The Assistant (30 Book Series) 1/1

Coming into the office, I looked at my desk and found a to-do list taped to my computer monitor. I loved that my boss was old school and always wrote out everything they wanted me to do. This meant I could multitask and not have to look at my phone twenty times a day. 

The Theif (50 book series) 1/1

The world has changed, and the rich live in mansions where they celebrate the suffering of the poor. I watched people suffer and have worked my way up to help the poor in my community. What the community does not know is that I became a modern-day Robin Hood, taking from the rich who are stealing from the poor.

The Market (13 book series) 1/1

 In our small town, under the shade of massive oak trees, is my open-air market. I had a small, tiny home at the back of the property. This home was not only my office but my home. During the day, I rented out spots for people to host yard sales, and at night, I rented to food trucks to set up to sell food. But with any business, there is always a story.

Front Desk (12 book series) 1/1

 I worked at the front desk of a mysterious company that operated twenty-four hours a day. When most people would head home, I would come in and man the front desk. My boss encouraged me to read, write, or watch TV on my laptop, and to only answer questions if they came up and asked the question correctly. By the end of my first week, I realized what he meant.

Taxi Service (25 Book Series) 1/1

My Grandfather was a taxi driver. When he passed away, he left me his condo, three cabs, and his business. I learned quite fast that my Grandfather had a unique clientele, and I learned all about the people he used to drive.

Outside the Window (3 book series) 1/1

 Sitting in my window, I watched the world go by. Lifting my leg a bit, I could feel the feeling coming back to my legs. The problem was that I had no memories of what landed me in the wheelchair. The problem with this is that I believe my family had something to do with this.

At The End of The Road (25 Book Series) 1/1

I stopped at a gas station trying to find my new home. The attendant raised his eyebrows as he said, "Take a right at the stoplight and go to the end of the road."

Thanking him, I followed the directions and arrived at the home that my Grandma had lived in all her life. Chuckling to myself, I said, "Home more like a haunted castle."

When I received the letter from her lawyer, I had just ended my engagement to my fiancé, Sam. I had hoped that as our wedding approached, he would put boundaries in place with his family. Six months before the wedding, he had asked if his parents could come with us on our honeymoon. He could not understand why I got upset about them being in the same villa as us. I told him that if he could not put boundaries up, then we needed to stop planning the wedding. The next day I came home to our apartment, and all of his belongings were gone. The next day, I  received the letter from Grandma's lawyer stating that I was her sole beneficiary and that I inherited her property to do as I wanted. He even included a video of the estate that showed me everything I would need to know. With a fully furnished estate, I decided it was time to start the business I had always dreamed of. That was to create a boutique hotel. But the lawyer told me the building is a giant puzzle and there are a bunch of mysteries that will be solved in each and every room. The lawyer also mentioned that there was a small store set up at the beginning of the driveway for the things I did not want to keep.

Pulling up, I said, "Home sweet home."

Pulling along the driveway, I saw the store and continued on to the castle. I pulled up to the front steps and took out my key. Going to the door, I walked in and looked around. I almost expected to hear my parents walk through, claiming who is better at tennis and challenging each other.

The Castle

1. basement- stairwell
2. under the stairsbasement-
3. landingbasement-
4. laundrybasement-
5. laundry closetsbasement-
6. furnace roombasement-
7. storagebasement-
8. canning roombasement-
9. hunters roombasement-
10. hunters closetbasement-
11. Servants kitchenbasement-
12. servents pantrybasement-
13. servents laundry basement-
14. Servants suite 1basement-
15. servants suite 2basement-
16. servants suite 3 basement-
17. servants suite 4basement-
18. servants bathroom 1basement-
19. servants bunk room 1basement-
20. servants bathroo 2basement-
21. servents loungebasement-
22. servants bunkroom 2basement-
23. mudroom basement-
24. enclosed patio for servantsbasement-
25. hallway 1basement-
26. hallway 2 basement-
27. hallway 3 basement-
28. hallway 4 basement-
29. first floor- entry way
30. poolfirst floor
31. check in roomfirst floor
32. coat roomfirst floor
33. household officefirst floor
34. hallway 1first floor
35. hallway 2first floor
36. hallway 3first floor
37. hallway 4first floor
38. kitchenfirst floor
39. breakfast roomfirst floor
40. pantryfirst floor
41. butlers pantryfirst floor
42. butlerssuitefirst floor
43. head of maids suitefirst floor
44. dining roomfirst floor
45. formal party roomfirst floor
46. ball roomfirst floor
47. sitting roomfirst floor
48. mens loungefirst floor
49. smoking roomfirst floor
50. attriumfirst floor
51. sunroomfirst floor
52. bathroom 1first floor
53. bathroom 2first floor
54. bathroom 3first floor
55. storeroom 1first floor
56. storeroom 2first floor
57. grill roomfirst floor
58. storage roomfirst floor
59. cleaning roomfirst floor
60. stairs to second floor
61. landing to second floor
62. second floor- sitting area
63. owners master suite second floor
64. nursery second floor
65. nannys suite second floor
66. childs suite 1 second floor
67. childs suite 2 second floor
68. childs suite 3  second floor
69. hallway 1 second floor
70. hallway 2 second floor
71. hallway 3  second floor
72. hallway 4 second floor
73. cleaning closet second floor
74. bathroom 1 second floor
75. bathroom 2 second floor
76. reading room second floor
77. enclosed patio second floor
78. sunroom second floor
79. sewing room second floor
80. billards room second floor
81. music room second floor
82. theatre  second floor
83. stairs to third floor
84. landing to thirds floor
85. third floor sitting area
86. guest suite 1  third floor
87. guest suite 2 third floor
88. guest suite 3 third floor
89. guest suite 4 third floor
90. guest suite 5 third floor
91. library third floor
92. card playng room third floor
93. television room third floor
94. bethroom 1 third floor
95. bathroom 2 third floor
96. hallway 1 third floor
97. hallway 2 third floor
98. hallway 3 third floor
99. hallway 4 third floor
100. bathroom 1 third floor
101. bathroom 2 third floor
102. cleaning room third floor
103. storage third floor
104. ladies office third floor
105. movie room third floor
106. lounge third floor
107. enclosed patio third floor
108. sunroom third floor
109. stairs to fourth floor
110. landing to fourth floor
111. Guest room 1 fourth floor
112. guest room 2 fourth floor
113. guest room 3fourth floor
114. guest room 4fourth floor
115. guest room 5fourth floor
116. guest room 6fourth floor
117. bathroom 1fourth floor
118. bathroom 2fourth floor
119. bathroom 3fourth floor
120. Staff bunk room 1fourth floor
121. staff bunk room mensfourth floor
122. staff bathroom 1fourth floor
123. staff bathroom 2fourth floor
124. bowling alleyfourth floor
125. mens hunting loungefourth floor
126. Hallway 1fourth floor
127. hallway 2fourth floor
128. hallway 3 fourth floor
129. hallway 4fourth floor
130. loungefourth floor
131. enclosed patiofourth floor
132. art roomfourth floor
133. sunroomfourth floor
134. saunafourth floor
135. hot tub roomfourth floor
136. spafourth floor
137. reading roomfourth floor
138. stairs to fifth floor
139. landing to fifth floor
140. roof top garden fifth floor
141. roof top greenhouse fifth floor
142. observatoryfifth floor
143. party room fifth floor
144. hallway 1 fifth floor
145. hallway 2 fifth floor
146. hallway 3 fifth floor
147. hallway 4 fifth floor
148. bathroom 1 fifth floor
149. bathroom 2 fifth floor
150. bathroom 3 fifth floor
151. bathroom 4 fifth floor
152. dance room fifth floor
153. sporting room fifth floor
154. sun room fifth floor
155. lounge fifth floor
156. stairs to attic
157. attic
158. attic storage
159. mini suite 1 attic
160. mini suite 2 attic
161. mini suite 3 attic
162. bathroom attic
163. attic lounge
164. attic bathroom
165. attic hallway 2
166. attic cleaning room
167. pool house walkway
168. pool house suite 1
169. pool house suite 2
170. pool house mother in law suite
171. pool house bathroom
172. pool house changing room 1
173. pool house changing room 2
174. path to the gardens
175. garden suites hallway
176. garden suite 1
177. grden suite 2
178. garden suite 3 
179. garden suite 4
180. pathway to the garages
181. garage 1
182. garage 2
183. garage 3
184. suite 1 garage
185. suite 2 garage
186. suite 3 garage
187. garage tinker room
188. garage repair room
189. garage tool room
190. garage bathroom 1
191. garage bathroom 2
192. path to boat house
193. boathouse storage house
194. boathouse suite 1
195. boathouse suite 2
196. boathouse suite 3
197. pathways to garden cottage
198. garden cottage 1
199. gardern cottage 2
200. garden cottage 3 
201. garden cottage 4
202. Path to the sporting areas
203. tennis courts
204. patio to sporting areas
205. shuttle board courts
206. basketball courts

The Theater (12 book series) 1/1

Looking around as I walked to the office of the historic theatre, I counted my blessings that I had this job. This theater has been in our city for over two hundred and forty years and the owner said that there were going to be new and exciting things happening. I never thought the plan he was making was going to be this crazy. I couldn't wait to see what would happen, now I am worried that we may be in over our heads.

