Free Cottage Country by JL Edwards Page A

life. It was a very scary experience for them all to go through, but it opened Stacey’s eyes to the fact that she needed to focus more on what was important, like spending time with her family and taking care of herself. The lifestyle that she was currently living was sure to take cut her years short and being the richest most famous lawyer in Portland just wasn’t worth the sacrifice. Stacey knew she needed to make some changes.
     
    After Stacey and her mother had transferred her father home to the comfort of his own bed, they set up the necessary nursing care and healthy lifestyle plan for him to get him back on his feet. It wasn’t long before he was up and about and was able to go for small walks down the street. His heart became stronger and under the watchful eye of his doctors he made a full recovery. Stacey could not have been more thankful for anything in her life. She loved her father and at fifty-seven years old, he was way too young to leave them. His heart attack affected her whole family and because of it, everyone changed. Stacey decided that she was going to spend her last weekend at her parents’ cottage before she made her way back to Portland. It had been a very long time since she had visited the property and a relaxing weekend in the peace and quiet was just what she needed before she returned to the hustle and bustle of the big city.
     
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    Stacey turned off of the main road and onto the familiar gravel road that led towards the lake. She drove slowly so as not to chip the crap out of her new BMW with the tiny rocks. This really wasn’t the type of car that one typically took to the cottage, but it was her first big splurge when she accepted her signing bonus with her new firm. She had an image to upkeep and everyone looked at what clothes you wore and what car you drove to judge your level of success. It was sad really that she had bought into it.
     
    Her car approached the big log that her father had hollowed out in order for her mother to plant a perennial garden inside. The soil was filled with a mixture of geraniums and pansies that seemed to come back bigger and brighter every year with little upkeep. She turned into the driveway and weaved amongst the pine and fir trees until she reached the charming dwelling that she so fondly remembered.
     
    She stepped out of her car and inhaled the crisp, clean air deeply. The scent of the trees and the soil was nostalgic. It was exactly as she remembered. She pulled her suitcase from her trunk and walked around to the side of the building where the door was. She used the old metal key to gain entry and strode inside. Everything was pretty much the same. The large stone fireplace had the same black smoke stain up the front. The sofa was draped in her mother’s home made quilt that was constructed of pieces of their favorite old clothing and the mismatched kitchen chairs were tucked neatly under the table that she spent so many hours at playing board games and enjoying meals with her family. Her emotions were strong as she looked around and allowed the floods of memories to come back to her.
     
    Stacey walked to the sliding glass door that was in the center of the wall of windows on the back side of the cottage. She unlocked the lock and slid the door open allowing the warm summer air to fill the room. She stepped out onto the deck and leaned on the wooden railing. She gazed from left to right taking in the splendor of the scenery in front of her. Why hadn’t she admired this when she was younger? Anyone would have killed to have spent their summers there but all she could think about was what her friends were doing back home and what was she missing out on. She laughed to herself and shook her head at the absurdity of it all.
     
    The sun was hanging over the mountain in preparation to tuck itself in for the evening. It’s orange glow reflected on the water and sparkled like dancing fire. Stacey was ready to just prop herself in the deck