SAMPLES
General trade audience
Maria stood still with her toes in the sandy wetness and drank in the wide expanse before her. Dusk hung in the wings of the late afternoon air, waiting for its entrance. Gazing out over Lake Michigan’s fresh summer breath billowing a lone sail, Maria sensed the concert of warm breezes caressing reed-like grasses, touching each blade in a dance to the gently rustling song. Her sleek black hair fell from a pony tail and swayed casually in the wind.
Here, she could rest. The past months could be carried away on the lulling waves rising and falling in paced measure. As Maria turned to walk the rough wooden steps to the cottage nestled in the dune grass, the now-setting sun pressed gently on the back of her slender olive-brown neck.
She’d arrived at the small beach house just two hours before, tired from the uncomfortably hot drive in her tired van of seven years. The air conditioning had gone out a few years ago, as did the radio. As usual, the warning lights on the panel turned on and off to their own whims throughout the drive. A few MacDonald’s toys rattled around the floor as she turned through the winding lanes off the highway, reminding her to call Antonio at his father’s. They should be getting off the plane by now, she’d said quietly to herself. Five weeks away was a long time for the both of them.
As Maria placed her hand on the thin metal handle of the cottage’s screen door, her mind returned to the present. Gently pulling, the door’s quaint creeking sound spoke relief to her soul. Setting light spilled golden across the checked cotton cloth curtain and onto the wooden floor. The cottage was tiny, but beautiful. A place to sleep, a place to read, and a corner of a kitchen was just enough. The white wicker and cloth chair covered in lightly-flowered pillows looked like something out of a magazine, and Maria smiled. She was so grateful for this break.
Maria settled into the pillows and gazed out the window. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she tucked in and closed her eyes. Just a few minutes to rest my eyes, she thought. The sound of the waves spoke a soothing rhythm. For the first time since she could remember, Maria let her heart rest too. A relief mingled with sadness fell in heavy release, and she slept.
The knock on the door rattled the light wood frame, startling Maria awake. Half-eyed, she blinked slowly. It was almost dark; she must have been sleeping about an hour or so. The sun had gone down, and the room was lit from the outside in. Even though the door was a mere ten feet from where she rested, the angle was just enough that she could just make out the shadow of a figure outside the door. It must be the woman who rented me the place, she thought. She’s probably just making sure I’m settled in.
Slowly rising to move toward the door, Maria’s eyes rose to the screen. She blinked again.
ERROR MSG “Hello.” His deep voice was quiet, hesitant. Evening stillness hung between them. His grey eyes glanced up at hers and then down to his broad hands holding a pair of women’s flip-flops in front of his grey t-shirt. He was older than Maria, probably in his late 30’s, tall, and quite broad in shoulder. He stood awkwardly, as if he didn’t quite know what to say, frame silhouetted in the evening light.
“Hi.” Caught off guard, Maria’s voice was small. Something about him was odd. His brown hair tainted with wetness had been blown in the wind, and his tan forearm had remnants of dried sand from his elbow to his wrist. He didn’t look threatening, just, well, ruffled. And a bit out of place.
“These shoes were down by the beach, in front of your steps. I just wondered whose they were and thought I should look for their owner. So, well,” he paused and smiled awkwardly, “I thought I’d check up here.” His strong appearance had a tenderness about him. Maria smiled back and let down her guard. She opened the flimsy screen door a foot to speak to him without the barrier, in welcome.
“Thank you, but they’re not mine.” Watching him nod his head and look back over his shoulder as if he should leave right away, she quickly added, “Actually, I just arrived a little bit ago, and I’ve only been down to the beach once. It’s quite beautiful.” She paused. “Are you from around here?”
He shuffled his weight and tucked the flip-flops under his arm. His eyes glanced off to the right, toward the water. “I’m staying down there,” he pointed briefly, “down the beach.” He paused to glance back, and their eyes held together before he looked down again. “I come here every summer for about a week. It’s my getaway from the world of corporate stress.” His lips formed a bit of a wry smile as he glanced out of the corner of his eye around the side of the cottage and back again.
ERROR MSG “Really? Where are you from?” Maria surprised herself with her boldness. He looked directly at her for a moment and smiled before he looked away again.
“Dallas.”
“That’s quite a distance!” Maria wondered what was so special about this place that the man would travel this far. There was an awkward pause. Maria broke the silence. “Well…” Her word faded. “I guess I’ll see you around then.” She smiled hesitantly, cautious, but intrigued by the stranger.
The man flashed what Maria would call a “corporate smile” and turned to leave. “Sure. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you.” He nodded slightly, grey eyes meeting hers, and turned toward the steps.
ERROR MSG He’d only taken two or three steps when Maria interrupted his descent. “Oh! Wait!” He turned. “I’m Maria. What’s your name?”
He turned to stand squarely facing her. For a moment, his eyes seemed to look right through her, sending an unexpected chill across her back. Then his eyes softened, dropped to the base of the screen door, and lifted back to look at her with a blink. “Nick. Nicholas.” He smiled a polite half-smile and turned. “See you around.” The words were thrown over his shoulder lightly.
Maria breathed in slowly, feeling a mix of emotions. He seemed nice enough. But something about him felt unsettling. Maria shook her head a bit to throw off the feeling and stepped into the cottage. Realizing that they’d been talking the entire time in the night sky’s illumination, she leaned slightly over to tug on a thin pull chain to turn on the end table light.
Down below, the man turned. Standing completely still on the beach, waves rising and falling behind him, he watched Maria’s silhouetted figure move nonchalantly through the cottage. Three minutes later, he walked away.