The Tunnel (5 part series) 1/1

 In my town, there is a tunnel that people will go into, but some never come out. When I took this job, I was told there would be an opportunity for advancement. What I didn't realize was what my job really was and what secrets were beneath my feet in the tunnels below.

Mystic (5 Book series) 1/1

 I can see things most cannot. I see the future and ghosts. I run my small mystical shop in St. Augustine, Florida. Some people say I am a fraud, that is, until I give them the information they needed the most.

Stalker (3 part series) 1/1

There is a stalker in our town. He has also taken the lives of five of his victims. Now he has set his eyes on my cousin, and I will stop him.

The Path (3 Book Series) 1/1

 I was hired as a midday attendant on what is known as the beach path. This path is a seaside path that stretches two miles. When I was hired for this job, I had to sign a form that I would follow all ten rules. When I asked Mr Franks, "What would happen if we broke the rules?"

He snorted and said, "You will be stuck on the path forever."

I made a few copies of the rules and placed them in my locker.

Rules

1. Have all items needed in your push cart. Follow the master list and never run out. If you run low go tp the nearest hut and restock. Running out could be fatal.

2. If sea fog comes in before the end of your shift. Never answer the voices in the fog.

3. Never leave the path. If someone begs you to leave the path, apologize and say your manager will not let you break the rules.

4. Do not go on a walk with anyone. If someone tries to walk with you on the path, Stop and state you must stay at this location. They will leave.

5. If it gets dark during the day or pitch black at night, climb under the back of the cart, close your eyes and count to one hundred. When you open your eyes after 100 the light will return. 

6. If the sound goes quiet around you, go to the nearest hut and lock the door till the sound returns. If you hear voices calling fir a vendir while the noise is gone do not respond.

The Train Station (3 book series) 1/1

 Sitting at the tourist desk at our local train station, you would be amazed at what you see. I live in Key West, Florida, and the state recently opened the over-the-water rail line. I started working here a few days a week to escape my overbearing parents. They think I send customers to their fishing business, but I actually suggest their business while I save money to escape them. My manager is a friend, and she helped me set up a secret account where a portion of my paycheck goes. When I save enough, I will disappear.

The Pier (4 book series) 1/1

 How old were you when you discovered that you were brought to the pier by your Gramps to distract people from what he was doing? The answer is twenty-one. Now my little food truck on the fishing pier hides all the not-so-savory business happening, and I am stuck.

Family Drama (6 book series) 1/1

 I come from a large and broken family. Honestly, I live in the shadows and do not say anything to keep the peace. Being the youngest, I was able to avoid the drama. That was until I turned eighteen. Then I was dragged into everything. What my family didn't know was I had been taking notes. The drama stops with me.

🎄PODCAST- INSTAGRAM- WALKING IN THE RAIN

This is the written version of my PODCAST- Walking in the rain on my Instagram page.

EPISODE 1

Do you ever feel like your life is like you are walking through a storm? I am here to tell you that you are not alone.

Lately I have learned that no matter how hard you try, things will never go as planned.

I will admit I can be a bit of a control freak, however, i am slowly learning that I can not control everything in my life. This new blog cast is going to be a new series that will be weekly starting in January.

If you want to follow along on the blog come visit me at w w w my crazy life again dot com

If the holidays get you down, please know you are not alone. Remember you will get through them! See you all in January! I hope you all have a blessed holiday season.

EPISODE 2

With twenty twenty five coming to a close, I need you to remember that if you only survived, that is alright. In twenty-twenty-six, we are going to grow and learn. We are going to love ourselves. We are going to have grand adventures, even if it is as simple as going for a walk. We are going to learn a new hobby or skill.

What we will not do is make unrealistic goals. I have a ton of projects I want to complete; however, I know trying to do too much means I will get nothing done. So we will do things slowly and get things done without stressing ourselves.

We will look at ourselves in a positive light and learn to love ourselves. It will not be easy, we will struggle, but we will thrive in twenty twenty six. Remember, the Blog is a judgment-free zone. So if you want to hide, read, or comment, come visit us at w w w my crazy life again dot com. Have a safe and happy New Year.

🎄Foot Steps In The Store (stand alone)

 The Footsteps in the Store

 

 

 

This story happened in the old Sears I used to work at in Brooksville, Florida. Many people don't realize that in our area in Florida, we have our fair share of ghost stories. I am willing to say almost everyone in our city can tell you a ghost story. When this ghost story was told to me by the Manager who was running the store when I first started, and this story was backed up by the loss prevention associate who also worked in the location. As this Sears store is closed, we can share this story more. Neither the Manager nor the loss prevention associate would confirm or deny the story, but they knew I collected tales and could not wait to tell me this story.

 

One thing about this store is some things had not changed or never improved. No matter how many issues the store had, there had to be a dire emergency to get an upgrade. This information is vital as this is the reason this story takes place. Anytime a big storm hit the store, it seemed to mess with the security system, which would cause issues and delays all day and night. So the beginning of this story does not surprise me at all that during the day, a large summer storm came through the area, and it caused the power to go out in the store twice in a short period. The power outage messed with the security system and other electronic systems. After a while, all the systems came back up, and they thought it was back to business as usual until closing. 

 

At the end of the night, the Manager started the closing duties, but they soon realized that serious issues were happening. The first issue was it took a few tries to get the shutters in the front of the store to go down on both sets of doors. Eventually, both shutters were closed, although it took a few tries. So the Manager tried to finish closing the stores day in the computer. There were issues with the safe room with arming the safe and securing the room the safe was in. Then the Manager went to leave with the loss prevention agent, and they could not get the remaining store to arm along with the doors. The Manager called the security company, and after trying to fix the problem on the phone, they triggered alarms all over the store. They tried resetting the whole system, and alerts all over the store went off. In a last-ditch effort, the security company had said to go outside, and we will set the alarms manually with the Manager outside the building. When the security company tried this, errors were saying all the main doors were open and movement in the store. The security company told the Manager if you can wait, we can have a tech out in a few hours. So the Manager left the loss prevention associate in the store to grab food for them both and waited for the security team to arrive to see what was happening. 

 

Since the Manager and the loss prevention associate had to stay until the security company could get there to fix the problem, they decided it would be a great time to catch up on paperwork and extra cleaning in the office and do some projects on the floor. While sitting in her office, the Manager hears footsteps coming from the store entrance door, then the footsteps proceed to the break room, and she hears the door open as if someone went in. She assumed the Loss prevention associate was making rounds to stretch his legs and walked the store. The Manager then hears the door of the office open. Expecting to see the loss prevention associate walk past her, she looked up with a smile, but when the footsteps sounded as if they were going past the door to her office, nobody passed her door. After a few seconds, she heard the door that led to the loss prevention office open and close. The first time this happened, the Manager let it go thinking she was tired as it had been a busy day. However, after thirty minutes, she had the same experience again.

 

After this happened the second time, the Manager called the loss prevention associate and asked him to come to her office. She explained to him what had happened not once but twice. The loss prevention associate thought it was weird and suggested looking at the security cameras and seeing if they could see or hear anything. They both went into the camera room and checked the security footage. They could hear footsteps on the audio on the footage, then the doors opening and closing, but nothing showed up on the camera. The associate told the Manager he had been in his office untangling security tags and had not heard anything until she called his office. Deciding to see if the footsteps happened again, they went to the Manager's office and sat inside after locking all the doors. The Manager started the paperwork, and the loss prevention associate untangled the security tags. After twenty minutes, they hear the sound of boots walking again, and when it gets to the first door, they hear the door handle jiggle, then the door open, and the sound of boots on the tile. As the footsteps get to the breakroom door, you hear the jingle of the handle, and then you hear the footsteps on the carpet, and when the footsteps get to where they would be passing the Manager's office, no one is there. Although no one was there, the Manager and the loss prevention associate felt like someone was staring them down. Then they hear boots get to the next door, you hear the door jingle again, and the footsteps continue on the tile to the back doors of the store, then nothing.

 

The Manager and the loss prevention associate were still weirded out by what was happening. They went and checked the security feed and discovered that the footsteps started from up in the tool department at the front of the store. The Manager and the loss prevention associate guessed the sound of footsteps walking through the store took so long in between due to the distance. About an hour later, the security company arrived and started working on the system. However, they were at a loss as to what happened because they restarted the system, and it worked again right away. Maybe our walking friend knew something we didn't and decided to keep the store open a little longer to prevent something. Since that night, no one in the stores had heard the footsteps through the office again. Even though we heard plenty of footsteps throughout the store, that's a story for another time.

 

 

 

🎄The Bayport Lady In White (Stand Alone)

 The Bayport Lady In White

 

 

All over the world, there are stories about the infamous ladies in white. The love-scorned woman wanders the roadways or waterways looking for a ride or, in some cases, causing an accident after being in the car with the driver. These women had taken their own lives and, in some cases, murdered their children. From most accounts and research, most of the men targeted are somehow unfaithful to the woman they're with, or she'll appear as a beacon of hope for women who are going through a similar situation that she had gone through. Let me tell you the story of my encounter with a woman in white.

 

This lady in white in question for today's story is a very mysterious woman. After years of research, I still have not yet found evidence of who she was or how she passed and became a lady in white. These women always appear in the area where they had spent their final moments. I checked old newspapers and historical documents for where this happened and could not discover who she was. I know she exists because my children and myself have seen her. When I mean saw her, I mean hit her. The lady in white ran in front of my truck, and I could have sworn I hit her because not only my children who were with me but the couple in the car behind us heard the impact.  

