Captiva Cottage (Captiva Island #11)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

M aggie Moretti closed her journal and looked out the window of her office. The yellow of the angel’s trumpet bush was visible from her chair. She smiled, watching the bees fly from one side of the bush to the other. An occasional butterfly made its way to her window, but flew back to the butterfly bush, hovering over the purple flowers.

It had been two days since her last scan to see if the cancer had returned, and she felt like she’d been living in a fog ever since. She hated waiting for the phone to ring. Every sound made her jump, and any attempt at distraction failed to calm her nerves.

Writing in her journal usually relaxed her, but not today. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that being alone with her thoughts was probably a bad idea.

She walked through the kitchen and out to the garden where her husband Paolo was watering the tomatoes.

“I’m going down to the beach. I need to walk…too much energy for sitting.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“No need. Honestly, I’m not much for talking right now. Do you mind?”

Paolo kissed her on the cheek. “Of course not. Enjoy your walk. I’ll be here when you get back.”

Maggie nodded and made her way through the garden, passing the newly built cottage and on to the path leading to the beach.

Carrying her flip-flops, she couldn’t wait to dig her toes in the sand. When she reached the water’s edge, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the salt air. She felt a surge of energy pass through her body and a sense of calm as the sun’s warmth hit her face.

In the distance, a large cargo ship slowly moved south. She watched Luke and Joshua Powell help two young passengers onto their parasailing boat.

Maggie waved to them. “Have fun, you guys!”

Luke waved, and Joshua gave her a thumbs up.

Soon, tourists would crowd the beach and activities on the water would surge. Maggie smiled at her good fortune to live somewhere people from around the world came for vacation.

Living on Captiva Island was her dream come true, and she would allow nothing on this sun-filled day to bother her, not even the fear of the impending phone call from her doctor.

As Maggie approached The Mucky Duck restaurant at the end of Andy Rosse Lane, she could see her friend Chelsea Marsden walking toward her.

Suddenly, Maggie’s heart skipped a beat, and she put her hand over her mouth.

“Go ahead, give me your lame excuse for forgetting to walk with me this morning,” Chelsea grumbled.

“I am so sorry, Chelsea. I completely forgot.”

“Obviously.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me these days. I’m forgetting lots of stuff.”

“Well, clearly you remembered to go for a walk. You just forgot that you were supposed to do it with me.”

Maggie laughed. “Where were you going anyway?”

“I was coming to get you. I figured if Maggie won’t come to the mountain…”

“Oh, I see. Well, you’ll have to forgive me. I’m still waiting for the darn phone call.”

Putting her arm through Maggie’s, Chelsea explained, “That’s the reason I was coming to see you. I’m just as nervous as you are to hear the results. Why don’t we keep walking and burn off some of this anxiety?”

“Sounds like a good idea to me.”

Initially, the two women strolled arm-in-arm, but within seconds they picked up the pace.

Chelsea laughed. “Okay, I didn’t mean we should race. Slow down, what’s your hurry?”

“I’m just letting my body do what it wants, and apparently, it wants to release as much tension as possible. Walking fast is the best way I know to do that.”

Maggie looked at Chelsea’s leg. “Are you limping?”

“I threw my back out at Zumba, and now I’ve got a serious twinge in my lower back,” Chelsea said.

Maggie looked confused. “I thought you were going to quit that class?”

“I never said that,” Chelsea insisted.

Maggie laughed. “You most certainly did. You told me that you couldn’t keep up with the other people in the class and that you were going to quit and only do the online one.”

“Yeah, well, I obviously should have quit sooner before it finally got me.”

“Do you think you should be walking this morning? I think maybe you should stay home.”

“No way. I’m not letting this little back problem keep me down. Let’s keep going.”

They walked about a half mile before Chelsea said anything more, and Maggie knew precisely why her friend decided to keep walking.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Maggie said. “I know what you’re thinking.”

“How am I looking at you?” Chelsea asked.

“Like I’m still a cancer patient.”

“Oh, Maggie, how can you say that to me? I’m your best friend. Honestly, I’m really offended.”

“For heaven’s sake, you and I both know that I expect the doctor to call any minute. You’re here because even though your back is killing you, you want to be with me for support if the news is bad. So, thank you,” Maggie said, sounding angrier than anything else.

Sounding equally mad, Chelsea said, “You’re welcome. Now, can we sit somewhere?”

“I’m sorry. I must sound like a grump. I don’t mean to take it out on you. I think I’m just nervous. How does the kitchen at the Key Lime Garden Inn sound? I know the proprietor there.”

“Sounds heavenly. Can I get coffee and one of your famous scones, too?”

“I think we can arrange something.”

They walked up the beach path to the new cottage and cabana Paolo had recently built.

“I have to say your husband is handy. The cottage is so adorable. I’d like to move in there myself.”

“I heard that,” Paolo said from the garden. “Do you see how lucky you are to have a husband like me?” Paolo teased.

Maggie kissed him on the head as she walked by. “No one needed to tell me that; I already know he’s wonderful.”

When they reached the back porch, Maggie’s cellphone rang. She pulled the phone from her armband and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Maggie. It’s Kat.”

Maggie froze.. “Kat? What are you doing calling me? I haven’t heard from you in months. Are you okay?”

“Can’t I call my sister to say hello?”

Maggie nodded and then looked over at Chelsea.

“Of course you can. It’s just…well…”

Maggie and her sister were close when they were children, and most of her childhood memories were happy ones. However, when Kat married Nolan and moved away, their relationship changed, not for the better.

“Listen, Maggie, um I...”

“What is it?”

“I’m coming to Captiva. I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. Is it all right with you and Paolo if I stay with you for a while?”

