Chapter 7
“ Y ou look chipper this morning,” Gran greeted her when she entered the kitchen and grabbed an apron. “Sleep well?”
“Very well.” She busied herself helping Gran, humming under her breath as she pulled a batch of sticky buns from the oven. Her mind kept going back to last night. Brent’s simple move of taking her hand. That was all, just a simple connection between them. She paused and stared out the window, remembering how lovely spending the day with Brent had been.
Gran looked at her and grinned. “Humming now, are we? You sure don’t seem like the same woman who came here just a short while ago.”
“I don’t feel like the same woman,” she admitted. “I was exhausted and disillusioned and… well, it felt like everything in my life was going wrong.”
“And now?”
“Now, I feel like…” The warmth of a blush crept across her cheeks. “I feel like things are turning around.”
“So you haven’t said much about it, but I guess it was a really tough school year? You feel like talking about it?”
“It was. You know, when I was little, we had tornado drills where we were taught to go under our desks for protection or fire drills where we all filed outside? Now we have safety drills for… active shooters. Lock the doors and stay away from windows. It doesn’t seem like kids should have to grow up with those kinds of drills.”
Gran walked over and touched her arm. “No, it isn’t right that they have to deal with all that at such a young age.”
“And I had a handful of parents this year that were, how do I put this nicely? Very vocal. About… everything.” She shrugged, thinking back on Mrs. Dixon in particular. She could not do anything right in Mrs. Dixon’s eyes. And her son, Jeff, was a handful, but Mrs. Dixon insisted he never did anything wrong. Not even when he’d punched poor Jenny and given her a black eye. Even the principal seemed afraid to stand up to Mrs. Dixon.
Then there was the time Mrs. Dixon went to the school board, threatening to get her fired. And the sad thing? She hadn’t been sure if that would have been a bad thing or not.
“I’m sorry you had such a tough year. You used to come here on your summer break, all excited, telling me stories about your kids. Your eyes lit up, and you were just so happy.”
“I was. But that seems like such a long time ago. The administrative part of teaching seems overwhelming now. I just… I just want to teach the kids. Get them excited about learning.”
“Maybe it’s time to move on. Do something different,” Gran suggested gently.
“But what would I do? I’ve been a teacher ever since I left college. I feel like it’s part of what I am. Who I am.”
“Maybe this summer will give you time to sort all that out.”
“I hope so because I don’t think I can go through another school year like last year.” She shook her head. “Enough about that. Let me bring a plate of these sticky buns out to the guests. They smell delicious.” And with that, she pushed all thoughts of the school year far from her mind.
Darlene was kind of sorry she’d brought up Felicity’s school year. Though it would be good if her granddaughter would actually talk about it a bit. It might make her sort it out. Come to a decision. Felicity had her whole future ahead of her—she didn’t need to work at a job that made her miserable.
When Felicity left the kitchen after cleaning up the breakfast dishes, there was a noticeable spring in her step. It warmed her heart to see her granddaughter’s smile, a genuine one that had been absent for far too long. The sparkle in her eyes when she talked about Brent and their research an unmistakable glimmer of the old Felicity, the one who had been so passionate about teaching and learning.
She worried about her granddaughter, though. Felicity had always been a dedicated teacher, pouring her heart and soul into her work. But over the years, Darlene had witnessed the light in Felicity’s eyes dimming, the weight of burnout slowly crushing her spirit. It pained her to see Felicity so lost and disconnected from the joy she once found in her profession.
But then Brent arrived at the B&B, and she was noticing a change in Felicity. The way she lit up when discussing their research, the excitement in her voice as she recounted their discoveries—it was like watching a flower bloom after a long, harsh winter. Brent seemed to have awakened something in Felicity, a purpose and curiosity that had been dormant for far too long.
She smiled to herself as she finished tidying up the kitchen. Brent was a fine man, indeed. Polite, intelligent, and genuinely interested in the island’s history. But more than that, he seemed to understand Felicity in a way that others didn’t. He listened to her, valued her input, and encouraged her to explore her interests. It was a partnership that brought out the best in both of them.
As she wiped down the counters, she felt a burgeoning hope for Felicity’s future. Maybe this summer on Magnolia Key would be the turning point her granddaughter needed. A chance to rediscover her passions and to find a new direction in life. And if Brent played a role in that journey, well, she certainly wouldn’t object.
She glanced out the window, catching a glimpse of Felicity and Brent walking together, deep in conversation. The sight brought a smile to her face. Yes, Magnolia Key had a way of revealing what people were searching for, even if they didn’t know it themselves. And for Felicity, it seemed that the island was working its magic once again.