What was she going to do with herself? Maybe she really should treat this as a vacation. How long had it been since she’d had one? Without Ford? She’d been on that mindfulness retreat with Karly Spencer but that had been about helping Karly transition out of rehab so she could get ready for her next movie.
Harper tipped her head back. The ceiling was coffered and just as beautiful as the rest of the house. The whole place was as close to perfect as a house could be. Maybe a vacation was exactly what she needed.
No one here would even care who she was. Probably. Didn’t people live in Hideaway Bay for the peace and quiet and seclusion?
After some Googling, she’d discovered it had been built and designed for that purpose – a haven for the wealthy and powerful, accessible only by way of guarded gate or boat. Or helicopter, she supposed. Hideaway Bay wasn’t really a bay or evenona bay. It was at the end of a small barrier island about a half-hour north of St. Augustine, Florida.
The barrier island sat between two bodies of water. The Tolomato River on the west, where the community marina was. The Atlantic Ocean on the right.
Arlington’s house—her house now but that would take some getting used to—was situated on a prime location that had a view of the ocean and the inlet where the river met the ocean. Across the inlet was a state park. Miles and miles of preserved greenery that would never be touched.
There was access to the beach via several small boardwalks nestled in amongst the properties that fronted the beach. The length of this property that abutted the river was shored up with a concrete wall along the side. Boats went through with some regularity, but the river was wide, so the boat traffic didn’t cause any real privacy issues.
She had no idea what Arlington had paid for this ground or this house, but it had to be an unbelievable sum.
And now it was hers. Which was even more unbelievable.
How long did it take for something like that to sink in?
ChapterTwo
Harper’s stomach rumbled, reminding her that she would have to go out for supplies soon. She planned on doing a big shop, enough to last at least two weeks so she didn’t have to go out again for a while.
She’d driven here from Los Angeles. Not her preferred method of escape, but she didn’t like flying with Archie. He was too big to go in the cabin and the idea of crating him and putting him in the hold was far too worrisome to consider. She’d read so many nightmarish stories about pets being lost. Or worse.
She leaned down and ruffled Archie’s fluffy fur with both hands. “Not taking any risks with my boy, am I?”
He looked up expectantly and opened his mouth, his pink tongue peeking out.
“Such a baby. Mama needs to do some shopping. Are you going to be all right here by yourself? Maybe I should stick you in the laundry room, huh?” She scanned the house. “If there is a laundry room. There must be, right?”
She stood. “Let’s go explore and see what’s what.” Most of her stuff was still in the car. She’d brought two bags in with her, her carry-on and Archie’s bag of supplies, but that hadn’t included his bed or his best friend, Mr. Brown.
He got up and followed her.
The first floor where they’d come in had a gracious foyer that led into a large, open room. The wall that faced the river was all glass and overlooked the pool, then the water beyond. There was also a big L-shaped covered and screened area right off the first floor. The main room was set up for hanging out in, with a small kitchen area, a big seating area, and a billiards table. A treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike were lined up behind the couches to face the big-screen television. Doors led to a full bathroom and a spacious storage closet.
On either side of the rec room area were twin two-car garages. Her car was still in the driveway, but she’d move it into one of the garages as soon as she figured out how to open the doors. One of the garages housed an electric golf cart. Steps led from the foyer to the two upper floors but there was also an elevator. Not one of those tiny standard residential ones, either.
She and Archie had taken the stairs up to the second floor, where they were now, but she’d been so impressed with the view she’d gone straight out through the great room to have a better look.
The great room, the dining room and the kitchen were all one big room. The centerpiece of the great room was a long, low, glass-fronted gas fireplace against the far wall. Above it was the enormous television. To the right of that were the doors out to the main deck.
She walked back toward the stairs. A small hall led right and left to more of the house. She went left and found two doors. One opened onto a covered walkway that went to what she guessed was a guest house. Or maybe staff quarters.
The second door went into a good-sized office complete with desk, chair, and a loveseat that looked like it folded out into a twin bed. There was no window on the side, since it would have overlooked the guest house. The windows at the front of the office looked out toward the driveway, but that meant the tops of the palm trees lining the entrance were visible. It was a nice touch of green.
But the best part about the office was the watercolor painting on the wall. It was of Arlington on a sailboat namedSojourner, from the movie he’d made by that same name. Harper had commissioned the piece from her sister, Frankie, as a present after he’d won an Oscar for his role in the film.
Frankie was a fantastic artist in several mediums, even if that wasn’t her full-time job. It was nice to see the artwork again. And it touched Harper that he’d put it here. It fit so well in this beautiful house.
She looked at Archie. “This might be a good place to do Zoom calls, huh?”
He tentatively wagged his tail. He still seemed to be wondering when they were leaving.
“Next room.” She went in the other direction, past the stairs and elevator, and opened the door. “Oh. Wow.”
The master bedroom lay before her. The wall behind the bed was a deep marine blue painted with constellations all picked out in gold. The thick rug that lay over the dark wood floor was patterned with medallions of blue and tan on a white background. The rest of the walls were white as was the ceiling, where more gold constellations added additional character. Sheer white curtains on brass rods hung ready to cover the windows and sliding doors that led to the covered part of the deck.