 

I was talking to an acquaintance, and he suggested that the white lady could have been part of the migrant or homeless population at the time. From the turn of the century until the 1980s, it could be hard to get to some locations as there were very few roads. From the 1900s to the 1980s, there were also a large migrant and homeless population in the area. I do know from newspaper articles that unmarked graves had been found around the area this incident happened, but who this white lady is is anyone's guess.

 

As someone who keeps track of local ghost stories, I didn't know about our mysterious lady until I had my run-in with her. My ex-husband and I were separated ten years ago, and my children and I have been having a rough time with it. We would have night drives when we were restless. What we would do is drive to Hernando Beach and go to Bayport docks as a way to relax. 

 

Well, one night, as we did our drive-thru at Bayport and we were heading back home when the incident happened. We were less than 30 ft from the exit, and there she was running, from one side of the road to the other clear as day. I slammed my brakes because I thought she was a human, and I thought I had hit her. The man driving behind me also hit his brakes. He jumped out of his car and ran up to my truck. He asked if I was alright and put my SUV in the park position as I was frozen. He told me to stay put. He went to the front of my truck, shook his head, and bent down to look under my SUV. He popped back up and said, "Where is she?" I was out of my SUV faster than you can imagine and ran around the car and looked for her. We then looked at both sides of the road and searched for this woman we thought I hit. We were confused that we had missed seeing her go to the side of the road. Everyone thought we heard the sound of my truck hitting her.

 

The man's wife, who was in the car behind us till this point, got out of the car and asked if we were alright. The man told his wife there was nothing there, and she said we all saw her. She made the sign of the cross as she said that the woman we saw must have been a ghost. As she said the words, it dawned on me that she could have been a lady in white or an apparition. It has been over ten years since I have seen her, and I honestly think she was reaching out to me because of the rough time I was going through. I hope for her she is now in a better place.

 

🎄Tea Time- Work Edition

 What happens at work? Wait and see.

🎄PODCAST- MEWE

 Weekly Podcast coming to mewe in mid january

🎄PODCASTS- TUMBLR

 New Video Podcast coming to Tumblr- Coming Soon

🎄Podcast- Facebook

 All new Podcast to my public FACEBOOK PAGE- Coming soon

🎄Tiktok- Podcast- Stories by the fire (Multibook)

December Nineteenth - Episode 1

Gather around the fire, kids. This new podcast will delve into the paranormal, mysteries, and just weird or interesting stuff. This podcast will be posted weekly starting at the end of January. Then I will post a new update every week. If you want to read anything beforehand, you can visit the blog w w w dot my crazy life again dot com.

But for today's story, did you know that one old Christmas Eve tradition was to tell ghost stories? Back in Victorian England, long before a cute and cuddly Christmas, families would gather around the fire and tell ghost stories. A Christmas Carol came from the Christmas-time stories. 

These stories did not stay around long in America, even before we became a country, due to Americans' views on witchcraft and magic.

But never fear, it is the year twenty twenty five, and you can still watch ghost movies and read paranormal stories anytime you want. So no matter what you do this Christmas, be safe, be merry, and I hope you have a little bit of spooky along with your Christmas.

🎄Grandma's House (5 book series)

The first thought I had when I woke up was how I got here. Sitting up, I realized I had no clothes on, and lying beside me was a man I did not know. Waking up, he turned over and looked at me and said, "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" I asked. "Who are you and why are you in my Grandma's bed? Where are our clothes?"

He looked around and got a look on his face as he said, "I know this is going to sound weird, are you a virgin?"

I chuckled and said, "No. It has been a while, but no."

"Are you sore?" He asked. "I am not a pervert, but I am a bigger guy down there, and if we did anything, you would be sore. My ex-fiancé used to complain."

"Could you turn around and close your eyes," I asked.

Climbing out of the bed I ran into the closet and came out wearing a pair of jogging pants and a tee shirt. I handed him some clothes that used to be my grandfather and said, "Thats the best I could find."

"Thank you," He said. I turned around and a moment later he said, "I am dressed."

"What is the last thing you remember?" I asked.

He thought about it for a moment and said, "I opened my apartment door and then nothing. What about you?"

"I had went to my Grandma's craft room and then nothing," I said.

He looked around and asked, "Should I expect your Grandma to walk in?"

"No," I said. Tearing up I said, "She passed away a week ago."

Rubbing my hands over my face I felt a ring rub over my cheek and looked at it. Grabbing his hand I saw he had a matching wedding band. We looked at each other and he said, "What the hell?"

There was a knock at the door and I said, "Come in."

A gentleman walked in and said, "Good Morning!"

"What is going on," I demanded.

"Calm down Massie," He said. "I do not like this any more than either of you will, but you both have been set up. I couldn't stop it. Please let me explain."

"Ethan I am sorry your parents did not want to wait for you to find the right one," He said. "So they found the one for you."

Turning to me, he said, "Massie, think back to when you were a child spending time with your grandma here. You might remember me."

I sat thinking and said, "Mr. Sims."

He looked relieved and said, "Good. Now sit down, you two. This is where things get bumpy. Massie, your parents want to take the mansion from you. You know your Grandma was a hoarder and a packrat, and the treasure of ages could be here, but you wouldn't know because of how packed the house is. The house is paid off and you were left with $250,000. Part of your Grandfathers will said that if you could not make a profit of three million dollars in the first two years, you would forfeit your inheritance and the estate goes to your parents. Your Grandma wanted you to keep it without your Grandfathers stipulations. She left a lot of cash all over the house but she had to be sneaky. There is an acount set up at first national bank with $5000 as a start up amount. The items in this home were things that your Grandma had collected all her life, items from vacation homes, and estates she had inherited. I do not know how much cash is around the home. But you have to keep items in the home and make it a home. I have a list of buyers for various items. The second part of his stipulations was you needed to keep the mansion as a mansion and it cannot be cleared out. So selling everything would put you in default."

"How do I play into it?" Ethan asked.

"Massies parents think your sudden wedding will cause scandal," Mr. Sims said. "Especially since she was seeing that donkey's ass and had ended it a month ago."

"Ethan your parents are friends with Massies and you know you must stay married for two years to recieve your inheritance from your Grandfather if you do not then you lose that and your position as CEO of the company. Everything will default to your Grandparents. I broke into your apartment and grabbed your clothing along with things you will need. They are in suitcases in the hallway. If you need anything from there take Massie with you. Your families are going to try to sabotage everything. The marriage license was signed by both of you when they drugged you last night. It was filed at seven this morning. If either of you fights this, you will lose everything."

Ethan took my hand and said, "So what do you say, Massie, do we make a go at this and destroy our families in the process. They messed with the wrong people."

Nodding, I squeezed his hand and said, "Damn straight."

"There is one more thing," Mr. Sim's said. "You need to sleep in the same room. They will be sending spies, you need to make this look real. Any questions?"

"Can I donate items," I asked. 

He smiled and said, "Charitable work like your Grandma. Yes, but check their value first. I will check on you every few days since I have to be the documentor of this whole shibang. That was one thing that both families agreed to. But they will want you to have dinners and get togethers, and you need to make this look and be real."

Ethan said, "Well, wife of mine, how about we go find the kitchen and get some coffee, getting to know each other."

"Food," I said quietly.

Mr. Sims said, "Don't worry Massie, I went food shopping and got stuff to start you all off. You just got back into town this week and I know you have not shopped yet."

He handed me an envelope and said, "That is the deposit forms and the home information. Included is also your bank card attached to the account we will be tracking. A ledger for your records, and keep the ledger accurate. Inside the ledger is a list if buyers. When you both settle in and get to know each other. We will meet up in a week."

Going into Grandpas dressor I grabbed some socks for Ethan and I, I said, "Lets see what Mr. Sims brought us for breakfast."

Going to the first floor I stopped to make sure the front door was locked. Ethan looked around in amazement and asked, "How big is this place?"

Smiling I said, "It is on a corner of two of the busiest roads in the city. It is five floors not including the basement. One hundred and thirty-six rooms."

"Well Shit," He said."Which roads?"

"Bayshore and Martin," I said. 

He laughed and said, "I never thought this was a mansion. I honestly thought this was a hotel."

I chuckled and said, "Wait till you see the views from the house."

Going into the kitchen, I saw a pile of non-perishables on the table. Looking through the bags, I found the coffee and filters. Once the coffee was made we sat at the table and Ethan said, "Tell me about you?"

"I am the youngest of three. Basically I was an oopsie," I said. "My parents was very blunt on that. My Grandma was my lifeline. While everyone saw me as a oops she saw me as a shining star. She would have me here unless my parents needed to me to be seen somewhere. When I was in highschool I started a blog filled with stories and writings. She encouraged me to self publish and I did. Slowly I started to gain a following and since I was sixteen I wrote twenty two books. They sell and I do well with it. I was in Europe when my Grandma got sick. My belongings are in her closet. I stayed with her when she was dying sleeping in the sitting room. After she died I was devestated. The will reading happened after the funeral and my parents were livid. I was able to stay here during probate and when it was over yesterday I was given the title to the house. I did not know about the stipulations. I am sorry they pushed us together, however since we are married I promise you I will be a faithful wife. I broke up with Jonathan because he cheated after 2 years together. What about you?"

