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“You’re not going to believe this place,” Derek said as he and Carter started up the stairs behind the women.
Carter shook his head. “I’m already overwhelmed.”
“Just wait until you see the inside, man.” Derek grinned. “It’s enormous.”
Carter’s posture sagged. What if he didn’t fit in? He still remembered the feeling of not being at home in Gabby’s world.
“Come on!” Darcy stood by the open door and bounced on the heels of her sandals.
Derek and Carter stepped into the foyer, and Carter’s mouth dropped open as he took in a large family room that stretched all the way to a wall of sliding glass doors leading to a deck. The room had white walls and was decorated with light-blue accents. One wall featured a mural of a beach at sunset, complete with dunes, beach grass, and the sunset reflected on the rolling waves. A light-blue sectional sofa sat in the middle of the room alongside two matching recliners, all facing a huge flat-screen television attached to the far wall.
He walked over to a credenza sprinkled with family photos. Most included Darcy on the beach as a little girl, posing with her parents at different ages.
Darcy placed her hand on his bicep. “Leave the luggage here. I want to show you the deck.”
He set the bags and her suitcase down, and she took his hand and yanked him out onto the sweeping deck. The two-story deck stretched out over the dunes toward a set of stairs leading down to the beach, where knots of people were out enjoying the perfect afternoon.
A group of young people played volleyball, while others bobbed in the water. Some lounged in chairs or on towels in the sand, and others walked along the shoreline. He spotted sailboats boasting colorful sails moving in the distance, along with a few Jet Skis. The light breeze brought with it the scent of salt air mixed with cocoa butter.
Darcy steered Carter to the far end of the deck, where her parents sat at a table drinking glasses of lemonade.
Her mother popped up from her chair and hurried over to meet them. “You made it!” She pulled Darcy in for a hug.
“Mom,” Darcy began, “this is Carter.”
Carter shook her hand. “It’s so nice to meet you, Mrs.—oh, um—Dr.Larsen.”
“Call me Josie.” She gave him a once-over and then smiled at Darcy before turning her attention back to him. “We’ve heard so much about you.”
Darcy frowned and rubbed her forehead. “Mom.”
He laughed. He didn’t think she could be any more charming than she already was. “Likewise. Thank you for inviting me. Your house is phenomenal.”
“Thank you,” Josie said.
Ross shook his hand next. “Welcome, Carter.” Then he looked past Carter to Derek and Haven. “We’re so happy to have you all here this weekend.”
“Have you eaten lunch?” Josie asked. “We have plenty of lunch meat and rolls.”
“Thanks, but we stopped to get something on the way,” Darcy said.
“Well, you all get settled and then come back out here. Carter, Darcy will show you to your room.” Josie waved them off. “Haven and Derek, you already know your way around. Make yourselves comfortable.”
“Let me give you a tour.” Darcy escorted them back into the house. “The kitchen is over there,” she said, pointing to her left. “Beyond it is a utility room, laundry room, and my parents’ suite.” She pointed to her right. “The other bedrooms and the stairs are over this way. You and Derek can stay in the rooms upstairs, and Haven and I will be down here.”
Carter picked up his luggage. “Lead the way.”
They walked through the tremendous family room to the hallway, where Darcy pointed out two bathrooms and two bedrooms. Then they climbed a set of stairs, and Darcy motioned to the doorways. “There are two bedrooms up here with a bathroom between them.”
Carter entered the first bedroom while Derek and Haven headed into the second one. After dropping his bag on the queen-size bed, he took in the room, silently noting that it was at least twice the size of his room at Shauna’s house. It was decorated in a nautical theme with a life preserver and a painting of sailboats hanging on the wall, blue-and-white sheets and blankets, a shelf housing miniature boats, and a mirror decorated with anchors. The blue walls were adorned with a border peppered with starfish.
Carter pushed open the sliding glass door in his room and stepped out onto the deck. He leaned on the railing and looked down on the beach and the magnificent Atlantic Ocean. He drew in a deep breath and blew it out. He felt as if he were living a dream.
He didn’t belong here. If Darcy and her parents knew his situation, surely they’d agree.
Darcy appeared beside him. “Mom said this view is what sold her on the house.” She made a sweeping gesture. “She said she knew that with the house at this angle, she could see the sunrise and get an impressive glimpse of the sun setting in the west.”
She turned and pointed behind her. “From here we can also see the bay side of Coral Cove. If we turn toward the bay, we can see the entire sunset stretched across the sky.”
