The Right Fit
Chapter 1
29 year old Blakely Lowry walked down her stairs, towards the sand. She took in a deep breath of salty air and smiled. She looked to her left to see a little girl making a sand castle, with her mom watching closely from a chair.
To the right she saw a couple running along the waters edge, and a few yards away a dad was teaching his little boy how to fish from ankle deep water. Galveston Island, Texas, it wasn't anything special to everyone else but to her, it was home. She loved the island life with everything she had.
"I miss you daddy" she whispered to the waves in front of her, her right hand moved to touch the scar that set close to her collar bone. Talking to the waves and touching her scar was something she found herself doing a lot the last year.
"Blake!" she turned to see her best friend waving from her porch, Blakely smiled and waved back. "are you ready?"
"see you in a month" she said to the waves, before turning to walk to her best friend "coming!" the girls hugged tightly before turning around
"you packed and ready?" Susanna asked her as they walked into the house
"yea, i packed quite a bit" she said walking to the island in her kitchen, she picked up her phone and smiled at the text from her brother
"your flight leaves in T-minus 3 hours" Susanna said looking at all the bags
"I cant wait"
"Cole will be there to pick you up from the right?"
"yes mom"
"hey, hey" she said putting her hand up, Blakely smirked "im just making sure! you know I worry about you and Africa is not a safe place and im worried about you"
"Don't worry about me. Cole will be there and he has a friend from England staying with him as well, I will be just fine. I promise Cole has everything under control"
"promise me if you fall in love while you are there, I will be the first to know?" Blakely laughed loudly before walking around the Island "Blake!"
"fine, you will be the first to know!"
"thank you" Susanna said sitting on the stool, she watched her best friend check for her passport, and flight itinerary
"money, license, passport, credit cards, phone.....Susanna?"
"yeah"
"thank you so much for watching the house for me" she said with a smile, Susanna returned the smile
"of course, but where is Bailey?"
"she's with Lacey" Susanna giggled as Blakely nodded
"Lacey doesn't even like dogs" Blakely grinned "Which is weird, considering that your mom is a vet"
"David is ready for a baby, so Lacey thinks watching Bailey will get her ready. Thankfully David actually likes animals so at least I know she is in good hands with him there" Susanna sighed as Blakely zipped up her backpack "im sorry I didn't invite you"
"its ok, I completely understand. What's the plan once you get there?"
"we are going to stay in Lesotho for 2 weeks, then head to Jeffreys bay for 2 weeks and the last week we will be in Malawi. Then i come home"
"your dad would be so proud, what's you mom say about you going?"
"it was his favorite place in the world, Jeffreys bay" she said with a smile, Susanna watched as her best friend touched the scar, something she saw her friend do often "and my mom" she laughed "she isnt talking to me, but oh well, I hope I love it just as much as he did "
"you will, you are so much like him Blake" Blakely's fingers reached from the cross around her neck
"I miss him so much Susanna" Susanna stood up to hug her best friend
"I know you do" she said moving the hair from her best friends face "but you have Africa now" Blakely smiled "and Cole is there, you haven't seen him since you signed the papers to get out of the military" Blakely grabbed her stuff
"help me please?"
"No, im gonna make you do it alone" Blakely turned and looked at her, Susanna cracked a smile and took in a deep breath "Blake, you need to talk about it"
"I need to get to the airport" she said walking out of the house, Susanna grabbed her backpack and walked down the stairs, Blakely was already tying down her surfboard "can you drive my jeep a few times while im gone too? i don't want it just sitting here" she said motioning to the jeep wrangler under the beach house.
"sure, you got your phone and keys?"
"nope" she said, Susanna chuckled and got into her own jeep wrangler. Blakley walked into her room, and stopped at the picture on her nightstand, it was her first time flying with her dad, he was looking at her with pride and a huge smile on his face, she pressed her fingers to her lips before placing them on the frame "see you in south africa daddy" she said with a smile. She locked the front door and looked out at the ocean one more time. She smiled and walked down the stairs, getting in the front seat she smiled at her best friend.
"I cant believe you are leaving little Galveston Island for Africa. That is huge"
"it's really not"
"im so jealous of you"
"don't be"
"I have never left Texas"
"you went to Cancun with me on our senior trip"
"yeah, because your parents paid for it, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been able to go and I also don't remember much of that trip because YOU kept me drunk for all 4 days! so it doesn't really count. and come on Blake, Mexico is our downstairs neighbor" Blakely giggled and nodded her head
"I didn't want you to be upset that I was leaving for bootcamp the week after graduation"
"I know" Susanna said softly remembering the same drive she had taken 11 years previous "at least this time I know for sure you are coming back" Blakely smiled and squeezed her hand "can I be honest with you?"
"I wouldn't expect anything less"
"I know you aren't happy about being out, but im glad you are" Blakely took in a deep breath
"im not really out though, im just not in active duty"
"the reserves are much better Blake" Blakely laughed and rolled her eyes, Susanna got the message that she really didn't want to talk about it "Alright Doctor Lowry here we are" she said pulling up to the parking garage. Susanna began getting the luggage out of the Jeep while Blakely unhooked her surfboard "you didn't bring your guitar?"
"no I could only bring one or the other"
"oh, what are you going to do without it?" Susanna joked, Blakely smiled.
"Cole has his" Susanna giggled and began to roll the bags into the airport. Once all bags where checked in except Blakely's backpack the girls hugged tightly
"remember, if you fall in love with a sexy south african guy...."
"tell you first" Blakely said rolling her eyes "I don't know why you think im going to fall in love"
"because you love international men, have fun and text me when you get there"
"I will"
"love you" Susanna yelled as she walked off, Blakely chuckled and waved. Susanna watched her walk away trying not to be sad that her best friend would be gone for the longest span of the last year. Blakely on the other hand couldn't wait to get out of Texas, it was the first time since she was brought home a year ago.
