I parked in the Tree Streets neighborhood on Hawthorne Road then eagerly got out of my car, excited to see the cottage, yet guarded. Was I about to meet my future home or would I find that it had undesirable features not seen in the photos? I remained hopeful.

***

Lush foliage hid most of the diminutive cottage from the street view. While I waited for Cherie to arrive, I peered over the entry gate to a flagstone walkway lined with jade bushes and birds of paradise plants. The walkway curved around a king palm tree ending at the front door opposite a verdant shade tree. A small rabbit appeared on the walkway then hopped into the jade bush. Captivated, I opened the gate and entered the enchanted domain.

I approached the tiny gray house with teal trim to see an expansive yard to the right and a paver patio enclosed with lattice fencing to the left of the entry. A porch was off of what appeared to be the bedroom with steps leading to a patio shaded by a tree with sprawling branches blooming red flowers. Ficus trees lined the picket fence facing west. And just beyond the ficus trees, past the intersecting streets, over the old picket fence, I could see the ocean.

Cherie arrived shortly after my self-guided outdoor tour of the property. She lead me inside to an open living space that connected to a small kitchen with a heart-shaped sink, rundown counters and a 1940s Wedgwood oven. A broken ceiling fan hung adjacent the kitchen and bulky outdated canned track lighting lit up the living area. The bathroom was fairly roomy with a block glass wall next to the tub and the toilet in its own alcove with block glass accented walls.

The small bedroom had French doors opening to the porch and a tiny closet missing a dowel on which to hang clothes. The wall opposite the French doors had three flip-out windows that opened inward from the bottom up, but they were barricaded with shelving. Overall, the place need a good cleaning and some fixture replacements and minor repairs.

Yet, a desire to make it my own began to stir within me as I sized up the tiny cottage that needed some TLC and in which I could only fit a third of my furniture and clothes. The place was enchanting.

When I expressed interest, the rent went from doable to out-of-budget. The other hitch: the owners planned to tear down the cottage and rebuild, which was projected to happen in one to two years. Cheri negotiated a deal with the owners—keep the rent down, and I’d pay for repairs and replacement of appliances. That would work, but I didn’t want to uproot again so soon. Cherie encouraged me to focus on the present. Then I recalled hearing about how arduous and lengthy the city of Laguna Beach building approval process was. I took a leap of faith and signed the lease.

Let the packing begin.