Arriving At Fairhope

VANESSA

As I was making the call, I kept looking at the pictures. That country manor sure was beautiful. The walls were a nice bright yellow, and the color instantly reminded me of the sunshine I needed in my life.

It also had French-style windows with a big yard on the front. There was a gigantic oak tree on the side, and… were those horses?

I only hoped.

Since I was a young girl, I always wished to have a horse, but my family never wanted to get me one. Hence, me fighting my way to get what I wanted. I was not the best daughter throughout my childhood, and even now, my parents wouldn’t talk to me unless it was anything related to their company.

Candice looked at the computer screen. Her smile was worth a million dollars. Sitting next to me, she kept scrolling through the pictures, and I noticed how in love she was with it. 

“Hello?” a younger female voice finally picked up. My heart was beating fast, and I couldn’t help but smile in excitement. 

“Hi, my name is Vanessa Don... Vanessa Harper,” I said, calling myself by my maiden’s name instead, “I called because there is a listing of a house you are selling, and I’m very interested in buying it from you.”

There was a sudden silence on the other side of the line. For a moment, I thought she had hung up the call. But I could hear some shuffling of paperwork, so I assumed that was not the case. 

“Hello?” I spoke.

“Yes, the house is for sale. You are the first person in months to call. We would love to show you the house if you’d like,” the lady cheerfully replied.

I looked at the picture, and it brought a smile to my face. The house was too beautiful to pass up.

“No, that won’t be necessary. Is it okay if I take a trip there and just buy it cash, and we can sign any documents?” 

“Of course! When would you be interested in coming in?” She asked. 

“How about in two days? It will give me time to pack up and move there right away. The house is gorgeous,” I replied, and another wave of silence came from her end. 

“Sure. We are in Fairhope, Alabama, and you can find my realtor’s office in town. You can’t miss it. It’s the only one here,” she mentioned before I thanked her and hung up. I looked at the phone and found the conversation strange, but I ignored it. 

“So, what did she tell you?” Candice asked. This complete fiasco with Alex and my family, not to mention the landlord, had left me sleepless, and I needed all the caffeine I could muster. 

“It went okay. A young lady answered the phone, had a southern accent and was very nice, but awkward. I am leaving in two days,” I said as she hugged me tightly, pouring her love into me.

“I will miss you, but you’re going to be happy. Start a new life, find a good man and move on.”

I nodded. It was all I needed, a new life, a fresh start.

A man? We’ll see about that.

Closing the laptop off, I unplugged it and put it in my laptop bag. I was thankful for my savings. Losing my stocks in the company left me broke, and all my accounts were useless now. Alex was just an idiot, but I always believed in Karma.

And the good kind would be on my side. 

“So, this is it. You’re leaving,” Candice said, extending her arms to hug me. I was going to miss her. She had been like the sister I never had, and it pained me to leave her, but I had to do this for myself. 

“Don’t forget to call me, okay? And here, John told me to give you this. It’s for one of our cars,” she said, handing me a silver car key. 

“Candice, I can’t accept this. It’s from your Porsche Cayenne.”

She dismissively waved her hand and pushed my hand back as I tried to give her the key back. 

“Take it as a gift. It’s already registered in your name, and don’t ask me how he did it because he won’t even tell me. Now, you can take it on the promise that you will be happy, and I promise to visit as soon as you’re settled.”

I nodded, and with unshed tears in my eyes, I hugged her one last time.

“Thank you for everything,” I whispered, pulling away before I walked out of her house. The black Cayenne was waiting in the driveway for me, bringing a smile to my face and a sense of freedom.

I put the bags on the back of the SUV and got in the driver’s seat. Tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, I took a deep breath and prayed that everything went well. 

I put the navigation system in the car, and as it marked, from New York to Alabama, it would be over fifteen hours, so I had to prepare for a long trip. I was not that young anymore, but I knew I could make it there as soon as possible. 

“Fairhope, here I go,” I whispered, saying a quick prayer before I drove off. I dressed casually, knowing I needed to be comfortable for the trip—a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt with some white sneakers. 

I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and took a deep breath as I left my friend’s driveway. Some music would be good to relax while I drive, only stopping once in a motel to sleep.

At the crack of dawn, I was on the road again.

Maybe being divorced was the best thing ever to happen to me. I could be myself. For the first time in years, I could decide what to do with my life, with no one telling me what to do, especially a man. 

A few hours later, I arrived in Fairhope. It was a small and quaint town, and I could see myself making a life here. I left the vehicle, stretched my sore body just as I felt eyes on me.

As I turned around, I noticed two older men playing checkers in front of a barbershop, and a few ladies were looking out the glass windows of a beauty salon next to it.

I turned around to walk into a store to ask for that realtor when I suddenly bumped into a hard rock chest, almost making me fall on my butt. He caught me with his hands in time. 

“Are you okay, ma’am?” He asked; his deep voice made my body tremble, and his warm touch made my core ache.

He had green eyes and dark hair, a stubble that made me want to rub my face on it. And those lips… I bet they did wonders.

He was wearing a white shirt with a red flannel shirt; the sleeves folded back, showing his muscled arms. His jeans hugged his legs in a sexy way, and I accidentally looked down.

A big bulge in between was there, making me bite my lips to hold back a gasp. I shook my head, getting out of that trance. 

“Yes, I’m fine. Sorry about that.”

“That’s fine. I just want to make sure you were okay. You must not be from around here.”

“No, I’m not. Just trying to find the realtor’s office.”

“Yes, it’s at the end of this street, with yellow walls. You won’t miss it.”

“Thank you,” I said, pulling myself from his grasp before I sauntered away. I could feel his eyes on me as I made my way to the realtor’s office. That was strange. How could I feel hot at that man’s touch? 

At a very young man’s touch?