When Mayes grandmother passes away, she leaves behind a very unusual will-a will with specific daily requirements. Little does Maye know Grandma has a few things planned from beyond the grave. Something that will change the Maye forever.
The morning of the third day was smoother than the previous ones. Maye didn't find herself on the floor beside the sofa. That night, she slept in her old bed in her room. The bed was squeaky and sunk where she had laid for many years, making it uncomfortable. Despite this, she slept better than she had in a long time. The room was filled with the smell of salt, and the sheer curtains fluttered in the breeze.
She sat up, stretched, and looked at the time. It was early enough to get a cup of coffee, sit on the back porch, and watch the sunrise over the sea. She jumped out of bed with enthusiasm, causing it to loudly squeak.
Maye sat quietly on the back porch, looking out at the beach. She held her cup with two hands and took a small sip of coffee. With her eyes closed, she savored the relaxing comfort of the sea and her beverage.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw a figure running across the beach. The man was shirtless, tan, and wearing dark blue shorts. She observed the waves crashing on his every step as he ran along the beach. Maye realized it was Ethan, who was coming back from a jog and was headed to his house next door. She quickly averted her gaze, embarrassed for staring at him as he ran towards his home directly beside hers.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When he spotted Maye sitting on the porch, he slightly changed his course and started walking towards her. At that moment, all Maye wished was to shrink into her chair or drift away with a seagull, just like it flew away with a piece of bread.
"Good morning, Maye!" His chest rose and fell as he took deep breaths.
"How was your run?" she asked, smiling at him while trying to maintain eye contact instead of staring at his shirtless, sweaty body.
"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, quickly covering his mouth and looking around at the other houses. "Oops, if I wake up Jay, Kiesha will kill me."
"Oh, do you know Kiesha too?" she asked, recalling the lovely and kind girl from the grocery store.
He stretched his legs, "She's dating my friend Damien, who works at the ticket booth for the ship tours."
"We've met before," Maye scoffed, remembering her embarrassment when Damien searched for a child with her.
Ethan paused his stretching, looked at Maye with a perplexed expression, and let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah, he's got a weird sense of humor, but he's a good guy." Ethan took a moment to study Maye before snapping out of it. "Oh, uh... I should let you get back to your coffee. Have a wonderful day, fair maiden." He then performed an awkward bow with one leg and added, "Forgot my peg leg on the ship." Smiling a bright smile, he straightened up and returned to his house.
What just happened?
She returned to reality and thought about her conversation with Sean the day before.
"Hey, how's it going down there?" Sean asked.
"Fine, I just did something exciting. I rode a pirate ship!" Maye's laughter filled her car.