Concern bordering on panic, Maggie asked, “What do you mean for a while?”

Kat hesitated before answering. “I’m not sure. I…, I’m leaving Nolan.”

Maggie slowly dropped to the porch swing. “What? Why?”

“Oh, Maggie. It’s a long story. I can’t get into it right now on the phone. I’ll be at the inn tomorrow afternoon around three o’clock. Oh, and do me a favor?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t tell Mom that I’m coming. I’m not ready to talk to her about all this yet. Promise?”

Maggie nodded and then realized Kat couldn’t see her answer. “Um, yes, of course. I won’t say anything. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Maggie ended the call and sat back against the swing. Chelsea sat next to her.

“Was that your sister?”

Maggie nodded and then looked at Chelsea. “She's coming here. She’ll arrive tomorrow afternoon. She’s leaving her husband.”

“Are you serious?” Chelsea said. “She's leaving Nolan and coming to Captiva. Oh, this isn’t good. Wait until your mother gets wind of this.”

Maggie shook her head. “No, I’m not supposed to tell Mom. Kat said she’s not ready to tell her.”

Chelsea chuckled and then sat back on the swing. “I can understand that. Your mother has a habit of making a bad situation worse. By the way, I never asked you this, but why do you call your sister Kat? I thought Beth was named after her?”

Maggie nodded. “She was. My sister’s legal name is Elizabeth, but back in junior high school, she was crazy about this boy who called her Kat because she had green eyes. He said her eyes were like a cat's. Anyway, he decided to call her that. She loved it and told everyone that was her name. We’ve been calling her that ever since.”

“How does Beth feel about that?”

“You know Beth. She jokes about everything.”

Chuckling, Maggie said, “She said she was thrilled Daniel and I didn’t name her Kat. Beth loves her name just as it is. She knows her aunt is a little unusual.”

Chelsea smiled. “You’ve got to love that daughter of yours. Beth always sees the sunny side of things.”

Maggie nodded. “Knowing myself and Daniel, I have no idea where she inherited that quality.”

It wasn’t the brisk, cold wind that energized Beth Walker. After all, she had plenty of reason to feel dejected and lost after quitting a career in prosecutorial law.

She didn’t notice when a car almost hit her as she crossed the street in downtown Boston, and then again as she crossed the street to get to the Charles River walkway.

Beth was in such a good mood; not even almost getting hit by a car could ruin her day.

The loud honking horn jolted her from her day-dreaming.

“Hey, I’m walking here,” she yelled in her strongest Boston accent.

“Maybe if you’d look where you were going, you might not get yourself killed,” the driver yelled back.

Beth ignored him and kept walking. Orange, rust, red, and yellow colored leaves swirled around her feet, and made her smile.

Thinking about all she’d been through in the last months, she was determined to live in the present and not get upset about things she couldn’t control.

About to meet her husband Gabriel at the Grotto Restaurant, which was not too far from Faneuil Hall and the North End, she suddenly realized she was starving again.

She’d spent the afternoon shopping in the Back Bay, met former coworkers for lunch, and was now ready for a romantic dinner with her husband.

Although Beth had been married less than a year, she felt like she was still on her honeymoon. She was mindful of the need for date nights and small moments of intimacy between them.

She’d promised herself and Gabriel that she would always prioritize their marriage. That was when she had a job that kept her working late hours and even weekends.

After quitting her job, spending time with her husband wasn’t a problem. Since his furniture-making business was inside a large barn on their property, he was around most of the time.

“Hello, handsome,” she said, sneaking up behind Gabriel, who was looking at a photo on the wall.

He turned when he heard her voice.

“Hey there, beautiful. It’s about time you got here.”

He looked down at several shopping bags.

“Do I dare ask? Is there any money left in the checking account, or did you spend it all on new clothes?”

“Ha! That’s how much you know. As it happens, I bought books, a scarf for you, and various Christmas gifts for my nieces and nephews. Oh, and wait until you see the adorable things I got for Lauren and Jeff’s baby.”

“You mean the baby that isn’t even born yet? I thought they wanted to wait to find out if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“Not to worry, I got some things for the nursery and a few toys, that’s all. If it’s a girl, then Lauren already has lots of Olivia and Lily’s clothes in the attic.”

“But if it’s a boy? You’re going to buy out the store for him?”

“Very funny,” she answered.

The host, carrying two menus, led the way to their table.

“I’m sorry to drag you into the city, but I thought you might do a little Christmas shopping yourself.”

“Beth, Christmas is three months away. I’m pretty sure I have enough time.”

They were about to order when his cellphone rang.

“Hey, Dad. How are you doing? I was going to call you tomorrow to see what you wanted to do about Thanksgiving. Beth and I have been thinking… what?…when?…did you call James?…no…of course. I’ll do it. Are you all right?”

Beth watched Gabriel’s face. His eyes watered, and she didn’t have to ask what was wrong, she just knew.

“We’ll get a flight tomorrow. I’ll let you know the details as soon as I can. Hey, Dad… I love you.”

Gabriel ended the call and looked at Beth. “Mom died this morning. They went to wake her for breakfast and found that she’d died in her sleep.”

Beth got up from her chair and moved closer to him. She wrapped her arms around her husband and pulled him close.

When the waiter came to take their order, they apologized and explained they were leaving due to a family emergency.

Beth and Gabriel knew this day would come sooner, rather than later. His mother’s Alzheimer’s disease had quickly progressed, and although they knew she wouldn’t live long, they still weren’t prepared for this news.

“How is your father?”

“Composed…quiet…resolved, and keeping his emotions to himself.”

Beth held Gabriel’s face in her hands. “Let’s go home.”