After a moment’s pause, Ridge said, “I hope you find what you came here looking for, Harper.”
“So do I.”
I looked at the house apprehensively. He bumped shoulders with me. “You sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
He nodded and stroked his beard.
“Listen, I’ve got a couple of rooms I rent to tourists. If you need one…if you don’t want to be here when the storm hits…just call me.”
“Thanks, Ridge. I’ll keep that in mind.”
7
Where the World Ends
“Everything started with a woman who wanted to put her life in order.” If my adventure in that part of the world had been a novel, it would have begun with those words.
When I awoke, the sun was coming through the half-drawn curtains and leaving little quivering circles of light on the ceiling. The light penetrated every corner of the room, so bright and white that for a few moments, it blinded me. Blinking, I checked the time on my cell phone and was surprised to see it was after nine.
I jumped out of bed, feeling rested for the first time in ages. I opened a window, and fresh air shook the curtains. A blue jay flew just a few inches in front of my face and scared a yelp out of me.
Just beyond the porch was an explosion of color: a blanket of green grass, a beach of reddish sand, a blue sea with shimmers like diamonds. The sky was a softer blue, the scattered clouds were white, and the entire scene left me speechless. It was stunning!
I couldn’t wait to go closer.
I dressed in blue shorts and a gray T-shirt and pulled my hair back into a ponytail. I was worried about what I’d find on the island—not the landscape, the air, or the neighbors, but rather what I’d find insidemyself when there was nothing outside me telling me what I should be or forcing me in any direction.
It was time to be honest with myself.
To be me, just me.
But my enthusiasm waned when I found the empty pantry and fridge. There was nothing in the cabinets, not even a can of soup. I would have eaten anything just then. So I changed my list of priorities, moving saving myself from starvation to the top. When I went outside, the salty air struck me in the face, and I heard the loud sound of breaking waves as droplets of foam touched my lips and cheeks.
The house was prettier than in the pictures, with its cedar shingles so dark they were almost black. The rest of it was of a yellowish wood, except for the white pine of the gables, the windows, the columns, and the stair rail.
Now I knew why Scott had fallen in love with the place despite its seclusion, and why it had meant so much to my sister. It looked torn from a fairy tale and plopped down there. It was magic, perfect.
I took a few turns in the car, some wrong, and managed to make it to town. I parked in front of Ridge’s bar and opened the door. The air inside smelled of rich coffee, bacon, cinnamon and sugar. During the day, with natural light coming in, the bar wasn’t as fusty as it had seemed the night before, and I realized my mood had colored my first impressions. In fact, the place was clean, well lit, even pretty by island standards. I guess the word that would best describe it isauthentic.
Ridge came out of the kitchen and waved when he saw me. I smiled back at him as I approached the bar.
“Hey! I see you found your way back.”
“Not without difficulties, but yeah, here I am.”
“Did you sleep well?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It was hard to get used to the silence at first,but I was so tired that I crashed almost immediately.” Only now did I notice how handsome and dreamy his eyes were. “You think you could fix me some breakfast?”
“Sure, what would you like?”
“I don’t know. What have you got? Never mind,” I said before he could respond. “Just surprise me.”
“Sure. Take your pick of the tables. It’ll be out soon.”
I sat next to a window with a view of the port. The boats and ships moored there shook with the breeze, now softer, now harder. Clouds were crossing the sky, mingling, leaving behind white strips as they broke apart.
