Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
M aude had spent the afternoon floating on a cloud of memories and disbelief. Ollie Keen was not only alive and well, he was here . Living in the Colony.
And in the broadest sense of the word, they were neighbors.
Unfortunately, they’d only had a few minutes to talk when his phone had gone off again, and he’d had to leave.
Not only did Ollie live in the Colony, but he was a doctor, a cardiologist. Sadly, he was on call today and had to rush off to an emergency, but he’d promised they’d get together soon and talk about everything. He’d kissed her on the cheek as he’d said goodbye.
Ollie Keen. The boy she’d spent her teenage years thinking about in terms of the future. The boy who’d caused her to be furious at her parents for moving her to the middle of nowhere. The boy her brother had teased her about relentlessly.
The boy she’d always considered the one who got away.
What strange twist of fate had put them both in the Colony at the same time? Was this her life coming full circle? Was Ollie meant to be hers?
There was no end to her questions, but the truth was, she knew very little about who he was in this moment in time. When she’d first seen him, he’d been talking on the phone to a young woman who’d called him Dad.
So was he married?
Maude cringed. That would throw a wrench in things.
She finished up the website changes one of her clients, a bakery in Beechwood, had requested, then published them and sent the owner an email to have a look. She had a new client email to respond to, then she’d probably do some yoga, take a shower, and get ready for this new book club thing.
She sent her standard new client email, outlining what she could do, attached a list of her fees and capabilities, then pushed away from her desk and stretched.
If Ollie was married, why wasn’t his wife on the beach with him? She had to live here, too, right? Probably working.
Maude sat back down and ran a search on Oliver Keen.
Lots of threads showed up. She clicked on the first one and it took her to a page on the Health First Regional Hospital at Beechwood website. His photo and bio were the first listed under Cardiology.
A native Floridian, Dr. Oliver Keen is a board-certified cardiologist dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive heart care to the Beechwood community.
With more than fifteen years of experience, he specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, and preventive cardiology.
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Keen completed his residency in internal medicine at Emory University Hospital and his fellowship in cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and remains active in the latest advances in cardiac imaging and minimally invasive procedures.
Dr. Keen believes that the best care begins with listening. He takes time to understand each patient’s unique needs, empowering them to take an active role in improving and maintaining their heart health.
Outside the hospital, Dr. Keen enjoys swimming in the Gulf, the occasional game of golf, and spending time with his wife, Emily, their daughter, Harper, their son, Nolan, and their golden retriever, Milo.
Maude slouched in defeat. He was married. All the crazy ideas she’d had about the universe bringing them back together because they were meant to be deflated like a punctured balloon.
She was happy for him, she supposed. He must have a great life. Two kids. A golden retriever.
What did she have? A fish. She glanced over at Pixel, who was currently building a bubble nest in the corner of his tank.
Her eyes narrowed. Wait a minute. If Ollie lived in the Colony, what floor plan held a wife, two kids and a golden retriever? Unless the kids were in college. Or grown. The girl Maude had caught a glimpse of could have easily been college age or older. That must be it.
He and his wife had become empty nesters and decided to downsize. Because that’s what most cardiologists did, wasn’t it?
Not really. Not to her knowledge. But then, what did she know about cardiologists?
It was possible that’s what they’d done. Or he was retiring and the house here was just going to be a homebase. Probably moving somewhere fancy. Like…
She didn’t really know what a cardiologist would consider fancy. Bermuda? Hawaii?
An unexpected sense of loss washed through her. Ollie couldn’t really be moving that far away, could he? After they’d just reconnected?
She shook her head. She was losing it. They hadn’t actually reconnected. They’d shared ten words on the beach before he’d been called away to save someone’s life.
Meanwhile, she’d spent the afternoon making sure Beechwood Bakery had a new Summer Specials page.
She sighed. It was good to know he’d done so well and was living a dream life. But clearly, they had become different people.
If she saw him again, she’d be friendly, of course, but she wouldn’t expect anything of him. No sitting down to reminisce over drinks or anything like that. The past was the past and no matter what she’d thought, he had obviously moved on.
She should, too.
She got up and went into the living room. She unfurled the yoga mat that she kept behind the couch and centered herself. She needed this more than ever.
A few rounds of sun salutations would put her in a better headspace. Get her ready for the book club tonight. That would be a good experience for her. A chance to meet some new people and forget about Ollie.
Although that was a lot easier said than done.
He was the boy who’d gotten away. Her heart had been broken and while she’d pined for him, it wasn’t like she hadn’t dated anyone else throughout her life.
She’d just never met anyone she’d clicked with like she’d clicked with him. She’d never stopped thinking about him.
Well, he certainly hadn’t been thinking about her, had he?
She folded forward, bringing her hands to the mat. He’d had a big smile for her on the beach. And he’d done nothing to hide the way his gaze had swept over her, making her happy that she’d worn her cutest bikini. And that she could still wear a bikini at fifty-five.
But then, not having kids had helped preserve her figure. So had her active lifestyle and her moderation when it came to sweets. And, of course, genetics. Both her parents were thin and she’d been gifted with the family metabolism. So had her brother.
She jumped her feet back and pressed her chest up. It was crazy to think she and Ollie had ended up neighbors after all this time.
She’d come back to Florida for college and then moved to Dallas for work after graduation, but after a series of jobs in IT and web development, she’d started her own business. Then her parents had retired to the Keys where her dad had bought a boat, and her mother had taken up stained glass.
Since she could live anywhere, coming back to Florida just made sense with them here. Moving into the Colony as soon as she was eligible had been her next move. And hopefully her last.
Twisting her body, she stretched one arm straight overhead. Maybe she should have moved closer to them, but they’d been talking about moving further inland after the last hurricane.
They could always come to the Colony. There was a marina where her dad could keep his boat. Where her mom would set up a stained-glass studio, Maude had no idea. Maybe she could rent a space?
Maude huffed out a breath. Pointless meanderings. Her parents talked about moving after every storm, but they never did anything about it. They loved the Keys and the strange, easy lifestyle that required very little of them.
She was envious, sometimes. But she had a few more years before she’d even think about retiring. She liked her job, liked being her own boss.
Just sometimes, she accepted that loneliness was part of the life she’d chosen. Pixel was great but he wasn’t the kind of pet you could cuddle. Sometimes, cuddling would be nice.
She’d thought about getting a dog. A cat would be cool, but she doubted Pixel would agree.
Maybe she’d get to meet Ollie’s golden retriever.
Or not. She really needed to stop thinking about him.
She finished her yoga and got in the shower. One of the things she’d made sure she had, despite this being a tiny house, was a generous tub. She loved a soak. She’d even thought about getting a hot tub, but she preferred her bath with bubbles. And no bathing suit.
Tonight, when she got home from book club, she might have a good soak and a tall gin and tonic and remind herself that her life was great and that thinking about what-ifs and what-might-have-beens was not productive.
Seeing Ollie had been nice. But it had stirred up things in her she’d thought she’d made peace with a long time ago.
Now, she wasn’t so sure if that had been peace or resigned acceptance.
Hopefully, the book club would give her something else to think about for a while.