Ethan chuckled and said, "How can I follow that up. Well I was told at twenty four my Grandpa passed away and I was made CEO of his crisis management firm. He solved all the fires in the business world and I trained with him since I was sixteen. Now at twenty seven I lead the most amazing team of people. I was engaged to a woman named Francesca until she decided to cheat as well. I heard about the marriage clause and thought they were joking. I promise you I will be faithful to you and who knows in fifty years we can tell our grandkids about this. On a side note I love to paint as a hobby. I guess I will be spending more time at home now."

Smiling I said, "Grab your cup and come with me."

He stood up and said, "Whats going on?"

"You'll see," I said. "This is a condensed tour ending with something you will love."

He looked skeptical and said, "Alright."

I took his hand and said, "This house is a four square, that means each floor has wrap around hallways. The bottom floor is for entertaining and work. Then living quarters on floor two three and four. The fifth floor was the old servant quarters."

We hit the roof and said, "But the top floor has some of the best views of the city. Especially at night." 

Walking onto the patio he said, "This is amazing. We need to come up here tonight and watch the lights."

"We can," I said. Leading him dowm the hall I opened the room and said, "This room is stocked with supplies and your welcome to use what you would like. Remember if you find any treasures please let me know."

"You're worried about turning a profit," Ethan said. "It will work out, I promise you that."

"If I knew my Grandma," I said. "She has cashed stashed all over the place. As long as we do not have any major disasters in the next two years we should be okay. I will burn the place to the ground before I let my parents or siblings get this place."

Ethan led me to a chair on the patio and asked, "You have a plan?"

"Yes I do," I said. "Write a few hours a day and then work through the house restoring it. She needs fresh paint, carpets, etc. Each room needs a good cleaning. I will be starting with our suite. I know those rooms like the back of my hand, it will be a bit of time though, as I will be searching every pocket, bag, drawer, and box. All my things are in the sitting room and my laptop is on the table. I think though. If you work from home at all you can use the office until I am ready to start there."

We walked around the floors and Ethan said, "I see a lot of crates. You were not kidding by the pack rat statement."

"No I wasn't." I said. "How will things work with your job?"

"Well our story will work a bit more since I have been working from home a bit lately," He said. "Francesca is the daughter of one of my managers. She would come in a bit after we split, trying to get back with me. My job requires me to travel sometimes, will you be alright with that?"

"Of course," I said. "How long are your trips normally?"

"Mostly two to three days," He said. "However, they can go for up to a week. You can join me on them whenever you want."

"That would be fun," I said. "I added pictures and articles to my blog and I could always work when you are working."

"But we do need to do something today," He said. "I have to go to the office and get some paperwork as we will be on our honeymoon for the next two weeks. Then I need to get some things from my apartment."

"Well then why don't we go to your office," I said. "Then we can go get brunch at Felimios."

"You need reservations for Felimios," He said.

Smiling I said, "I know people."

"Okay," He said. "The office, my apartment which is in the same building and then Felimios. We need to sell our being head over heels for each other."

I got close to him and kissed him. When the kiss was over he said, "Yeah we will be able to sell it. I am also open to all type of marital activity."

"That part we may have to take a little slower," I said. "There is stuff we will talk about when we get to know each other more but Jonoathan messed me up mentally when it comes to intimacy."

He stroked my cheek and said, "At your pace and you can tell me anything when you are ready. Lets get ready."

We went to the suite and he went to shower first while I picked the perfect honeymoon sundress out. When he came out, I jumped in the shower and came out in my sundress. He looked at me and said, "Massie you look amazing."

"Thank you," I said straightening his tie. "You look amazing yourself."

"How are we getting to my office?" He asked.

"Do you know how to drive a stick shift?" I asked.

"Yes I do," He said. 

"Good lets go to the garage," I said. Leading him to the garage, he saw all the vintage cars and said, "Be still my beating heart. Do they all run?"

"They sure do," I said twirling in a circle, "Which car would you like to drive?"

He saw the 1967 chevy impala and said, "Oh my god. We are taking her."

I got the keys out of the box and tossed them to him. He opened my door and got in after hitting the garage door opener. When we pulled out, we made sure that the door closed without anyone going in and Ethan drove us to his office. I said, "What is your last name?"

"Miller," He said. "You will be Massie Miller unless you want to keep your last name. It is up to you."

"Can I think about it?" I said. "At your office, I can be known as Mrs. Miller."

We pulled up to his private parking spot and he came around to open my door. Kissing my forehead he said, "Showtime."

Taking my hand he led me to the elevator and wrapped his arm around my waist. When we got to his floor we stepped off and everyone stopped short. A man in a suit came up to us and said, "Ethan we thought you were off the next two weeks?"

"Massie you remember my brother Ben," He said.

Catching on I said, "Hello Ben, it's great to see you again."

Ben came in for a hug and whispered, "I am sorry they did this to you both."

Ethan laughed and said, "Ben no stealing the bride. Let's go to the office and I can get my stuff so we can head to our honeymoon."

As we neared his office we heard, "Ethan how about we go to lunch."

I turned to see a stunning brunette saunter over to us and Ethan put hi arm around my waist pulling me close as he said, "Francesca I told you not to come up here and I am sorry my wife and I are heading out for our honeymoon."

She stopped short and her smile faltered, "Did you say wife?"

Curling against Ethan, I said, "He did. We are so happy we do not have to stay in the shadows to keep people from feeling hurt. But we knew it was meant to be so we locked ourselves in and tied the knot."

She looked between us and Ethan said, "Excuse us Fran I had to get some paperwork together and we are on our way out."

Going into the office with Ben than shut the door and Ben said, "She has been stalking the office man."

Ethan said, "It's okay. Hopefully, she gets the hint. But we are on our honeymoon and working only an hour a day while we are away."

Ben nodded and said, "I will handle things here and when you all get back I would love to have dinner. Did you guys decide where you are going to live?"

"Yeah," Ethan said. "We will live at Massies house at the corner of Bayshore and Martin."

Ben looked confused and said, "Th hotel."

"No my families estate," I corrected.

"Damn Ethan you lucked out," He joked. "Well if you want I will sublet your apartment once you get your stuff out. I need out of Mom and Dads house after all this craziness."

"Let us have our honeymoon and once we are back I will move out my personal stuff and you can move in," He said.

Ben said, "Thank you."

Ethan filled his briefcase with his files and a laptop. Then he took my hand and said, "Let's go to the apartment and then to brunch."

We walked out of th office and Ben said, "Massie I cannot wait to see the house and have dinner. I hope you cook better than Ethan."

Laughing I said, "Oh I am sure I can."

Ethan laughed and said, "My takeout skills are the best."

Back in the Elevator we went down two floors and took a tram to his apartment. Going in I looked around while he packed a suitcase. I said, "You do not have much stuff."

"No I do not," He said. "I was clearing out things when I broke it off with Fran. I decided I liked the minimalistic look."

"I agree it is much cleaner and I hope to be able to do the same in the mansion," I said. "At least as much as I am allowed."

He calle dout and said, "Can you see if my phone is out there?"

Looking around I saw it poking out from under the bench in the hall way.  I called back, "I found it."

Coming out he pulled up a contact and blocked a number. He said, "Fran has no shame and will double down regardless if i am married. I am stopping her from doing so."

"Well I removed jonathan from my phone," i said. "she was a bit forward."

Looking around he added a phone charger to his backpack and said, "Brunch i am starving."

"Same," I said as my stomach growled.

We both laughed and headed back to the car. When we got to Felimios, we parked and walked in. The owner came out and said, "Massie love I am so sorry to hear about your Grandma. Who is thos lad you have with you?"

"Bernard this is my husband Ethan," I said.

Bernard touched his heart and said, "You did not wait for me, my heart breaks."

"its our honeymoon," I said. "we married yesterday."

He clapped and said, "Congratulations, you both. We have a table on the garden terrace."

He led us to the terrace and handed us menus. A waiter came with two glasses of champagne and said, "A gift from Bernard. I will be back in a few moments to answer any questions and take your order."

After we placed a large amount of food and sat talking. I said, "I think it will be a great day to swim in the pool."

Ethan asked, "Is the pool heated? I love to do laps as a way to destress."

"Well, the pool is good for laps," I said. "The cover is great, and I love to float."

Ethan took my hand and said, "You float, and I will swim laps."

The server came out with our food and said, "Coffee?"

We both said, "Please."

We spent almost two hours eating and talking. We got boxes and when we asked for the bill the server said, "Bernard took care of the bill as our present to you as a wedding gift. We also have a few bags of food for you to take with you. Enjoy your honeymoon."

We got back in the car and headed home. Seeing Ethan relaxed driving, I asked, "What kind of car do you drive?"

"I will be honest with you," He said. "I normally borrow a company car when I need to go places."

"Well, you can use the cars we have at the house," I said. "There are quite a few. I will add you to the insurance when we get home."

"Really," He said. "I feel like you have done so much for us and I have done so little."

"We have been married less than twenty-four hours," I said. "This is not a competition it is a partnership."

He took my hand and kissed it. When we drove past the front of the mansion, we saw reporters waiting by the door. We opened the garage, pulled in and shut the door before any of the reporters could try asking us questions. I was already calling Mr. Sims as we got out of the car. 

