She fell into a lovely dream world where she and Nick were dancing at the beach bar where they’d met, swaying to the soft music. She loved the feel of his arms around her. When their eyes met, she caught her breath and waited in anticipation as his lips came toward hers. But before their lips met, he faded away and the sound of her cell phone alarm grew louder as it pulled her out of her dream. She hit the snooze button and tried to get back to that happy place, but it was gone.

So, she swung her legs off the bed, got up and dried her hair. She changed into a comfy baby blue sundress and a pair of new leather sandals she’d bought at one of the shops downtown. She still had some time to kill, so she picked up her book and stepped out onto her deck to read for a bit.

The weather was still gorgeous. Warm with a soft breeze. Bella could see people below coming up from the beach, a family playing Bocce ball and an older couple walking along hand in hand. She tried to read a little but couldn’t concentrate, and instead resumed her people-watching. And smiled when she saw a familiar face—Nick, striding across the lawn, looking so handsome in a Hawaiian print shirt and tan shorts. His hair looked damp and wavy like he’d just taken a shower. He went into the building and she checked the time. It was ten of six. She needed to get a move on.

She ran a brush through her hair, so it fell into place. She thought she’d miss her signature long blonde hair, but the shorter style was really growing on her. It made her eyes stand out and that was her best feature. She added a slick of peachy pink lipstick and a squirt of Yves St. Laurent, her favorite perfume.

Bella made her way down to the lobby at five of six and noticed quite a few elegantly dressed guests heading toward the restaurant for dinner. She looked forward to joining them when her sister arrived. She made her way outside and Nick was there, chatting with one of the bellmen. She noticed Nick was holding a plastic bag filled with something green, a vegetable or an herb, maybe.

He looked up as she approached and smiled. It was the same big smile she’d seen in her dream and it took her breath away. She quickly recovered and smiled back. “What’s that?” she asked, glancing at the bag in his hands.

He grinned. “I ran into the kitchen to grab some fresh dill for our fish. Are you ready to go?”

“I’m ready!”

He led the way down the road about half a mile to a small neighborhood of similar white cottages.

“My sisters and cousins all have cottages here. The whole neighborhood is filled with Whitleys.”