To the right she saw a couple running along the waters edge, and a few yards away a dad was teaching his little boy how to fish from ankle deep water. Galveston Island, Texas, it wasn't anything special to everyone else but to her, it was home. She loved the island life with everything she had.
"I miss you daddy" she whispered to the waves in front of her, her right hand moved to touch the scar that set close to her collar bone. Talking to the waves and touching her scar was something she found herself doing a lot the last year.
"Blake!" she turned to see her best friend waving from her porch, Blakely smiled and waved back. "are you ready?"
"see you in a month" she said to the waves, before turning to walk to her best friend "coming!" the girls hugged tightly before turning around
"you packed and ready?" Susanna asked her as they walked into the house
"yea, i packed quite a bit" she said walking to the island in her kitchen, she picked up her phone and smiled at the text from her brother
"your flight leaves in T-minus 3 hours" Susanna said looking at all the bags
"I cant wait"
"Cole will be there to pick you up from the right?"
"yes mom"
"hey, hey" she said putting her hand up, Blakely smirked "im just making sure! you know I worry about you and Africa is not a safe place and im worried about you"
"Don't worry about me. Cole will be there and he has a friend from England staying with him as well, I will be just fine. I promise Cole has everything under control"
"promise me if you fall in love while you are there, I will be the first to know?" Blakely laughed loudly before walking around the Island "Blake!"
"fine, you will be the first to know!"
"thank you" Susanna said sitting on the stool, she watched her best friend check for her passport, and flight itinerary
"money, license, passport, credit cards, phone.....Susanna?"
"yeah"
"thank you so much for watching the house for me" she said with a smile, Susanna returned the smile
"of course, but where is Bailey?"
"she's with Lacey" Susanna giggled as Blakely nodded
"Lacey doesn't even like dogs" Blakely grinned "Which is weird, considering that your mom is a vet"
"David is ready for a baby, so Lacey thinks watching Bailey will get her ready. Thankfully David actually likes animals so at least I know she is in good hands with him there" Susanna sighed as Blakely zipped up her backpack "im sorry I didn't invite you"
"its ok, I completely understand. What's the plan once you get there?"
"we are going to stay in Lesotho for 2 weeks, then head to Jeffreys bay for 2 weeks and the last week we will be in Malawi. Then i come home"
"your dad would be so proud, what's you mom say about you going?"
"it was his favorite place in the world, Jeffreys bay" she said with a smile, Susanna watched as her best friend touched the scar, something she saw her friend do often "and my mom" she laughed "she isnt talking to me, but oh well, I hope I love it just as much as he did "
"you will, you are so much like him Blake" Blakely's fingers reached from the cross around her neck
"I miss him so much Susanna" Susanna stood up to hug her best friend
"I know you do" she said moving the hair from her best friends face "but you have Africa now" Blakely smiled "and Cole is there, you haven't seen him since you signed the papers to get out of the military" Blakely grabbed her stuff
"help me please?"
"No, im gonna make you do it alone" Blakely turned and looked at her, Susanna cracked a smile and took in a deep breath "Blake, you need to talk about it"
"I need to get to the airport" she said walking out of the house, Susanna grabbed her backpack and walked down the stairs, Blakely was already tying down her surfboard "can you drive my jeep a few times while im gone too? i don't want it just sitting here" she said motioning to the jeep wrangler under the beach house.
"sure, you got your phone and keys?"
"nope" she said, Susanna chuckled and got into her own jeep wrangler. Blakley walked into her room, and stopped at the picture on her nightstand, it was her first time flying with her dad, he was looking at her with pride and a huge smile on his face, she pressed her fingers to her lips before placing them on the frame "see you in south africa daddy" she said with a smile. She locked the front door and looked out at the ocean one more time. She smiled and walked down the stairs, getting in the front seat she smiled at her best friend.
"I cant believe you are leaving little Galveston Island for Africa. That is huge"
"it's really not"
"im so jealous of you"
"don't be"
"I have never left Texas"
"you went to Cancun with me on our senior trip"
"yeah, because your parents paid for it, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been able to go and I also don't remember much of that trip because YOU kept me drunk for all 4 days! so it doesn't really count. and come on Blake, Mexico is our downstairs neighbor" Blakely giggled and nodded her head
"I didn't want you to be upset that I was leaving for bootcamp the week after graduation"
"I know" Susanna said softly remembering the same drive she had taken 11 years previous "at least this time I know for sure you are coming back" Blakely smiled and squeezed her hand "can I be honest with you?"
"I wouldn't expect anything less"
"I know you aren't happy about being out, but im glad you are" Blakely took in a deep breath
"im not really out though, im just not in active duty"
"the reserves are much better Blake" Blakely laughed and rolled her eyes, Susanna got the message that she really didn't want to talk about it "Alright Doctor Lowry here we are" she said pulling up to the parking garage. Susanna began getting the luggage out of the Jeep while Blakely unhooked her surfboard "you didn't bring your guitar?"
"no I could only bring one or the other"
"oh, what are you going to do without it?" Susanna joked, Blakely smiled.
"Cole has his" Susanna giggled and began to roll the bags into the airport. Once all bags where checked in except Blakely's backpack the girls hugged tightly
"remember, if you fall in love with a sexy south african guy...."
"tell you first" Blakely said rolling her eyes "I don't know why you think im going to fall in love"
"because you love international men, have fun and text me when you get there"
"I will"
"love you" Susanna yelled as she walked off, Blakely chuckled and waved. Susanna watched her walk away trying not to be sad that her best friend would be gone for the longest span of the last year. Blakely on the other hand couldn't wait to get out of Texas, it was the first time since she was brought home a year ago.