He answered on the first ring and asked, "Massie is everything alright?"

"We have a front step full of reporters," I said. "What shoule we do?"

"I will be there in twenty minutes," He said. "I will come in the kitchen entrance."

When he hung up I said, "Since we have to put this in the fridge. Mr. Sim's said he will come in the kitchen entrance in the next twenty minutes."

Ethan said, "I think this is what he was warning us about when we spoke this morning."

We walked through the house and went to the kitchen. Ethan put the food in the fridge and I started a pot of coffee. When I couldn't sit still I started to move the groceries that Mr. Sims left for us into the pantry. Ethan chuckled from the door and said, "I appreciate that he brought us groceries to hide out here, However, It seems your grandma had this place fairly stocked."

"That she did," I said. "She discovered grocery delivery a few years ago and always overordered. Although I will check to see what is good still as we eat through this. I normally like to rotate the items and I do not think her staff did." 

Going into the kitchen I looked around and Ethan came over and hugged me as he said, "It will be alright you know."

Looking up at him I said, "We are a team and I guess figuring this out will be interesting."

A voice behind us said, "Yes it will, but that is why your grandma made sure I was here to help you."

Ethan said, "We are going to make this work. We don't agree with what our parents did, but we both are determined to make this work for us and who knows in a few years you may see some kids running around the halls here."

Mr. Sims smiled and said, "It will be a story for your grandkids for sure. I did make a few calls and apparently your parents made a joint statement to the social columns about your suprise marriage. You are on your honeymoon. I will go out and field questions. You did the right thing by going to your office today and being in public. Before I do, though, go ahead and freshen up, as I will have you come out and wave at the end. You will not have to make any statements."

We walked up to our suite while Mr Sims helped himself to some coffee. I brushed my hair, and Ethan said, "I think he wanted us to give him a moment. Eventually, we will have to come up with a story of how we met and why we moved so fast. But we do not need to do that anytime soon."

We went downstairs and waited in the hall. Looking around, I said, "Once we clear out the ballroom, we should have a party. To really drive the marriage home. That and to shove it in our parents face that we are not going to let them win."

Ethan nodded and said, "Well, I will be glad to help you with anything you need. But I think making the bedroom our own first would be the best thing."

Mr. Sim's answered questions al we watched from the window. He moved towards the door and Ethan wrapped his arm around me and said, "Round two."

We walked onto the stairs when Mr. Sims opened the door. We heard questions being shouted at us. The first question was, "Massie how does it feel to be married to Ethan."

Looking up into his eyes I said, "I feel blessed. I could never imagine that I would have found such an amazing partner."

Someone called to Ethan, "How is married life treating you Ethan?"

He pulled me closer and said, "I am in awe of having such a compassionate and loving partner who understands me."

Another reporter called out, "Should we expect a baby anytime soon."

Ethan chuckled and said, "Not yet. We want to try later on, however, we want to start our marriage spending time together and preparing for when the time will be right. Kids are definitely in the future though."

He leaned down and kissed me. Flashes went off as the reporters took pictures. I said, "Thank you for your interest, however, we are on our honeymoon and plan to spend this time together. Take care everyone."

We walked inside and Mr. Sims said, "Great job you both. Now I have a dinner date with my wife, and I will talk to you at the end of the week."

When he left Ethan said, "I know we said we would go for a swim, but I am tired. How about you and I have a date in bed with the TV."

Stiffling a yawn I said, "That sounds great."

We both started laughing and headed upstairs. We layed in bed with a old movie on and fell asleep fast. I woke up a few hours later and Ethan was nowhere in the room. Going to the top floor I found him swimming laps in the pool. I sat on a loungechair and watched him until he realized I was there. He swam to the edge of the pool and said, "You were sleeping soundly when I woke up, and I didn't want to wake you."

"No need to apologize," I said. "I think the drugs they used on us are still working their way out of our system."

"I was thinking," Ethan said. "Why don't I order us a pizza for dinner and we come up here to watch the sunset."

"That sounds great," I said. "Did you want to do more laps?"

"Would you mind," He asked.

"Not at all," I said. "I am going to go change into something warmer and grab a box and look through my closet."

He nodded and said, "I will find you."

Laughing I said, "The house has an intercom. It's the brass panels in most rooms."

He said, "I was not sure if it was decorative. See you soom."

Going inside, I headed to the master suite and changed into jogging pants and a sweat shirt. I placed to boxes next to the closet and started to sort. My Grandma and I had different tastes but she did have amazing tastes. Going through I kept things I know I liked and could use as Grandma and I were the same size. However, of the items, including the fur coats were definitely things that I did not want. I made sure I checked all the pockets as I looked at each and every piece. Chuckling to myself I started to find money in some of the pockets and bags. Grabbing a cup from the bathroom, I placed all the money I found into it. When Ethan found me some time later he saw the pile of clothes in the first box and saw the cup. 

I said, "I have found close to three thousand so far and I am not even a quarter of the way through this closet. I am guessing I am going to find a lot of surprises in here. I also found some jewelry I placed in her old jewerly box."

He said, "It is a big treasure hunt. What is that box there?"

"Clothing I am not going to keep," I said. "Grams and I had different tastes and I did keep more than what I thought I would. I will call the buyer once I get through the closet."

He asked, "Do you have formal clothes? My company does many charity and business banquets. Most are formal affairs; if you do not have dresses, we can get you some."

"Would you be morally opposed to formal wear that is vintage?" I asked.

"I honestly do not know what vintage is," He said.

Smiling I went into the closet and came out a few minutes later wearing a 1920s formal gown from Coco Chanel. Ethan whistled and said, "Wow."

"This is a prized dress I bought at a charity auction a few years ago," I said. "It is from the 1920s. I have a few more like this, and I know that there are more around the house. When I look in the dressing room and sort those closets, I know I will find plenty to wear to any and all charity events, business events, and even cocktail parties we can go to. Old dresses are becoming quite popular again. My Grandma had money, but boy, would we spend a day out shopping at thrift stores."

Walking around me and said, "Massie when you wear dresses like this out I will have to keep you on my arm because I would be afraid someone would try to steal you from me."

Coming over to him, I hugged him and said, "They could try to steal me, but I will make sure to point at my handsome husband and tell them I am yours."

Hugging me back, he kissed the top of my head, "Go get changed. I will always be surprised by what you wear."

Running into change I came out to him ordering pizza for delivery. He said, "The pizza will be here in an hour, will we hear the door?"

"Yes," I said. "We will hear it from the intercom."

"Good," He said. "How do you feel about working till they get here. You can continue with what you're doing, and I can answer some emails. That way, I do not go back to work in two weeks, swamped."

I said, "When we work in the morning, I will have to answer emails as well. Do you want to work in the office?"

Looking thoughtful he said, "No there is no reason for me to lock myself away. If you do not mind me muttering to myself, I willsit on the bed and you can continue on what you're doing."

Ethan opened his laptop and I continued on with the closet. I made sure to hold some clothes for any of Ethans events. He made a few calls while on his emails and I heard him say, "What the hell."

Looking up, I asked, "Everything okay?"

"I recieved an email from one of our businesses we deal with in Japan called Yan Sa Distributions," He said. "The sent an email congratulating us on our wedding and they want to host a dinner for us in their US office. The way the CEO is talking this was not a are we willing to allow them to throw us a party."

"Well," I said. "Tell them we are honored by their best wishes for our future. However, if they would like to throw us a celebration, we would be honored, although their best wishes are more than enough."

Ethan said, "That is a great reply. He asked me to call him. Can you listen for the doorbell?"

'Of course," I said. Ethan went through the door to the sitting room, and I heard him speak to the CEO. Then he graciously accepted as he came back in to look at his calendar. He looked at his calander and said, "September 1st, let me make sure Massie has no business plans one moment."

I gave him a thumbs up, and he said, "She said she has no business that day. We can be in New York for the banquet. Thank you, sir and reach out to me directly with anything we will need to know. Oh what does Massie do for a living? She is a talented writer and blogger. Her website is myinnerthoughts.com. Yes, I am very proud of what she does as it makes her happy, and she has quite a following. Of course, she would love to talk about her books with you in the future. I will speak with you soon."

When he hung up he looked at me and said, "I am so sorry I offered for you to speak with him about your books. He is very interested in books and travel."

"Ethan," I said. "You did not overstep. I am sharing my calendar with you now so we can track events. Do you need me to arrange the airfare and hotel?"

"No," He said. "I added in the banquet information and shared my calendar as well. We can see everything now. I do not see anything on your calendar except your annual doctor's appointment. You show as pink, and I show as blue."

"Perfect," I said. "You can do a purple color for things we need to do together, or events or trips you want me to attend with you."

"Great idea," He said. "I added the banquet in purple under a tag of us, along with the trip days. I will edit it when I get more information. He explained that in Japan, when a couple has been married for a month, they have a celebration. That is why it's a month out. Some families have small celebrations; however, ours will not be small."

The doorbell rang, and Ethan went to answer the door. I straightened up the mess of clothes in the pile next to my closet. I grabbed the jar and straightened the money when Ethan came in with the pizza box and two containers from the fridge. In the bag he had plates and drinks for us. He said, "Now we can watch some TV and eat some dinner. I still feel tired and sluggish. How about you?"

