No Vacancy...

She should have realized the beach house was occupied by the varying and numerous tracks that littered the sand around it, but she wasn't completely coherent at the moment. With an early morning flight arrival, followed almost immediately by a rehearsal and two interviews with the media, it had already been a busy day. She was still getting used to the fact that she didn't have to cram her time catering to the demands for everybody else except herself, and her scheduling (or lack thereof) reflected this. She felt like there was always something that needed to be done.

This would be the first time she'd actually force herself to relax in years.

Slipping the key in, she unlocked the front door, but didn't even manage to open it halfway before it got jammed on a stray shoe one of the kids had left by the entrance.

She stared at the shoe and sighed. He said she could borrow his beach house whenever she liked. She just never told him when that would be. Obviously, now wasn't a good time.

She wasn't about to intrude on the happy family life.

Thinking some of the kids would appreciate the treat, she left a package of cookies that were meant for the restaurant by the entrance and silently closed the door.

As she made her way back down the beach, she felt in her pocket the old key with the incription 'Neil J' and wondered if she should have just left it in the lock when she left.