Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
K at waited until the last minute to leave the cottage. She’d already paced the floor several times and was about to meet Maggie in the driveway when her phone rang. Nolan’s name appeared on the screen, and rather than answer the call, she pressed the power button to silence it.
What a terrible choice. Have lunch with my mother or talk to Nolan.
Both were assured to be confrontational. If Kat had her preference, a walk along the beach and as far away from her problems as she could get would have calmed her fast-beating heart.
As it was, Kat had little control over the day. One thing was certain. She’d stay true to her convictions that she was doing the right thing by leaving her marriage. She’d only been on Captiva Island one day, but already felt the excitement and anticipation of this new chapter in her life.
“Kat, come on. We’ll be late,” Maggie yelled from the garden.
Late? What an understatement, Kat thought.
Kat remembered how inflexible her mother had always been. Once, when her mother made sandwiches for her and Maggie, the choice was between a BLT and grilled cheese on white bread. Kat wanted the BLT, but she also wanted cheese on it. Her mother told her that wasn’t one of the choices, and to choose from the two she’d been offered.
Kat shook her head at the memory.
Who takes issue with a child who wants to modify her BLT?
She grabbed her purse and ran out the door, before she changed her mind about having lunch with her mother.
“Hang on to your hat. I’m coming!” she yelled back.
“I didn’t mean to yell, it’s just…well, you know how Mom can be.”
Kat rolled her eyes and got into the car. “Is it just us or is Paolo or Chelsea coming?”
Maggie laughed. “Why on earth would either of them want to come to lunch with us?”
Kat shrugged. “I don’t know. I was praying for reinforcements.”
“Reinforcements?”
“Yeah, you know, conversation about anything and everything that doesn’t have to do with me or my failing marriage.”
Maggie put the car in gear and headed down the driveway. “Oh, that. Well, as I said yesterday, you need to give Mom a chance. You might be surprised at how understanding she can be. She might even have some sound advice for you.”
Confused, Kat tried to grasp Maggie’s change of heart regarding their mother. For as long as Kat could remember, Maggie’s relationship with their mother was equally strained. Something had changed between them since they moved to Captiva Island, and Kat was dying to know what it was.
“I’ll do my best, but I’m not promising anything,” Kat responded.
When they reached their mother’s condo, she was already sitting on the visitor’s bench at the end of the driveway. Maggie parked her car and rolled down the window.
“Mom, what are you doing sitting out here?” Maggie asked.
“I’m trying to avoid Henry Perkins. That man keeps coming by my place every day trying to get a date with me. I don’t want to have to put him off again. It’s exhausting.”
Grandma Sarah, as everyone called her, peered into the car. “Kat! What in the world…?”
“Hello, Mother,” Kat answered as both she and Maggie got out of the car.
Kat hugged her mother. “Are you surprised?”
“Surprised isn’t the word. I haven’t seen you in four years and you never call. Is Nolan with you?”
Kat’s voice was light and cheerful as she answered, “No, not this time. It’s just me.”
“Well, it’s nice to see you. Are you staying with Maggie?”
“I thought it best to have her close so we can show her around. This is her first time on Captiva,” Maggie answered.
Without saying a word, Grandma Sarah nodded, and then got into the backseat.
Pleasantries over, Kat and Maggie scrambled to get into the car.
“Why exactly are we driving? I thought we were eating at one of the restaurants here?” Maggie asked.
“Maggie, I’ve just explained to you why I want to get away. Let’s go to Fort Myers Beach. I want to eat at The Whale. It’s right on the beach, you know the place.”
Kat liked the idea of having lunch in a public place. Whatever her mother’s reaction, she’d keep her voice low so as to stave off an embarrassing scene.
Maggie nodded. “That’s fine with me. I’d prefer sitting upstairs when we get there. I love eating outside.”
Just as Maggie had hoped, when they arrived at the restaurant, the host brought the women upstairs.
“Do you only have high-top tables?” Kat asked the hostess.
“Yes, I’m sorry, that’s all we have. If you want a regular table, you’ll have to eat downstairs at one of the inside tables.”
One look from her mother and Kat changed her tune. “No, this will be fine.”
As soon as they placed their orders with the waiter, their mother looked Kat in the eye, and didn’t mince words. “What’s wrong between you and Nolan?”
Kat almost spit out her water. “What?…How?”
“I haven’t seen you in years. You and Nolan have been joined at the hip for over thirty years. I’ve never known you to get on a plane without him.”
Kat couldn’t control the laugh that escaped her throat.
“That’s priceless. When exactly do you remember us taking a plane anywhere?”
Kat caught Maggie looking around the deck to see if anyone had heard them.
“Okay, Mom, you’re on to me. Let’s get it out on the table right now. I’ve left Nolan and am seriously thinking of moving down here after the divorce.”
Her mother sat back in her chair and seemed to be waiting for her to say more. When Kat didn’t say anything else, her mother leaned in and whispered, “Has he been cheating on you…like Daniel did to Maggie?”
“Mom!” Maggie yelled. “Let’s not bring my former marriage into this please?”
Her mother shrugged. “Sorry, I’m just asking. Did Nolan cheat?”
Kat sighed. “No, he didn’t cheat.”
“Oh my goodness…you? Are you seeing someone?”
“For heaven’s sake, Mom. No, I’m not seeing someone. I’ve never even looked at another man since I married Nolan. Besides, it’s not about Nolan. It’s about me. I…I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just that I need…more.”
Kat initially avoided watching her mother’s reaction, but she couldn’t ignore her need for some acknowledgment of her pain. Later, when she was alone in the cottage, she’d allowed herself to believe her family supported her, but right now, all she wanted was to change the subject.
She watched the activity along the beach road, just below the restaurant’s deck. She felt a hand rest on hers, and when she turned to look, her mother had reached for her with tears in her eyes.
“I know that feeling,” her mother said. “You live for your family…your husband and your children. You push your dreams aside and tell yourself lies…things like you don’t deserve more.”
Her mother looked at Maggie. “You know what that’s like, don’t you?”
Maggie smiled and nodded as she put her arm around Kat.
Goosebumps rose on Kat’s arms, and an immense love for her mother and sister overwhelmed her.
“After Daniel died and Maggie decided to move to Captiva, I was proud of her. I loved how aware she was of her need to be the best version of herself. It took courage to do what she did…to start over. I’m proud of you, too Kat. The only thing I would advise you to consider is whether you can accomplish what you want within the structure of your marriage. Do you need to leave Nolan to fulfill your needs?”
Kat shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“What I mean is that I’ve never heard you say you’d love to live on Captiva Island. Maggie and her family traveled here every summer, and it was her dream to live here. I want you to find what you truly want, and then go for it. This isn’t like the time when you girls were kids. You can’t wear Maggie’s clothes, and you can’t try to fit into Maggie’s world. Is living down here what you want? You need time to find out who you are and what you want for your future. Once you do that, you’ll know what you should do.
The waiter balanced all three plates on his arm as he approached their table. Grandma Sarah took a sip of her sweet tea and then smiled at him.
“Thank goodness, I was about to march into the kitchen to speed things up.”
Kat looked at Maggie. “Is she always like this?”
Maggie nodded. “Always.”