The gulls had already claimed the morning before Ellie even opened her eyes. Their cries drifted through the cracked cottage window along with the scent of salt air and pine. For one blissful second, she forgot where she was.
Then she remembered. She was in Blue Harbor.
And strangely enough, instead of the familiar heaviness waiting for her the moment she woke up, there was only a soft flutter of anticipation.
Ellie rolled onto her back and stared at the beadboard ceiling above the bed. Pale morning light stretched across the tiny cottage bedroom, warming the faded quilt tangled around her legs.
It was…quiet here. Not silent. Never silent. It was a different kind of noise than the city. The distant hum of fishing boats drifted in through the window. Someone laughed somewhere outside. A screen door slammed. Wind chimes tinkled softly nearby. Life here was…slower. Like the town breathed at a completely different rhythm.
She lay there another moment before reaching for her phone on the nightstand. Pushing herself into a sitting position, she looked down at her phone. Three missed emails. Two client follow-ups. One notification from her mother asking if she’d “settled in yet.”
Ellie groaned softly and dropped the phone back onto the nightstand. Nope. Not today.
For the first time in months, she didn’t want to open her laptop immediately. Didn’t want to stare at fonts or ad campaigns or color palettes until her eyes blurred. Instead, she pushed out of bed and padded toward the tiny kitchen in oversized pajamas and fuzzy socks.
The small cottage was charming, with white cabinets and open shelves lined with mismatched cups, plates, and bowls. A chipped blue kettle sat on the stove like it had belonged there forever.
After returning from her walk to the docks and lunch at the little restaurant yesterday, Ellie had spent the rest of the afternoon getting acclimated to the cottage. Unpacking. Wandering from room to room. Opening windows to let in the salty breeze.
As she reached for the bag of coffee now, the image of the man from the docks slipped unexpectedly into her mind, making her pause.
She hadn’t meant for him to catch her staring. But honestly? The man had been very easy on the eyes.
Tall. Wind-tousled dark hair. That laugh.
A tiny smile tugged at her lips before she could stop it. She wondered if she’d ever see him again. Probably. It was a small town after all. Unless he’d already sailed off somewhere on his boat, disappearing back into whatever life belonged to him beyond the harbor.
She went back to preparing her coffee then opened the window over the sink while the coffee brewed.
Cool ocean air rushed inside, carrying the scent of sea grass and low tide. Ellie closed her eyes briefly. Okay. Maybe coming here hadn’t been a terrible idea after all.
A few minutes later, mug in hand, she stepped out onto the little porch attached to the cottage. And nearly dropped her coffee.
A golden retriever sat directly in front of her steps. He looked up at her with deep, soulful, brown eyes. The dog wagged his tail once. Then twice. He tilted his head to the right, then to the left, then barked.
She blinked. “Uh…”
The dog looked entirely too pleased with himself.
“You don’t live here,” she informed him cautiously.
He barked again.
“Well, that clears things up.”
The retriever bounded up the steps like they’d been best friends for years and shoved his head against her leg.
“Oh! Okay, then. Personal space, apparently, isn’t your thing.” She laughed, setting her coffee carefully on the porch railing before the dog had a chance to knock it from her hand.
The retriever immediately rolled onto his back at her feet. She stared down at him. “You’re one of those dogs.”
Tail thump.
“Of course you are.”
“Murphy!”
A male voice carried across the neighboring yard.
Ellie glanced up. And promptly forgot how to breathe for a second. The man jogging toward her looked exceptionally good for this time of the morning.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dark hair still damp like he’d just jumped from the shower. Faded gray T-shirt stretched across his chest. Well-worn jeans covered strong, heavy legs. A worn baseball which had seen much better days shielded his gaze. He had an easy stride. One she could watch. For a long time. With a hitch in her breath, she recognized him from yesterday, at the dock.
“Well,” he said, slightly out of breath as Murphy continued demanding belly rubs, “I see he’s already making himself at home.” He stopped at the bottom of the steps, looking down at the dog, then at her. Her belly did weird flip-floppy things just then. His eyes—-
Warm, dark coffee brown with laugh lines at the corners.
She looked down at the traitorous dog currently sprawled dramatically across her feet. “He broke into my morning coffee routine.”
The man grinned. And wow. That smile should come with a warning label.
“Sorry about him. Murphy thinks everyone in Blue Harbor exists solely to adore him.”
Murphy barked proudly.
“See?” the man gestured toward the dog. “No shame whatsoever.”
She laughed softly before she could stop herself. And just like that, something eased inside her. Something tight she hadn’t even realized she’d been carrying.
The man crouched beside the dog and scratched behind Murphy’s ears. “You bothering the new neighbor already?”
The words registered a second later. Neighbor.
Ellie blinked. “Wait…you live next door?”
“Unfortunately for you.” His grin widened slightly when she laughed again.
“I’m Jake,” he said, standing and offering his hand. “Jake Coleman.”
She shifted her coffee mug awkwardly before taking his hand. Warmth and strength enveloped her hand. Rough calluses brushed against her palm. Something about that tiny detail caught her off guard. Not polished. Not corporate. Real.