"I feel like I am pushing myself as well." I continued handing him a set of keys, "This is a set of keys to the front door, garage side door, and the kitchen door. Please make sure you keep the doors locked or people will try coming in to rent a room."

Taking the keys, he added them to his key chain and patted the bed. "Let us eat. What would you like to watch?"

We started flipping through the channels and found a documentary on Bigfoot. We ate and discussed what we were watching. After we ate Ethan ran the food back to the kitchen and when he climbed back in the bed we turned off the lights and settled into bed. Yawning I said, "We can let the TV play and fall alseep to it."

"Sounds good," He said. A few minutes later we fell asleep.

Chapter 3

When I woke up the following morning, Ethan was already up and in the sitting room with a cup of coffee looking out the window.

August 28-September 3rd- NY Wedding Celebration

Massie and Ethan--- Bayshore and Martin- 

myinnerthoughts.com

Felimios- bernard

Mr. Sims- Grandma's friend and lawyer

Jonathan- ex

Francesca- ex

Ethan's company associates- Yan Sa Distributions

First floor- 1. entry 2. coat room 3.Hall 1 4. Hall 2 5. Hall 3 6. Hall 4 7. Ballroom 8. Ballroom storage 9.Ballroom mens room 10. Ballrooms ladies room 11. Kitchen 12. Butlers pantry 13. Kitchen bathroom 14. pantry 15. Breakfast room 16. Dining Room 17. Banquet hall 18. Office 19. Office closet 20. Dining room storage 21. Dining room bathroom 22. Office bathroom 23. Stairs up 24. Landing to the second floor 25. Stairs to basement

Basement- 26. Laundry room 27. laundry storage 28. Storage room 1 seasonal 29. Storage room 2 household items 30. Storage room 3 furniture 31. Workshop 32. Workshop storage 33. garage 34. Garage storage 35. tool storage 36. hallway

second floor- 37. Master bedroom 38. master bedroom sitting room 39. master bathroom 40 master bedroom dressing room 41. Master mens closet 42. master ladies closet 43. hall 1 44. hall 2 45. hall 3

46. hall 4 47. Guest bathroom 1 48. guest bathroom 2 49. Mens lounge 50. ladies sitting room 51. Playroom 52. library 53. library closet 54. craft room 55. craft closet 56. Atrium 57. Lounge 58. lounge closet 59. stairs up 60. landing to third floor

third floor- 61. Nannys suite 62. nannys sitting room 63. nannys bathroom 64. nannys closet 64. Cleaning suppliy closet 65. nursery 66. childs room 1  67. childs room 2 68. childs closet 1  69. childs closet 2 70. childs room 3 71. childs closet 3. 72 chidrens bathroom 73. nursey closet 74. childrens library 75. childrens library bathroom 76 childrens library bathroom 77. stairs upstrairs 78. landing to fourth floor 79. guest bathroom.

fourth floor- 80. Library 81. library closet 82. library bathroom 83. guest suite 1 84. guest suite 1 bathroom 85. guest suite 1 closet 86. guest suite 2 87. guest suite 2 bathroom 88. guest suite 3 closet 89. guest suite 3 90. guest suite 3 bathroom 91. guest suite 3 closet 92 Mens smokeing room 93. ladies sitting room 94. hall 1 95. hall 2  96. hall 3 97. hall 4 98. TV room 99. tv room closet 100. tv room bathroom 101. landing to fifth floor

fifth floor- 102. Servant room 1 103. servant bathroom 1 104. servant bathroom 1 105. servant room 2 106. sevant closet 2 107. servant bathroom 2 108 Butler suite 109 butlers bathroom 110 butlers closet 111. butlers sitting area 112. hall 1 113. hall 2 114 hall 3 115. hall 4 116. game room 117. lounge 118. staff common room 119.staff common room bathroom 120 staff common room closet 121. hunting room 122. stairs to top floor 123. landing to top floor

Top floor- 124. Spa room 125. Pool 126. pool storage 127. indoor garden 128. Patio 129. rooftop bathroom 130. rooftop lounge 131. rooftop atrium 132. bar 133. bar bathroom 134. painting room 135. painting storage 136. painter room bathroom.

(needs 3,000,000)

$5000 Start up 365+365 (aug 1)

The Beachhouse! (5 Part series)1/2

As I went through the mail in my apartment, which I shared with my husband, there was a letter from a law office. Opening the letter, thinking I had forgotten a bill for something, I read that my great Aunt had left me a beach house in Central Florida. Reading the letter, I read the address for the beach house and discovered it was only thirty minutes away from our apartment. I called the law office, and I made an appointment to speak with the lawyer about the letter. They made an appointment for the following morning. I knew of the beach house from visiting my great Aunt when I was a child; however, I never thought she would leave it to me, as it had been years since we had seen each other.

I started to feel excited and looked forward to my husband Mike coming home so I could tell him about our luck. When Mike walked into the apartment, he looked like he was having a bad day, and I thought the news would cheer him up.

He looked at me and tiredly asked, "Why are you so cheerful?"

"Well, I have some news," I said. "Babe are you alright? You seem a bit down?"

He gave a sigh of annoyance and said, "You are making something out of nothing. What is the news?"

"Do you remember my Great Aunt Edna?" I asked.

He thought for a moment and asked, "The one who dyed her hair the weird colors?"

"That is the one," I said. "Apparently, she passed away and left me a beach house."

"So what are you going to do?" He asked. "Are you going to sell it? Or are you going to keep it and move us there so you can kick me out when you're in a mood?"

"Mike, where is this coming from?" I asked. "I thought we could use it as a weekend retreat. Or since it's thirty minutes away, we could move there and not have to pay rent. You have been working yourself to exhaustion, and this will give us wiggle room. Have time to send with each other and not have to pay ungodly rent anymore."

He went into the bedroom muttering under his breath, "Why would I want to do that?"

I got up to follow him, and he shut the door in my face. Turning, I sat on the couch. After a few minutes, he came out and said, "I have to go out for work."

Before I could say anything, he left, and I sat there thinking for a few minutes. I picked up my phone, and after the second ring, she answered. She laughed and said, "Mandy, I was going to call you. You must have been reading my mind."

I chuckled and said, "Lex, I need your advice."

"Sure, Mandy," She said. "This sounds serious."

For the next thirty minutes, I explained everything about the beach house and told her about Mike's reaction. She sat quietly for a moment and asked, "Did you ever change the prenup that he forced you into?"

"No," I said. "It still states that if either of us cheats, the other has to pay a hundred grand, and any inheritance received stays with that partner in case of a divorce."

She was quiet for a moment and asked, "Could he be having an affair?"

"I want to say no," I said. "But after tonight, it is a possibility."

"I will be there in twenty minutes," She said. "We are going out."

When Lexi arrived, she asked me, "Did you ever take the Find My Device location when we had to pick Mike up when he broke down?"

Looking at my phone, I said, "No, his device is listed."

"Where is he?" She asked.

Pulling up the location, I noticed it was at a house ten minutes from ours. I said, "Not at a restaurant."

She took my phone and said, "Alright, let's go."

We pulled up in front of the house, and Lexi asked, "You know this is not a business dinner."

I took a breath and said, "I know."

We watched, and I took my camera on my phone and started a video. In the windows, Mike appeared and a few seconds later a young woman wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. I said, "Well, he is going to be very unhappy." 

Setting up a text message, I sent it to Lexi and him. The label said, "Well, I guess Mike was not working all this time. At least we have the pre-nup."

Lexi got out of the car and checked the mail box. She took a picture of a letter in it, then she pulled away from the house, and a few moments later, Mike called. He was mad as he yelled, "You followed me."

"Not at first," I said. "But you lied to me. How long, Mike?"

He laughed and said, "This will never hold up in court."

"Do me a favor," I said. "Thank Misty, for the two hundred thousand dollars. I get my 100,000 back, and I get the money you put in for cheating. I would suggest you stay away for a few days."

"WHat proof do you have," He yelled.

"We took pictures and videos," I said. "Also, I downloaded your locations for the last month. We have pictures of you both and her name and address. So, Mike, we can be civilized, or we can do this the hard way it is up to you."

He laughed and said, "You can't touch me."

"But I have the pre-nup, which I filed when you forgot to," I said. "I figured you were busy; however, since you pushed so hard, I figured it would be smart. You get what you brought in and all your inheritances, I get what I inherited from my parents, aunt, and grandparents. If you want the apartment, I will be glad to remove my name from it. We have no kids, and all our accounts are separate. It can be an easy divorce, Mike. There is no going back from this."

After i hung up, Lexi said," I will stay in the guest room in case he comes home."

Nodding I asked, "What did I do to cause this?"

"Nothing," She said. "He is an asshole."

We get back to my house and went inside. Putting on some pajamas, we watched some tv and ate icecream from the container. when we both started yawning and I went to my room and Lexi went to the guest room. Laying in bed I thought to myself that my life was going to change forever.

Chapter 2

The next morning I woke up to Lexi making breakfast for us. She handed me a cup of coffee and asked, "How did you sleep?"

Sitting in a chair I said, "Horribly."

"What are your plans for today?" she asked.

"I have to meet with the lawyer about the inheritance," I said. "I might as well ask if they offer divorce services."

"Do you want me to go with you?" she asked. "I can call out from work."

