Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
W hen Sunday arrived, there was a flurry of activity in the kitchen at the Key Lime Garden Inn. Maggie’s usual early morning baking didn’t happen, as she let Oliver and Iris handle everything. The term “too many cooks spoil the soup” kept running through her mind, and she felt her time was better spent looking over her notes for the book club.
Her talk with Oliver the day before continued to affect her mood and threatened to ruin the day. She couldn’t let that happen, and so, the first thing she did when Oliver arrived at work was to see how he was doing and give him a hug.
She couldn’t imagine him living with this trauma for the last year. Guilt, pain, anger, and an all-consuming grief all played a part in keeping him from moving forward in his life.
Whatever struggles along his journey, Maggie was convinced that the day he came for his interview was the beginning of a new chapter in his life. One that Maggie hoped would continue to heal his heart and mind.
The early afternoon weather was another perfect day on Captiva Island—sunny and bright, but with a slight chill in the air, which was not unusual for December.
Maggie opened the windows, letting the fresh ocean breeze drift through the house, gently stirring the lace curtains in the front living room. She stood for a moment, watching them sway back and forth. She was nervous, but also excited.
She asked Paolo to keep Lexi out of the way. The pup, who had fallen in love with Oliver, was known to follow him everywhere, sometimes even with Paolo in the room. A fact that upset Paolo, even though he wouldn’t admit it to anyone.
Ciara and Luke Powell came in through the back door, both carrying containers of brownies and cookies. Maggie knew what her role was and hoped she’d be a convincing actress.
“Ciara, you didn’t have to make these. We’ve got plenty of food.”
“Hi Maggie, you know me. I can’t come empty-handed. That’s how I was raised, and it’s how I’ll be until I die.”
“Hello, Luke,” Maggie said.
“Nice to see you again, Mrs. Moretti.”
Kristin, Claire and her daughter Katie were already in the living room, as was Maggie’s mother and Chelsea.
“Come on in the living room,” Maggie announced. “Luke, I don’t think you’ve met Kristin, Claire and Katie Wright.”
“Hello, Luke, is it?” Claire asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, extending his hand out for each to shake, Kristin and Claire first, and then Katie.
“It’s very nice to meet you,” Claire said.
Katie looked at Luke and smiled. “Hi, I’m Katie. Didn’t I see you at the Christmas Parade? You were the one driving Santa’s boat, right?”
Luke laughed. “Yup, that was me. Santa never goes anywhere without my driving him.”
Although a mostly serious young man, Maggie smiled, recognizing his effort to impress Katie with humor, and gave Ciara a knowing glance.
“These shrimp are delicious, Maggie!” her mother called out, as she plucked another coconut shrimp from the platter.
Maggie rolled her eyes and walked over to the doorway. “Mom, you’re supposed to wait for everyone else to arrive,” she whispered.
Her mother waved her off dismissively. “Why should I? You know I don’t like waiting around for people. Besides, I need to make sure Oliver didn’t mess these up.” She winked at Maggie, her grumpy exterior softened by her playful sarcasm.
Iris, who had arrived a little early to see if Oliver needed her, was seated on the couch, enjoying a rare moment of leisure. Usually found bustling in the kitchen, today she was just another book club member, ready to relax and enjoy being waited on for a change.
“It feels strange not being in the kitchen, but I could get used to this,” Iris said with a grin.
Sarah and Millie arrived next.
“We’re not late, are we?” Sarah asked.
“Nope, you’re right on time. Hello honey,” Maggie said, kissing her daughter on the cheek.
Chelsea, who had a knack for making an entrance, breezed in with her usual flair, this time with Linda St. James on her arm.
“Ladies, we have a special guest joining us.”
Linda lightly tapped Chelsea’s arm. “My goodness, Chelsea Marsden. Don’t you go making me the center of attention.”
Everyone got up and ran to Linda to welcome her, which was exactly what Chelsea intended all along. Only a few days earlier, Maggie’s best friend pretended not to care whether Linda came to the book club meeting or not. Chelsea insisted Linda got what was coming to her. But all along, Chelsea planned to mend fences, not only for Linda’s sake, but for the group’s as well.
Maggie walked over to Linda and smiled.
“I’m so glad you changed your mind and decided to come after all, Linda.”
“Maggie, I just want to apologize for the text I sent you. I was upset, and I overreacted. I’m sorry for causing any trouble. I’m happy Chelsea called and knocked some sense into me. We’re all lucky to have such a good friend.”
Maggie smiled, shaking her head. “No, Linda, I’m the one who should apologize. We didn’t realize how much the book club meant to you, and I’m truly sorry for dismissing your idea. I should have been more considerate.”
She hugged Linda, and with her head on Linda’s shoulder, looked at Chelsea and mouthed “thank you.”
“Well, are we going to get this show on the road or not?” Grandma Sarah said.
Everyone laughed, and as they all started for the comfortable chairs in the living room. Maggie looked over at Katie.
“Katie,” Maggie called. “We’re starting.”
“Be right there,” she answered, and then smiled at Luke before joining the others.
As Katie went into the living room, Ciara returned to Luke.
“Thanks for helping me with the trays.”