“Ellie Hart.” She felt the squeeze of his hand and her thoughts scrambled for a moment.
“Welcome to Blue Harbor, Ellie Hart.”
The way he said it made the town sound less like a vacation spot and more like …home. A place she could belong.
Murphy leaned against her leg again.
Jake sighed dramatically. “Great. He’s adopted you now.”
“I’ve known him thirty seconds.”
“Doesn’t matter. Murphy moves fast.”
The dog barked again as if confirming this.
Ellie smiled down at him before glancing back at Jake.
“So what exactly does one do around here besides trespass onto strangers’ porches?”
Jake shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking back slightly on his heels.
“Well…there’s coffee at Harbor Bean if you’re smart. Lobster rolls at Maggie’s Dock Shack if you’re smarter. Bonfires on the beach if the weather cooperates.” He tilted his head slightly. “And tourists watching from the docks is always entertaining.”
“Oh, is that an official town activity?”
“Absolutely.”
She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Do locals score tourists somehow?”
“Only if they wear socks with sandals.”
Ellie gasped. “That feels targeted.”
Jake laughed.
And there it was again—that easy warmth in his voice that made her feel unexpectedly comfortable. Dangerously comfortable. Which honestly made no sense considering she’d known him all of three minutes.
“So,” he said, “what brings you to Blue Harbor?”
The question should’ve been simple. But she hesitated, because she honestly didn’t know how to answer anymore. Burnout? Escape? Running away from the life she’d spent years building? Trying to remember who she was before every day started feeling exactly the same?
Instead, she lifted one shoulder lightly. “I needed a change of scenery.”
Jake studied her for half a second longer than most people would’ve. Not invasive. Just…observant. Like he heard the answer underneath the answer.
“Happens to a lot of people here,” he said quietly.
Something about the gentleness in his voice made her chest ache unexpectedly. Before she could respond, Murphy suddenly darted off the porch toward the street.
Jake groaned. “Murphy!”
The dog ignored him completely.
“Guess that’s my cue.” Jake tipped his head toward her. “I’ll let you settle in.” He started down the steps before pausing. “Oh—and Ellie?”
“Yeah?”
“If Murphy shows up demanding snacks later…”
“He’s my problem?”
Jake smirked and lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Could be.”
Then he jogged after the dog, leaving her standing there smiling like an idiot into her coffee mug. She watched him disappear down the street before catching herself. Seriously? You just met him.
But even as she turned back toward the cottage, she realized something strange. For the first time in months… she felt awake.
Alive.
And somehow that felt even more terrifying.
Later that afternoon, Ellie walked toward the harbor with her camera hanging from her shoulder.
Later that afternoon, Ellie wandered down toward the harbor with her camera hanging from her shoulder.
Blue Harbor looked like something pulled straight from an old postcard. Weathered fishing boats bobbed gently in the marina. Flower boxes overflowed beneath shop windows. Wind carried the sharp scent of saltwater and fresh seafood through the air while gulls circled overhead, crying out across the docks.
Everywhere she looked, there was texture. Color. Life.
For the first time in months, her fingers actually itched for her sketchbook.
She paused near the marina, lifting her camera automatically toward a row of bright lobster buoys hanging along the side of one of the bait shops.
A bark echoed across the dock. She turned just in time to see a familiar golden blur racing toward her.
“Murphy?”
The dog bounded toward her like he’d been waiting for her all day. A laugh escaped her as he skidded to a stop beside her, tail wagging so hard his entire body wiggled with it.
“Well, hello to you too.” She glanced around for Jake. If Murphy was here, so was his handsome owner.
Murphy immediately pressed against her legs demanding attention, completely unconcerned with the fishermen working nearby or the tourists wandering the dock.
“You’re awfully sure we’re friends now.” She scratched behind his ears. “Good thing you’re cute.”
“Careful,” a warm voice called out. “That’s how he gets you.”
She glanced up, shielding her eyes from the afternoon sun.
Jake stood near the end of the dock beside a small fishing boat, sleeves rolled up as he secured a rope along one of the pilings. Late afternoon sunlight glinted off the water behind him while the breeze tugged at his dark hair beneath his cap.
And there it was again—that ridiculous little flutter low in her stomach.
Jake rested one hand against the piling and grinned. “Murphy’s got the entire town convinced he’s harmless.”
Murphy barked happily, entirely unapologetic.
“I’m beginning to think he runs this town.”
“Oh, he absolutely does.” Jake nodded toward the dog. “We all just live here.”
A couple walking past waved at Jake, and he lifted a hand in greeting without missing a beat. Everyone seemed to know him.
And somehow, watching him standing there on the dock—with the boats behind him and Murphy circling happily around his feet—Ellie realized he fit this place as naturally as the tide itself.
Rooted. Familiar. Steady.
The complete opposite of how she’d felt for a very long time.
Murphy leaned against her leg again, looking entirely pleased with himself.
And strangely enough…so did she.
Thanks for reading episode two of Summer Dreams. I hope you’ll return next Sunday for the third installment.
Episode Three — Arriving Sunday, May 24th
A rainy afternoon, an unexpected conversation, and the growing feeling that Blue Harbor may be changing Ellie in ways she never expected.