped and turned her head to see the young server, Brian, if she remembered his name correctly, standing beside her with a fresh pot of coffee, his smile apologetic. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay.” Eve smiled at him. “Yes, I was just looking at it. It looks like a nice place to live.”
“It is,” Brian said, moving around to refill her cup. “I grew up there. My grandparents have lived there for, well, forever.” He smiled, the kind of pride that came from loving where you came from. “They were one of the first residents.”
“Really?” Eve added more cream to her cup. “How long has it been there?”
“I’m not sure exactly,” Brian admitted. “But a long time. If you’re interested in looking at living there, you should talk to William Moore.”
The world tilted slightly.
Eve stared at him. “William?”
“Yeah, he built the gated community many years ago,” Brian said, as if it were common knowledge. While it probably was to St. Augustine and Anastasia Island locals, it wasn’t to her. “My grandparents tell stories about when it was just dirt roads and construction crews everywhere.”
“Oh,” Eve said, her mind racing. “So you live there then?”
Brian nodded. “Yeah, I have since my parents died when I was two and my grandparents took me in.”
“I’m sorry, Brian,” Eve said, her heart going out to him.
“It’s okay,” Brian told her with a smile that suggested he’d made peace with it a long time ago. “I didn’t really know them.”
“You were very lucky to have your grandparents,” Eve said.
“Yeah, I really am,” Brian said. “They’re the best. I’m actually working here because I want to help with my college tuition.”
Eve smiled at the young man, feeling a surge of pride on behalf of his grandparents. Not many young people felt like he did. “What are you going to study?”
His face lit up. “I want to be a virologist.”
“Really?” Eve’s eyebrows rose. “That’s impressive. What made you choose that?”
Brian’s expression grew more serious. “My parents went on holiday when I was a baby. They contracted a virus overseas. They died before they could come home.”
Eve’s chest tightened. “Brian, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he said again, but this time his smile was softer, sadder. “I don’t remember them. But I want to help make sureother families don’t have to go through what my grandparents did. What I went through.”
Eve reached out and squeezed his hand briefly. “That’s a beautiful reason.”
The front door of the dining room opened, and Lila walked in, her hair still damp from the shower, wearing jeans and a soft sweater.
Brian’s cheeks flushed instantly, his eyes tracking her as she crossed the room.
“Aunt Eve,” Lila said, giving Brian a slight smile before settling into the chair across from Eve. “You should’ve woken me.”