"I cannot ask you to take off a day," I said.

She smiled and said, "Tough, I already did and told them a family emergency."

"Well the appointment is in an hour," I said. "We need to get ready and out the door."

We each took our plate and went to get ready. Twenty minutes later we were heading out to my car. Heading to the lawyers office we found parking and headed inside. When we walked in the receptionist took my name with a smile and said, "It will be a few minutes."

We sat talking and a few minutes later a elderly man came out and said, "Mandy I am sorry for the delay I had to take a call, I am Mr. Jenkins an old friend of your aunt."

Standing up I shook his hand and said, "Mr. Jenkins it i apleasure to meet you. I was surprised to get your letter. This is my friend Lexi."

We sat down and he looked at us and said, "You have known each other a long time. I remember your aunt mentioning the chaos you two would cause."

We both chuckled and Lexi said, "Our reputation proceeds us."

"Before we begin Mr. Jenkins," I said. "Does your office offer divorce lawyers."

He gave a warm smile and said, "I can help you with that as well. Please tell me you have a pre-nup."

"I do," I said taking a copy of the document out and handing it to him. "I discovered that my husband has been unfaithful and that is a deal breaker for me."

He read the document and he said, "This was filed at the courthouse correct?"

"Yes," I said. "He forgot and I did file this a week after we married. The funds are in an account with the courthouse as well. He thinks that it will not hold up in court. Can you please give me some good news."

He looked at me and said, "Give me a moment."

Picking up his phone he made a call. He gave the document number and started to smile. He asked the person on the phone to check the money that was submitted and ensure that the account is put on lockdown, as well as the prenup, and the soon-to-be ex-husband was trying to get out of the agreement. When he hung up, he turned back to us and said, "The account with the funds is locked until your divorce is completed. Your husband tried to have the documents removed and the account emptied. The clerk explained you would have to come in and state you wanted to end the prenup and empty the account. You're a lucky gal, your aunt paid ahead and left a retainer for me to handle what you would need. So before we get to the inheritance, let us get this divorce started. I do need to ask though, are you sure you want this?"

"Yes," I said as my phone rang. "Lexi, you know my house set up, can you answer some questions for me?"

Standing up I walked to the back of the room and answered the call,"Hello?"

"Good morning miss is this Mandy?" The voice asked.

"Yes it is," I said.

"Oh good," She said. "This is Mary Ellen at Branches Credit Union. Your husband is in the bank trying to withdraw a large amount on his emergency card. Did you authorize this?"

"I most certainly did not," I said. "Please deny this and any transaction from anytime after eight last night. We are in divorce proceedings, and he is trying to steal from me. I was going to remove him from everything when I got home from the lawyer's office."

"I will lock all your accounts from here," She said. "Please start all the removals now, as he seems to be in a rush. I will follow up with you later today."

I hung up and walked to my bag, grabbing my tablet. I said, "He is trying to steal everything now."

I had a folder labeled accounts and started logging into each one and removing him from the cards he had emergency cards for. Mr. Jenkins said, "If you find charges that are not meant to be there let me know we will add that to the divorce decree."

Calling the storage facility that held my parents estate I explained to the worker that I needed to change the code immediately due to someone trying to steal from me. She said, "I changed the code and will send it to your phone now."

After she confirmed my phone number and put a lock on the account so only I could get information on the account. When I was finished removing him from all my accounts I said, "I see some charges that are not mine. So far I think its around four thousand in charges."

"You will send me a list of those charges," Mr. Jenkins said. "I will help you sort them. If they are not true emergency charges then he will have to pay you back."

After another thirty minutes and said, "I will have this divorce filed later today and will submit all the evidence that you have on the infedelity. Since you do not own a home together, have no children and your car is in your name you should have no issues with a quick divorce. There is only a thirty day cool down period which will start today."

He called in his assistant and said, "I need these divorce papers drawn up immediately. Please make sure everything is ready in the next hour or so. This gets moved to the front of your work."

He nodded and said, "Sure thing boss."

When he left the room Mr. Jenkins said, "Now for the fun stuff. Let us talk about your inheritance."

My phone rang again and I noticed it was my work. I said, "I am so sorry."

Answering it I said, "Hello?"

"Many it is Scott are you alright?" My boss asked.

"Physically yes," I said. "Heart broken though. Whats going on?"

"Scott was at the resort today trying to use your discount with a young woman," He said. "But your employee account shows he was removed. I know you do not work till later this week, so I figured I would check in."

Giving Scott the abbreviated version of what was going on, he let out a low whistle and said, "I will handle it on our end. Let me know if there is anything you need. We are a work family here, and we don't tolerate this stuff."

We ended the call and said, "He tried taking Missy to the resort. This man has no shame."

Mr. Jenkins said, "Well he will not be at your beachhouse, nor will he be able to touch the rest of the estate your Aunt left you."

"Estate," I asked.

"The beachhouse was just the beginning," He said. "You also inherited 3.4 million dollars and four storage containers of items from the various homes she owned, plus an investment account in the amount if 1.5 million. Plus two cars and a boat."

"Oh my god," I said. "The beach house, though, did it get damaged from the last hurricane?"

"No," He said. "The home is along a river with a beach and is raised. The water did not breach the bottom floor of the home. You are thankfully inland enough that the water took the beach for a few days, but the home was fine."

He handed me a set of keys along wth a folder and said, "Mandy, you are officially a homeowner. The insurance has a five-year credit courtesy of your Aunt. This envelope contains all the information you need for the home and accounts. Only you can sign for the accounts. When my assistant is done with the divorce papers, I will need you to swing through and sign them."

I said, "I think we are going to check out the house and see what needs to be done. That way I can start packing everything up I am keeping in the apartment."

Mike called me while we were in the office and I picked up and said, "What Mike?"

"Pack my belongings from the apartment," He said. "I am moving in with Missy."

"I am not your maid Mike," I said. "I am at my lawyer's office now and have to go to the beach house to get an idea of where I am moving to. I have blocked all your access to my accounts, and as you made some rather large purchases that were not for emergencies, you will have to pay me back. My lawyer will be handling all of the amounts to present to the judge."

"The prenup will not hold up in court," He said. 

"Yes, it wil,l Mike," I said. "It was notarized and filed within thirty days of our wedding. In our state, it is valid, and you cannot touch anything I inherited. I filed for the divorce, and I would suggest you get a lawyer because they are on the way to the courthouse."

"I thought you wanted kids and a family," He said.

"I did when I thought you were a faithful husband," I said. "I know this affair has been going on for over three months, and there are no second chances. She can have you, and I will begin packing up the house when I am free. All contact should be limited through our lawyers."

"Well," He said. "I hope you are ready to lose everything."

"By Mike," I said.

Mr. Jenkins said, "I read the pre-nup, and he cannot take it from you. The only sections were where you keep your inheritance, the items you purchased on your own, and your own financial accounts."

We left, and I drove us to the beachhouse. Pulling up in the driveway, I said, "It looks empty."

Going up the stairs to the front door, I opened the door, and we walked in. There was a stack of boxes leading to the stairs that said, "Belongings of Edna. I was instructed to empty the drawers, cabinets, and closets and pack away the belongings until you wanted to look through them. The only things in the rooms are furniture. Mr. Jenkins."

Lexi looked at the note and said, "That will make it easier to move in."

Going upstairs, I found a large master suite and two bedrooms across the hall with a bathroom in between. In the hall was a large storage closet with shelves and a linen closet as well. At the end of the hallway there was a door that led to the second-floor screened patio. going back downstairs I looked around the living room, A large kitchen, pantry, office, bathroom, laundry room, and another screen porch that connected to the wrap-around porch and greenhouse. I said, "This place is perfect to start over at."

We went to the side door that held the garage. Going down the stairs I saw it held a truck and jeep. Outside the side door, we saw a pontoon boat that was sitting under the carport.

Lexi said, "This place is move-in ready. You do not have to worry about anything."

Smiling I said, "I guess we'll go into town and get some lunch while we wait for me to sign the divorce papers."

Opening the folder Mr. Jenkins gave me, I saw the note for the debt card on the account listed, mad money, and the amount from the most recent statement. Putting the card in my wallet, I said, "Lunch is on Aunt Edna, and I believe a shopping trip to Target is in order to personalize the house. I know I will be bringing my things, but I want to start with new things here."

Lexi said, "Oh, a shopping trip will be fun."

Going into the office, I placed the folder in the top drawer of the desk and found the key that locked it. When we headed back to town, I called the leasing office and asked what it would cost to cancel the lease. Explaining to the worker about the divorce and the move, she said, "If Mike comes in to sign paperwork that he is leaving as well, we will not charge a fee. As it's the end of the month I see you already paid for next month, so you have till the end of next month to move. The sooner you are out the sooner we can paint and clean the carpets. Some personal advice, I know you do not use the storage locker for your apartment. Place Mike's belongings in it so he cannot start a fight with you. Once you sign, you are moved out, and we see the apartment is empty, he will be charged rent until the storage for your apartment is emptied. We also take pictures when you leave, in case there is an issue."

When I hung up Lexi said, "Cracker Barrel for lunch, as you love the store. Target is also in the same plaza as well as the Dollar Tree. We can go from place to place until Mr. Jenkins calls you. If we have to check out and go back, we can. Then we can bring everything to the house and start putting it away."

