“She thinks everyone is her best friend,” the woman said warmly. “I don’t think I’ve seen you before —you new?” Kat smiled, brushing off her hands as she straightened. “Just moved in on Tarpon Lane.” “Ah, welcome to paradise,” the woman said with a knowing grin. “People come here for the winter and end up staying for life.”
the tide.
The “beach" itself was modest— a patch of sand framed by a rocky breakwater, where seagrass swayed gently at the edges. To the right, a small boat launch sloped into the calm water, better suited for kayaks and pad- dleboards than the larger crafts that gathered at the Trailer Estates Marina. A white-painted pavilion stood nearby, shading a cluster of well-worn picnic ta- bles — the community hub, a space for pot- lucks, card games, and impromptu gather- ings that stretched long past sunset. Kat smiled. She had only walked a handful of the winding streets that made up Trailer Estates, yet she had already found its heart. The quiet hum of morning life surrounded
Kat chuckled. “That’s the plan.”
With a final wave, she continued on, the rhythmic crunch of crushed shells beneath her sandals accompanying her thoughts.
When she reached Bay Drive, she paused.
She had two choices: turn east and head home, or veer left toward TE Beach, where the morning tide waited. She turned left, then quickly left again onto West Bayou Lane, a sleepy little street that led to W Beach Drive and straight to the crown jewel of the community — Trailer Es- tates Beach and Bayfront Park. Kat slipped off her sandals and stepped onto the sand, cool and damp where the morning dew still lingered. As she took another step, the sun-warmed surface met her skin, a comforting contrast. Her toes sank slightly, the fine grains shifting beneath her weight, grounding her in the moment. A few couples sat drinking coffee, perched in the cozy embrace of their golf carts, lined along the bayfront like quiet sentinels. They watched the water, their murmured conver- sations blending with the rhythmic sigh of
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