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Seven Hundred Beachfront
Author: Ligia de Wit
Publication date: July 22nd 2025
Genres: Adult, Magical Realism, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Some places hold memories. Others have opinions.
I didn’t mean to run again.
But when life gets tangled, I untangle it by leaving. And this time, my escape came with strings attached: a five-year-old brother I never signed up to care for, a seaside town I barely remember, and a tattered house on stilts that belongs in Renter’s Hell.I told myself it was just for the summer. A break. A pause. A way to escape the people I care about but can’t seem to fit with anymore, and the choices I don’t know how to fix.
But the sea doesn’t let you stay distant for long.
Then there’s him. Quiet. Grumpy. Mysterious. The kind of man who doesn’t ask questions, but somehow sees more than he should. I don’t even like talking to him, and yet… here we are. Sharing long silences. Unexpected moments. Maybe even something more.
And as for the house? Let’s just say it has opinions—and it’s not afraid to share them.
Seven Hundred Beachfront is a heartfelt, magical story about learning to stay, letting people in, and discovering that healing doesn’t always come the way you expect it. But when it does, you’ll feel it down to your bones.
an excerpt
I sighed at her pathetic attempts to set us up. “Sure.”
“How’s your little brother?”
I rose to my feet to peek into the dining room, led by the sound of Bobby’s giggles. He jumped about the empty dining room, and every time he did so, the floorboards creaked.
“I’m talking to the ghost-troll,” Bobby exclaimed. “This plank says, ‘Hi!’ ” He jumped with both feet, the creaking around increasing. “Hi, ghost-troll!” he yelled.
“He’s okay. He thinks there’s a real ghost here.” I chuckled. Silence on the other side. “Hello?”
“You should not worry, Beverly. There are truly no ghosts in the house.”
There was something odd in the way she’d said ghosts as though she believed one lived in the house and didn’t want me to find out.
Whatever. With this cheap rent, I could split the place with an imaginary being.
“And remember, dear, you can do those minor repairs I told you about if you want to stay cozy; but that’s up to you.”
“Why haven’t you?” I asked, curious.
“My old bones can’t handle much hassle, and I don’t care for strangers putting their hands on my house unless they live in there and take care of the house as it should be. I’m sure you will.”
Right-o. Now I’m stuck with a lunatic as a landlady.
She exclaimed her delight again and, after saying goodbye, hung up.
Now, I knew what to do. Stay here longer, no matter what adversity came knocking at the door. But I needed a plan.
“Hey, Dumpty, I’ll stay here after all. What do you say about that, huh?”
The fridge hummed louder and rattled as if trying to object. I grabbed an apple and bounced it on my palm as I thought about what to fix to sail through my time here in one piece. Everything rattled, popped, and knocked like tormented souls in repentance.
Water kept leaking from the kitchen faucet. I took my brand-new monkey wrench and checked the darned faucet. Yep, might need to change the valve seats. In the meantime, I closed the shutoff valve and left the tool beneath the sink. Bobby’s yells boomed around the house.
I leaned on the wall next to the stairs and watched him dash all over the place and thought about yesterday’s meeting with Randy. Five days in town and we already had a dinner invitation, thanks to my brother. Exactly what I’d feared. Give Bobby a crayon or a fish, and you’d win him over in a snap. Poor kid was in such need of affection.
Ligia de Wit writes fantasy romance adventures with heart, humor, and just the right dose of magic. A lifelong romantic with a soft spot for fairy tales and found family tropes, Ligia writes characters who are strong in more than just a physical sense. Her characters face fears, fight for themselves, and find love in the most unexpected places.
When she’s not writing (or rewriting) her imaginary worlds, she works for a global distribution company and dreams up stories during lunch breaks. You’ll often find her with her nose in a book, exploring a new city, hiking through forests, or acting like a total goof at theme parks. She’s a proud kid at heart—and owns it.
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