“She is, and Carmen liked you. I could tell. She doesn’t ask just anyone for a hug before bed,” Rebecca assured me as she gave me an encouraging smile. “This will be great.” I saw something in her eyes before she looked away and took another sip from my glass. “Just give it a bit of time. Tomorrow, we’ll go around after Carmen gets out of school and show you her favorite places and grab some dinner. One last hurrah until I come back for the holidays in a few months.”
“That sounds great,” I said as she smiled and told me that she tried to come a few weeks before Christmas, and her face fell as she mentioned that it might be longer this year. She had plans to come for Thanksgiving and stay all the way through New Years for her brother and niece.
I went up to my room after she excused herself to go to the guest bedroom on the first floor, not seeing Nick anywhere. It was quiet from the second floor, but I knew that Carmen understood that she could get anyone she needed. I made my way to the third floor and walked into the bedroom that was softly lit by the amber glow of the large lamp on the night stand. Rebecca told me that it was a salt lamp and that they reduced stress, swearing by them. It was pretty, and I walked to the window to look out at the cloudy, dark sky. I cracked it just enough to hear the waves, though I couldn’t see them right now. I knew there would be a beautiful view waiting for me in the morning and I smiled as I went to the bathroom to change into a large shirt to sleep in, looking around the strange surroundings slowly.
I was tired from the driving I’d done over the last few days and found myself sleeping easily once I was under the covers. I wasn’t required to be awake for the morning routine tomorrow, but I felt like I wanted to. I needed an idea of how things went in this house so I would know what could shift as things do with a new person. I had some idea from what Nick told me, but we hadn’t spoken much since my arrival on our own. My alarm went off at seven o’clock, and I rolled over to see the windows bright with the morning sun, jumping up to run over and look at the water. It was stunning, and I smiled as I gazed at the long stretch of beach for a moment.
I went into the bathroom to pull on some jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, pulling back my hair before I went downstairs. Nick was in the kitchen making breakfast, and Rebecca was yawning by the coffee pot. “Good morning. I thought you might want to sleep in a bit today after the drive,” Nick told me as he stirred some eggs in a pan with a surprised smile.
“I wanted to get a feel for mornings around here,” I replied as he nodded and glanced at his sister.
“There is coffee there. Want some breakfast?” He asked as I looked at the pan. “Just eggs and toast with some fruit salad. Nothing too crazy.”
“Sounds good,” I replied as I went over to get a cup from the glass cupboard door and grinned at Rebecca. She poured me a cup and smirked as she handed it to me, gesturing towards the array of cream and sugar on the counter. I found the half and half and added some, stirring it in to soften the dark color of the brew as I heard footsteps.
“Hey there, princess,” Rebecca said as I looked over to see Carmen, dressed in jeans and a button up pink shirt. She gave her a hug and then Carmen went over to her dad for a kiss and a hug. She finally looked at me and smiled as Nick fixed her plate, coming over to hug me.
“Did you sleep well in your room?” She asked in her sweet voice as I nodded.
“It is such a cute room. I like hearing the waves,” I told Carmen as she grinned widely and nodded, going to the table as her dad told her that her breakfast was ready. Rebecca grabbed two plates, handing one to me as we took turns filling them and joining Carmen at the table while Nick got his food.
Once we were done, Nick took Carmen to school while Rebecca and I washed the dishes. The house was quiet, and I slipped the last dish into the rack as I looked around. “You and I will pick up Carmen today, so you’ll have an idea where the school is since you’ll be doing the driving a lot when he travels. You get some down time, but once she’s in the car, it is game on. That kid has a lot of energy.” Rebecca smiled. “She’s still a little bit shy with you but just wait.”
I took some time to go down to the beach after everything was clean, walking along the sand as I thought over the last few years of my life. I had my phone with me, calling mom as I walked along to tell her how gorgeous the house was. I planned to go to see her tomorrow after Carmen was at school and I had a little time. We talked the entire time I was walking, and she said that the job sounded like it was going to go well.
I hung up as I started up the steps that led to the house, walking into the kitchen to look around. I knew that Nick slept on the first floor, so I bypassed that and found the steps to the basement where Rebecca told me there was a full gym. I was pleased with what I saw, including all the machines that any big gym would have. It would be an easy way to get a workout in apart from my beach walks. I was welcome to the space, according to Rebecca and I walked back upstairs and took a closer look around the house.