One
Reegan
I staredtoward the quickly descending darkness and sighed at the view.After driving through the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York from the Saint Lawrence River to the eastern edge of the state, I didn’t expect to be wowed by the views when I arrived in my bestie’s small town, but it was stunning.
The glittering water of Lake Champlain stretched out ahead of me, drawing me closer and closer to my destination.The sun was setting behind me, casting long shadows in my rearview mirror but leaving the lake sparkling in the last minutes of daylight.
Ashlyn had lived in her house for a few years, but mostly when my bestie and I got together, we left the state, choosing a vacation for both of us.I should have visited her more often.
In my nonexistent free time.
I sighed as I pulled into Ashlyn’s driveway, the robotic voice of my navigator telling me I’d arrived at my destination.Her house was adorable.A small, cabin-like house with a yard that sloped sharply toward the bay that gave the town its name.A flat area behind Ashlyn’s house had a fire pit and a ring of chairs.At the bottom of the hill, a dock reached out into the water with a small boat tied to it.
There were houses visible on both sides of Ashlyn’s.Most of the houses had a dock with a boat bobbing in the water.Fading rays of sunlight danced over the occasional ripple in the water.The longest day of the year was in four days, and the sunlight was holding on, a real benefit for me as I drove.
I got out of my car, thankful I’d raised the top on my convertible before I left since the trees through the mountains weren’t shy about dropping leaves and petals onto my ride.I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and slammed the door, locking my car with a soft beep.
Before I made it to the front door, it opened, and Ashlyn rushed out.
“You’re here!”She threw her arms around me, then burst into tears.
“Usually only my ex-boyfriends cry when they see me.”I went for light-hearted, but when she was crying over her ex-boyfriend, it was a poor joke.I winced as my words hit.“Sorry.”
Ashlyn pulled back and wiped her eyes.“I can’t believe you dropped everything and came to see me.”
“You’re my favorite person, Ash.Of course I’d drop everything and come see you.It’s what you did when things ended with Landon.”
Ashlyn smiled.“Yeah, well, you couldn’t take off work, so I had to come to you.And I had to know why you were staying in your little town instead of moving to mine.”
I chuckled.“You know why.”Misguided hope and a reluctance to admit my mistakes were the primary reasons.Not that I told anyone that besides my best friend.
“I know.”Ashlyn shook her head.“Enough talking about the exes.Let’s go inside.Do you need to get anything else?”
I shook my head and patted my bag.
“Seriously?I don’t know how you function with just one bag for the entire summer.”
“My wardrobe isn’t nearly as complicated as yours.I can make a month’s worth of outfits from what I have in this bag.As long as I can wash my clothes.”
Ashlyn snickered.“Yes, please wash your clothes.”She held the door for me to follow her inside.“Welcome to my little piece of heaven.”
I looked around Ashlyn’s home and gasped, forgetting about the house when I saw the view from inside.Windows looked onto the patio I spied from the driveway and showcased Amethyst Bay down the slope.The water in the bay sparkled as if it were stuffed with amethysts, looking majestic and stunning.Houses lined the land around the bay, most small with one large home on the tip of the peninsula.“Wow.”
“Right?When it popped up, I had to have it.I didn’t even let it sit on the market for an hour before I was making an offer.”Ashlyn rubbed her hands together with glee.
“Perks of the job,” I teased her.Ashlyn managed vacation rentals for owners who didn’t want to deal with it themselves, but she had her real estate license.Seeing properties as they were listed was a huge bonus to her job, especially when it meant she scored such a spectacular home.
“Right?It’s so awesome.”
I snorted.“My only perks are free hugs and colds every winter.”
Ashlyn wrinkled her nose.“Yeah, but you love teaching.”
I sighed, my smile automatic when I thought about my students.“Yeah, I do.I can’t complain.”
“Let me show you around.”Ashlyn turned me away from the view to see the rest of the house.“Obviously, this is the living room and kitchen.”
Her living room furniture was sleek but cozy.She valued comfort but was not afraid to spend money on nice things that were comfortable.I had no doubt the couch would be soft and perfect.The kitchen cabinets were a light wood color with black metal hardware that perfectly accented the almost-white wood.An island on wheels added storage to the small space and held a cake that made my stomach rumble.
