Chapter 17
CHAPTER 17
C iara was excited to see her stepdaughter again. It had been a while since Becca was home on Captiva Island, and at that time, she wasn’t married to her father.
Although she attended their wedding in Italy, Becca never seemed completely on board with the union.
Ciara mentioned it to Crawford, but he dismissed it as Becca being shy around her. But Ciara knew the truth. Becca missed her mother so terribly, that although she wanted her father happy, she couldn’t accept him marrying again. It was Ciara’s opinion that Becca’s opinion was that her father could date, but marriage was with one person forever, even after they die.
Even now, as Ciara waited for Becca to arrive, she felt a slight nervousness over her return. She hoped things would be different this visit.
Only time will tell.
Since Sarah had lots of Christmas wrapping to do, she stayed back at the inn and decided to walk across the driveway to the carriage house where she’d have the most privacy.
As she was leaving the inn, Christopher’s car pulled up in front of her.
She ran up the back steps and called out.
“They’re here!”
Maggie ran outside to greet them, and everyone followed behind.
She opened her arms and laughed.
“Chris!”
Christopher squeezed his mother and then kissed her on the cheek.
“Hey, Mom. We’re finally here.”
Paolo, Ciara, Sarah and Chelsea joined them in the driveway, but it was Grandma Sarah who pushed everyone out of the way to get to Christopher.
“Come over here and give your grandmother a big hug.”
“Hey, Grandma,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve missed you.”
“Then why don’t you come visit more?” she teased.
“Hi Grandma,” Becca said.
Grandma Sarah hugged Becca and then kept holding her hand.
“Look at this beautiful woman. Hey sweetie. How are you doing?”
Becca nodded and rubbed her belly. “I’m fine, thank you. Only three more months to go.”
“This little one will be here before we know it.”
“Did you see your father and brothers already?” Ciara asked.
“Yes, we stopped there first and dropped off our luggage. I was sorry to hear about Meredith though. We loved her and thought she and Luke would marry eventually. I thought of her as a sister.”
Maggie nodded. “Your brother was very sad about it for several months. I think he’s coming around though.”
“Why do you think that? Is he seeing someone?”
Ciara smiled. “Let’s just say he’s interested in someone. Maybe you can get it out of him when you talk.”
Becca laughed. “Oh, I’ll get it out of him all right. He’s not going to avoid me while I’m here. He knows me well enough to know I’m going to nag him until he spills everything.”
“Paolo, how have you been feeling since the kidney transplant transfer?” Becca asked.
“I’m doing great. Still taking it easy. I’m not supposed to lift anything heavy for the first six weeks.”
They all walked inside to the inn’s front living room.
“I see not much has changed since we were here last,” Christopher said.
“Does that mean we’re boring or predictable?” Maggie asked. “At least we have a Christmas tree. It’s not as big as the one we always had when you were growing up, but it fits in the front window nicely, I think.”
Maggie looked at Becca and noticed the dark circles under her eyes that never used to be there. She assumed it was due to work and medical school, as well as caring for her pregnancy.
Maggie, always so composed and nurturing, with her gentle demeanor, stood just outside the main living room, where the smell of freshly baked cookies wafted through the air.
When Becca saw the concerned look on Maggie’s face, Becca looked like she was going to cry.
Maggie opened her arms without hesitation as Becca approached, enveloping her in an embrace that spoke volumes. It was the kind of hug that only a mother could give—one that held you together when everything inside threatened to fall apart.
Ciara remained in the doorway, watching them with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She’d learned long ago that blending into a family was a delicate balance of giving space and offering support.
As Becca rested her head on Maggie’s shoulder, Ciara couldn’t help but feel a pang of something bitterly familiar. It wasn’t jealousy, but rather a hollow ache—a reminder of her role in Becca’s life, one that always seemed to hover just on the periphery.
She thought back to all the times she had tried to contact Becca, to offer her guidance or just a listening ear. Becca had been polite, even gracious, but there was always a formality in their interactions, a distance that Ciara had hoped would eventually dissolve with time. It hadn’t.
Ciara felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Chelsea standing beside her, a knowing look in her eyes. Chelsea had always read Ciara’s thoughts without her saying a word.
“It’s not easy,” Chelsea said softly, glancing over at Maggie and Becca. “Seeing them together like that.”
Ciara nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I just…I wish she’d come to me, even once. Just to talk. To ask for advice. Anything.”
Chelsea squeezed her shoulder.