We ate lunch and then I looked around the gift store picking up some things for the new house. When we got back to my car Mr. Jenkins called to say that the papers were ready. We headed back to his office, and he walked me through the papers and had me sign where I needed to. When I was done, he handed me a copy of everything I signed and said, "We will call you when we get a date. I am going to push to have it done soon."

When we left we headed back to the Dollar Tree, we grabbed everything I would need from there and went into target. We had just started filling the first cart when I heard, "Mike, you should make her buy your groceries, it is the least she could do when she block you from your money."

Behind us was Missy and Mike. I smiled and said, "Well, Missy, the cards he has been using were all mine and he had no money in there to use. Mike wastes his money, which you will soon find out, and although he does work he spends a lot on himself. If you will excuse me I am trying to shop for my new house. Also, Mike, I spoke to the apartment complex. I will be packing starting tonight, and all your things will be moved into the storage unit next to our apartment. If you do not sign the papers, YOU will be charged for the rent as they will take pictures once I move out."

Walking away Lexi and I had a system, we would fill a cart and then after I checked out Lexi would bring everything to the car. We did this three times and I loaded down my SUV. When we headed back to the SUV the last time Mike approached me and said, "Spending my money?"

"No," I said. "I am using some of my inheritance from Aunt Edna. You forget I did not need your money at all. Good luck explaining to Missy you cannot keep track of your money. Worked out great as I cannot wait to move into my new home, it is perfect. Now excuse me I have to go unpack this and pick up boxes for the apartment. I want to be out as soon as possible."

We loaded the remaining items into my SUV and left with Mike staring at us. After picking up some cold drinks we spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and setting up the house. Before dinner, we had everything unpacked and headed back to my apartment after picking up a bunch of boxes. Lexi went to go home and told me she would call me later. I sat down at the kitchen table and made a list of what needed to be done.

Master bedroom, masterbath, mikes closet, my closet, guest room, guest clost, gameroom, gameroom closet, kitchen, pantry, bathroom, dining room, living room, living room closet, hall closet, linen closet, laundry room, laundry room closet, patio.

Then I started to change my address on all my accounts to the beach house. When that was done, I heated up a frozen pizza for dinner and changed my address with the post office. Taking the boxes into the game room I removed my PS 5 and boxed it up, along with all of my games. Once that was done I Started a new box labeled living room for my place and Mike on the other. I emptied the drin fridge we had and placed that next to the dining room table along with my PS 5. I made sure all of Mikes stuff was packed and in the storage closet when I filled boxes. Moving everything as I cleaned. No second guesses or regrets. When sleep started catching up with me, I made sure I placed all of Mikes things into the storage unit and sent a text, "I started with the game room. Your items are in the storage closet, same key as the apartment. I will be packing all day tomorrow. Please come get your things when you can."

Looking around the game room I was pleased with how much I got done. I went to the laundry room and packed the items I washed and switched the wash load of things I had from the bedroom to the dryer. Placing the box on the dining room table labeled linen closet I went to take a shower. By the time I got out and double checked the locks I was falling asleep. Putting the TV on to listen to a show as I went to sleep my phone alerted that there was movement infront of my video camera. Looking at the screen, I saw Mike and Missy there getting Mikes belongings out of the storage unit. Staying awake until they were done. I made sure to copy and time-stamp the video and save it in case he tried to start something. Then I fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up the next morning to my boss calling, "Hello."

"Morning sunshine, are you awake enough to talk?" Scott asked.

Sitting up I asked, "Whats up Scott?"

"So Mike came up here last night and issued a complaint against you," He said. "I cleared everything up with the bosses but how would you feel about cutting back and working remotely until the divorce is finished?"

"So basically working on marketing and advertising from home?" I asked.

"Among other things," He said. "I have a few projects I am setting up for you that will work for working from home. I will have all your work gear ready by saturday. I know you want to work your full time hours and I am going to try getting you those. I will bring by your work phone, laptop and new employment contract on Saturday. Will that be alright?"

"Yeah," I said. "It will give me time to get everything shopped for an mostly moved to the new place. Can I use PTO?"

Scott said, "Better you than me Mandy. I will have the PT put in for this week. Well you take care and I will see you soon."

Hanging up I went to the kitchen and went make coffee. I was about to load up everything I was taking with me when my doorbell rang. Opening the door Lexie stood there with breakfast and walked in saying, "I am not staying only stopping by to tell you I can help you on Sunday."

Laughing I said, "Damn your spidey senses must have been tingling. I was going to call you."

"Why," She asked. "What happened?"

As I sat and made a shopping list for the stores I wanted to shop at this week I told her about what happened at work. She got angry and said, "Oh what bull shit. But at least you will be moved into a new place and far away from him soon enough. Did you check the deep freezers in the pantry? DId you make sure they are ice cold?"

"I did," I said. "I will also double-check when I go to the house with these items."

"What are you doing with the boxes of your Aunts items?" She asked.

"I am going to go through them when I go out there a little at a time," I said. "Thanks to Mike, I am using vacation time. But you'd better get going, or you will be late."

She jumped up and said, "I will call you later."

When she left, I dragged everything I was keeping to my SUV. I was glad Mike and I had bought our cars separately. Seeing that I had some room left in the SUV, I headed to Sam's and grabbed a cart. Getting a drink from the food court, I shopped, getting things I wanted instead of things that Mike insisted on. When I filled the first cart, I got a second one to finish shopping. Once I paid and loaded the SUV and headed to the beach house. When I got to the house, I checked the bottles of water I out in both of the freezers. I was glad that they froze as well as they did since i had a large amount of meat and frozen.. I brought everything in the house and unpacked as I heard thunder in the distance. As it lightly rained, I enjoyed the peace that I felt in the house. As I hated driving in heavy storms, I started going through Aunt Edna's things. A few things I kept, and a lot of the items I put in the SUV to drop off at the local charity store. The storm continued for part of the early afternoon and by the time it stopped, I headed to the charity shops. Happily they took the whole SUV worth of items and they even gave me some emty boxes they had left so I could pack some more. 

Arriving at home I decided that I would work on packing Mikes closet. Grabbing a large box I started to pull out his shirts and pants folding them into the box. When I picked up his suit, I realized that it was havier than I thought. Inside the suit was some of my jewelry that he said I had misplaced. I started checking everything and found cash and more of my missing belongings. By the time I was halfway through packing his closet and I had a small pile of my belongings back along with a couple of thousand in cash. But if he asks me, I do not know what h is talking about, as he said I must have lost it. I kept cleaning and finished his closet. I put his full boxes into the storage unit. I went back to the gameroom and headed to the closet. When I got hungry, I was halfway through the gameroom closet. Making a quick sandwich, I sent Mike a text saying you have items in the storage.

He responded, "You are very annoying. I do not need to know every time you put things in there."

"thats fine," I said. "I would rather be annoying and then you can't say I didn't tell you. Your closet is in the storage unit now. I am trying to be civil. Have a good night."

I ate and laid down. I went to sleep and when I heard a camera alert, I left it alone until I woke up the following morning. When I woke up I copied the security feed and saw him check his suit. When he saw the suit pockets was empty he got angry but what could he do. I sat up and got ready for the day. Getting into the SUV I stopped at chick fila for breakfast and headed to the canned goods store. Filling up a cart I loaded it into the SUV and walked to the next store in the plaza which was the italian market. I sighed when I walked in smelling everything in the store. I filled a cart and loaded the perishables in my SUV cooler. I went to the english market last and by the time I finished shopping at that store I filled the SUV. Like the day before I unloaded and unpacked everything. I soent an hour going through the boxes and noticed I had only a few boxes left, so I decided to finish going through the boxes. When I was done everything was dropped off at the charity shop.

When I got home I went to the patio and decided what to keep. I decided that I really did not like much of what was out here. I loaded the plants I had into the SUV along with the chaise lounges. Everything else I placed in the storage unit. Going into the laundry room I cleaned out the closets. Once that was done I went to the hall closet. When all the items were loaded or stored I went to Costco, dollar general and hobby lobby. Getting everything unloaded and unpacked I made quick work of everything. On the way home I went to rural king and purchased a large amount of Mason jars along with bulk foods. 

Going back home I finished packing up the gameroom closet and the gameroom. When my alarm went off for dinner I started to cook a premade pot pie from sams club. I placed that in the oven and I started to pack up the pantry. I made a box for myself and a box for Mike. I placed the items into the storage and my SUV and worked on some of the kitchen until dinner was done.

I sent him a message, "Its the annoying one I added many items to the storage unit. Enjoy."

When I finished eating I went to lay in the bedroom and and placed a order for BJ's pick up the following morning. As I laid in bed I was grateful that I had gotten so much done. I was hoping by Sunday I would be moved into the new house.

Master bedroom, masterbath, my closet, guest room, guest clost, kitchen, bathroom, dining room, living room, living room closet, linen closet, laundry room, 

BJ, walmart, target, winn dixie, publix, aldi, asian marketm family dollar, michaels, ollies, save alot, dollar tree, murphys market, luiz market, chinese market, HGC international markey, last chance store, bulk store, marties everything store, resturant supply store.

Mandy- Main

Mike- husband (Missy- Mistress)

Lexie- Best Friend

Mr. Jenkins- Lawyer

Scott- Boss