Free Passionate Tides by J.N Johnson Page B

house that would be her hideout for the next three months. She passed a new community of ocean front homes that looked like overgrown dollhouses and headed toward the south end of the island. Her eyes scanned the horizon as she passed the swinging bridge, bringing back a flood of memories from all of the good times she had spent with Tiffany’s family on the island. When the radio started playing an old Beach Boys tune, she couldn’t help but let the music and memories erase the tension she had been feeling. She allowed the peaceful surrounding of the island to wash away the stress that had built up over the last two months and tried to let the comfort of island living coat her soul.
    Spending the end of summer and beginnings of fall at the beach wasn’t a fate worse than death and doing it on someone else’s dime was even better. Tiffany’s husband James had insisted that he would reimburse her for any money she spent while staying at their house, and gave her a nice bit of cash to cover her gas and food. But all she was really looking forward to was some peace and quiet and a little spark of inspiration to finish her novel.
    Topsail was so peaceful this time of year as most of the tourist had fled north after their brief vacations on the island, heading back to work or school. The locals were always friendly and welcoming of any visitors who happened their way. The island was like a retreat from the demands of her everyday life. Here there were no self imposed deadlines for work, or nosey neighbors wanting to know all the dirty details of her divorce. She knew the area well, having spent most her summers as a child playing on the beach with Tiffany and her family. How she missed those innocent days, when a pail and a bucket were all she needed to be entertained and happy. As they had gotten older, scouting cute boys took place of making sandcastles and searching for that one perfect shell to take home.
    Keeping an eye on the mailboxes, she was glad when she saw the house number to her temporary digs and pulled into the drive. The house was beautiful, three stories tall, covered in yellow cedar shingles with tall windows and facing the ocean to let in the morning sunrise. The first floor had been turned into an apartment that Tiffany rented out to cover the high cost of hurricane insurance and maintenance. It was easier on the property to have a long time tenant than rent it week to week to strangers, and it gave Tiffany the security that someone was watching their place. Tiffany hadn’t told her much about her tenant, just that he was a nice, quiet man and the chances of running in to him were slim to none, which was fine with Paisley. She wasn’t really in the head space to entertain strangers anyway.
    Pulling her car into the sand covered drive, she looked up at the big house. It seemed quiet without the noises of family she associated with it. The windows reflected the afternoon rays and the yellow siding was worn from years of being exposed to sun and salt. Sea gull’s perched on the roofs peak like feathered gargoyles, guarding her arrival. She would have full run of the top two floors, but figured she would hide out in the upstairs studio that had the most amazing view of not only the rushing ocean, but also of the very peaceful sound.
    Unpacking her things was easy. All she had brought was her laptop, two small bags of clothes, and her toiletries. It wasn’t like she planned to go out much and she didn’t have anyone to impress or to keep her company. All she really needed was her cat, comfy sweats and the occasional chocolate bar.
    Just as she reached to put the key in the lock, the knob turning form the inside and the door opened with a jerk, throwing her off balance. Standing in the shadows of the doorway was a very tall man. With the glare of the sun in her eyes and his face hidden in shadow, her first thought was that someone had broken into the house. The work wasn’t supposed to start until after she