“Becca’s been through so much. Losing her mother, her grandparents…It’s no wonder she’s drawn to Maggie. She needs that connection, that sense of continuity. Besides, you have to admit, Maggie has always had that ‘Mother’ thing. With so many kids of her own, she naturally attracts children of all ages. Heck, look at how she adopted me.”
Ciara smiled. “Good point.”
“You’re a new stepmother and wife, Ciara. Give it time. If you force it, you’ll risk failing big time. You don’t want to lose Becca that way. Help her in small ways, and eventually, she’ll talk to you about the big things.”
“Thank you, Chelsea.”
“For what? I didn’t do anything,” Chelsea answered.
“Yes, you did. You cared.”
Chelsea patted Ciara on her arm, and then walked over to listen to Christopher talk about his job.
Ciara looked back at the two women, now smiling through whatever conversation they were having. Maggie’s hand rested on Becca’s arm, offering the silent support that only a mother could give. And Ciara, standing on the sidelines, realized that she might always be the outsider looking in when it came to her stepdaughter.
But she also knew that she had her place in this family, even if it wasn’t the one she had imagined. It was time to accept that and be grateful for the connection she did have, however limited it might be.
With a deep breath, Ciara released some tension in her chest and allowed herself to simply be present, knowing that that was enough.
“Oliver Laurier, meet my son, Christopher, and his wife Becca. Becca is Ciara’s stepdaughter. Oliver is our new chef.”
“Oh right, I remember you saying Riley left. I’m sorry to hear it, but I’m glad Oliver has joined the Key Lime Garden Inn family. Nice to meet you, Oliver.”
Oliver shook Christopher’s hand and looked at Becca. “Nice to meet you both.”
Sarah interrupted the introductions.
“Well, I best get to my wrapping. I’ve got tons of boxes to wrap for the kids,” Sarah said. She turned to look at her brother and Becca. “Mom is hiding the kids’ Christmas presents upstairs in the carriage house. I’m going to wrap them there so they won’t peek before Santa gets here. I’m so glad you guys are home. We’ve missed you so much.”
“Thanks, sis, we feel the same,” Christopher said.
She was almost out the door, when Maggie said, “Oh no!”
“What is it?” Sarah asked.
Maggie held up her cellphone. “It’s the doctor. I’m putting him on speaker phone.”
Everyone quieted down and moved closer to Maggie. Paolo put his hand on the lower part of her back for emotional support.
Her heart was beating so fast, she thought she’d faint.
“Dr. Renolt, calling on a Sunday…that can’t be good. You must have bad news,” she said, her tears starting to form.
“Hello Maggie, I told you that I’d move heaven and earth to get the biopsy results as fast as possible. I know how anxious you are to hear the results. Now that I have them, I couldn’t let another minute go by without calling you.”
“I appreciate that,” she responded.
“Your margins are clear. There are no cancer cells in the tissue,” he said.
The tension in her body had built to such an extreme level that there was nothing else to do but cry. As the tears fell, she asked once more, “Are you sure? Absolutely no cancer?”
The doctor laughed on the other end of the line right along with everyone else in the kitchen of the Key Lime Garden Inn.
“Maggie Moretti, I am nothing if not thorough. I wouldn’t call you one week before Christmas to give you this news if I wasn’t completely certain. Merry Christmas,” he yelled into the phone, "to you and your family!”
Everyone yelled back at him in unison. “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas Dr. Renolt, and thank you so much,” Maggie said.
“Maggie, I’ll have the nurse send you the literature on Lymphedema. I’m still going to want to see you in here after the holidays, but in the meantime, follow the instructions on how to care for the lump.”
“I’ll call to schedule it right after Christmas,” she promised.
Maggie hung up the phone and looked at Paolo. She hugged him and then did a group hug with Christopher, Sarah and Becca. Chelsea and Ciara hugged each other until Maggie joined them, and when the rest were done, her mother approached her with wet eyes.
She put her hands on Maggie’s face and then pulled her close. The fear had a hold on everyone in her life. Every day she’d been waiting to hear her fate. It never occurred to her that so many others were keeping themselves busy with distractions, waiting for the same news.
She looked across the kitchen at Oliver.
“Congratulations, Maggie. It’s wonderful news.”
“Thank you, Oliver.”
She looked at Paolo and then at Sarah, Christopher and Becca. “How about the five of us go into my office and call Lauren, Michael and Beth?”
“Sounds great. I can’t wait to tell them the good news. I’m going to call Trevor right after that.”
After that, there was only one more person Maggie needed to get in touch with. And that was Gretchen Potter, and the Reach to Recovery Organization.