April leaned in closer. The pretty lemon and white building sat nestled amongst tall trees, a view of the ocean behind it peeking out between them. “Where is this one?”
“A few houses up from the Hope family home. You’d know it. Used to be very overgrown and tucked away at the end of the street.”
She sucked in a breath as a vision flickered through her head. “Is that the gingerbread house?”
Jeff smiled. “Yes, that’s what us kids used to call it. The current owner brought it from the estate when the old lady died and it’s been completely refurnished. They’ve done a beautiful job too. Mainly used for holiday rentals, but its sitting empty right now and the owner is open to having a permanent tenant. The school bus goes past the door too. If you’re interested, I can give you a ride over there now.”
It looked perfect. “I’d love to see it. Thank you.”
Fifteen minutes later, she stood on the front porch and looked out at the ocean. The same view that she saw from her current bedroom, but from a slightly different angle. She’d made up her mind before they walked inside. “I’ll take it.”
“Wonderful. I’ll go and draw up the papers, and you can sign them when you’re ready. Did you plan to move in over the weekend?”
“That’s a good idea. I’m staying at the guest house now with Matt, and I start work Monday so I should really get myself sorted.”
“Where are you working, April?” Jeff pulled the door closed behind them and locked it. They stood on the porch looking down at the activity in the harbor.
“At the medical center.”
He stopped, staring at her. “With Drew and Liam?”
“Yeah. ‘Fraid so.”
The corners of his lips twitched as he tried to hold back a grin. “Oh well. You were only young when you were together. Shame it didn’t work out for you two, though. I always thought you’d end up married with a bunch of kids. Just shows you how wrong you can be.” He walked out to the car with her. “Want a ride back to the office? It won’t take me long to draw up the papers, and that way you can have the keys now.” He held it up to April, tempting her to take them.
She wrapped her fingers around them and laughed, suddenly nervous. “Deal. And thanks, Jeff. I appreciate this.”
He opened the car door for her. “Don’t thank me. It’s my job and I know you’ll be a great tenant.” He waited until she was in the seat and shut the door, then walked around to the driver’s side. “I guess Aggie and Matt will have filled you in on all the gossip since you’ve been here?” They drove back down the hill to the office.
“I guess what I don’t already know, I’ll pick up in the next week or so. Doesn’t take long to figure out island life from memory.”
They walked into the office where he took her details. “Make yourself a coffee while I print out the paperwork, April. Won’t be long.” Jeff directed her to an alcove where a coffee machine sat on a counter.
She chose a pod and placed a cup under the spout. “Did you want one, Jeff?”
“Please.” He tapped at his keyboard and the printer sprang into life, spitting out her rental agreement. Jeff took them from the printer tray and stapled them together before sitting down and going over them.
April put a mug of coffee on his desk, sat down opposite. and waited for him to hand over the paperwork. When he slid it over to her she picked it up, then read the details. “Don’t you need references before I sign this?”
He shook his head, grabbed his coffee mug, and grinned at her. “Nope. I know you personally and that’s good enough for the owners.”
She raised an eyebrow and waited for a second, then relaxed. April hadn’t thought it would be this easy to secure a home for her family. “I appreciate it, Jeff.” She signed her name with a flourish, the hope of a normal life rising in her chest with the simple act of taking control. At last she could get back to normal and give her kids the life she wanted them to have. Growing up in a small tight knit community where everyone knew each other.
She pushed the papers across his desk and leaned back, hands wrapped around her coffee mug. “It’s nice to be back on the island. I had a look around and it doesn’t look like much has changed since I’ve been gone.”
“Nothing out of the ordinary, no. We have a couple of new buildings in town—the library and the nursing home, which were both built in the last five years—but it’s pretty much the same as it was when you left. Apart from a little bit of upgrading which is to be expected. Steady and easy does it on the island. Wouldn’t want to rush things now, would we?”
She laughed, mindful of the reason most of the kids moved over to the mainland. By the time they went to college they found the constraints of island life a bit tight. They all looked forward to spreading their wings and getting away from their parent’s watchful eyes.
“It’s the reason I came back. Funny how things look different to us as the years go by. The old saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone,’ is so true. Anyway, I’m glad I’m back and thanks for arranging a home for us.”
“My pleasure. If there’s anything you need, let me know. We pride ourselves on happy tenants.” Jeff stood when she did and walked her to the door. “I’ll get a copy of this to you in the next few days, April.”
“Thanks, Jeff.” She hurried down