“No problem. I guess I’ll get going,” he said. “Unless you need me to stay longer. I can come back if you think you’ll need me.”
Ciara smiled, knowing exactly why Luke wanted to stick around.
“No, I don’t think so. I think I’m good.”
He nodded. “Okay, I’ll head home.”
He was about to leave when he suddenly stopped.
“Ciara, I meant to ask you. Have you seen Meredith's wedding invitation? I thought I’d left it in the store, but I can’t seem to find it. I’ve looked everywhere.”
“Yes, I think I saw it somewhere near the register. I know I had a bunch of papers and magazines on the counter. I suppose it could have wedged in one of those. I cleaned the counter the other night and threw a bunch of stuff on the shelf underneath.”
He nodded. “Great, I’ll check there.”
“I thought you weren’t going to her wedding.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t decided. I’m thinking I might go, but…I don’t know.”
“Well, I’d check the RSVP date, because since you’ve already waited a while, you might have missed your chance.”
“I’m not worried. If I’ve missed the date, I’ll just call her on the phone and let her know I’m coming.”
“You’re going alone?” she asked.
Luke smiled. “Maybe not…we’ll see.”
Luke walked out of the Key Lime Garden Inn with more energy in his step than he had earlier. Whether Katie had anything to do with it, Ciara couldn’t be sure.
Regardless, the stress associated with match-making was too much for her, and she was certain Maggie would agree with that sentiment.
“Thank you all for coming to our first Captiva Book Club meeting,” Claire said with a warm smile.
She waited for the round of applause to subside before continuing.
“And a special thank you to Maggie for hosting this inaugural gathering. The food is amazing, and I think it’s wonderful that we’re all so eager to dive into this book. Just a few things to discuss today. As I mentioned earlier, we won’t be discussing the book itself—that will come at our January meeting at my house. Today is all about welcoming everyone, sharing ideas, and getting a sense of how we want to run these meetings.”
“Are we going to have this much food at every meeting?” Grandma Sarah asked.
Claire laughed. “Good question! I’m going to suggest we keep it a bit simpler than today’s spread. After all, not all of us have a chef at our disposal.”
“That’s for sure,” Millie chimed in.”
“If I can add my perspective on reading this book?” Maggie interjected. “There are several questions for readers at the back of the book. I think it would be helpful to consider those questions as we read. Rather than reading the entire book and then answering them, it might be helpful to keep each question in mind as we go along.”
“Good idea, Mom,” Sarah agreed. “It will help us engage more deeply with the story and make the discussion richer when we meet.”
“Absolutely,” Iris added. “I like the idea of approaching the book with those questions in mind. It might also help us notice themes or details we’d otherwise overlook.”
“This sounds like homework,” Grandma Sarah added. “I thought this was supposed to be fun. I don’t remember homework being fun.”
Claire smiled. “You’ll be surprised how much fun it is.”
“Give it a try, Mom, and then in January, if you don’t like answering the questions, maybe you could make up a few of your own?”
“We’ll see. At least the book isn’t very big. It might not be so bad,” Maggie’s mother added.
“I think it’s a great approach. We can give that a try this month and re-evaluate when we meet again. And don’t feel pressured to answer all of them—just the ones that resonate with you.”
Grandma Sarah seemed pleased about Claire’s last statement.
As the women continued to discuss the logistics of the book club, Maggie noticed Katie looking at her watch.
“How long will these meetings go for? I only ask because I travel a lot for work, and while I’m filling my calendar, I want to allocate the appropriate amount of time for these book club meetings.”
“I think two hours is a good amount of time to enjoy the food, discussion, and planning for the next meeting. What does everyone think of that?”
There were murmurs of agreement around the room, with Claire adding, “Two hours sounds perfect—long enough to dive into the book without feeling rushed, but not so long that it takes up the whole afternoon.”
Katie nodded and wrote something in her appointment book.
Maggie could tell Katie was a perfectionist. It was evident in the way she sat up straight, her long, shiny, dark brown hair parted in the middle, and her nails meticulously manicured.
Maggie could tell there was little time in Katie’s calendar for romance, but if Maggie and Ciara had anything to say about it, Katie’s days would soon be spent with Luke Powell.
“Great, let’s plan on two hours for each meeting then. We’ll try to start on time and keep things moving, but of course, we can be flexible if the conversation really gets going.”
With that settled, the women returned to their discussions, now with a clearer sense of structure for their gatherings.
Maggie felt a wave of relief, knowing that they had set the foundation for something special, and that everyone was on the same page as they moved forward. Even if deep down, she understood that not everything was within our control, no matter how hard we wished it to be so.
The rest of the meeting was filled with discussion around the dining room table. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Everyone, except Katie Wright, who smiled and excused herself from the table.
Shortly after, Maggie heard voices coming from the front hall. When she got up from the table, Ciara followed her.
Quietly, without the other ladies suspecting, they watched as Katie and Luke picked up where they left off before the meeting started.
Maggie grabbed Ciara’s hand and shook. “I think we’re good at this match-making thing,” she whispered.
Ciara quietly laughed. “We’ll see. When I’m dancing to music at their wedding, then I’ll agree with you. Until then, all we are right now is sneaky, and convincing liars. Neither is a testament to anything good.”