Mike was disappointed that they didn’t offer the stupid little plastic leis when everyone disembarked. They were for sale in the gift shops, but he wasn’t about to shell out money for them.
After the bathroom, he and Scott headed to the luggage pick-up area. Scott lead, seaming to know his way around airports a lot better than Mike did. After grabbing their luggage, they went to the rental car agency and picked up a sweet little red convertible. “They didn’t have green?” Mike said with a smirk, as Scott popped open the trunk.
“That’s the problem with these rental agencies. They don’t have good colors.” They piled into the car, and Scott switched on the GPS.
Said Mike, “It shouldn’t be hard to get around. Where the road ends, there must be water and we’ll have to turn around.”
“And if the road goes in a loop?”
“Oh. There is that.”
Scott laughed and put the car in gear. “Tell the GPS where you want to go.”
Mike pulled out the page from the internet and read the address to the machine. It immediately started giving turn-by-turn directions.
They got to a set of gates. Mike gave Scott the number to the combination, and the gates parted, letting them in. After a short drive they arrived at a front yard, with a large tree in the center. The driveway looped around this tree.
Another car was parked in the driveway. A woman was sitting on the stairs of the deck, a small yorkie sitting next to her. She got up as the car pulled in. She smiled broadly as the dog barked. “Shh, Bentley,” she said to the dog, then to them. “You’re Mike?”
“Yes, and this is my husband, Scott.”
Scott got out of the driver’s side and went to her, his hand outstretched. They all shook hands. “I’m Ilania,” she said. “I’m the owner and the cleaning crew.” She laughed. The other two laughed with her. “Can I take you in, show you around?”
“Sure,” said Scott.
The house itself was set up strangely. Downstairs was the living room and a small breakfast nook with a deck outside, the bathroom was to the right upon entering. On the second floor was the kitchen and another seating area, facing out to the ocean. Off the second floor kitchen was another eating area. They went back downstairs and out the back door, to see a hot tub and spa. Another small set of stairs led out to a pool at the beach.
Mike looked to Scott. “You like?”
“I think I could stay here forever, ” he said, staring out at the ocean.
“You’ve paid two weeks,” Iliana said, again with a small laugh. “But we can talk about other availability.” She held out a card. “If there’s anything you need, just call, and someone will come right down.”
“Thank you,” said Mike.
The two men went down and got their luggage, saying goodbye to Iliana.
Then they tested out the bed, the windows wide open to the sound of crashing waves.
((Their house.))