Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
C helsea decided to start her day, as Maggie had asked, by checking on things at the Key Lime Garden Inn. Most mornings it was Chelsea’s routine to go there for coffee and scones anyway, but today she opted to adopt Maggie’s before-the-sun-comes-up schedule.
Seagulls welcomed her as she made her way toward the inn. A lone runner waved as she walked Andy Rosse Lane. The air was cool, but the weather forecast predicted another warm November.
The approaching holidays meant there would be an influx of tourists hoping to escape the cold and snow. A Captiva Thanksgiving, this year, would include her new beau, Steven, a development that warmed Chelsea’s heart. She wanted to take things slow but was surprised to find that she couldn’t go a day without seeing him, or at least hearing his voice.
“Good morning, ladies,” she said, coming through the back door of the inn.
“Morning, Chelsea," Riley answered. “Coffee is ready and the blueberry muffins are cooling on the rack.”
“Too hot for me to eat?” Chelsea asked, already claiming a muffin.
Iris laughed. “Does it matter?”
Chelsea shook her head. “Nope.”
She filled her mug with coffee and sat on a stool at the kitchen island. “I love this time of morning over here. The guests aren’t up yet, it's quiet, you can hear the sound of the ocean, and smell the amazing aromas from this kitchen. No wonder you two love your job. What’s not to love?”
“I feel lucky to have this job,” Iris said. “Besides, it doesn’t ever feel like a job to me.”
Riley nodded. “I feel the same way.”
“Maggie asked me to stop by and see if either of you need any help. I assume Millie will be by to do the housecleaning? Do you have any guests checking out today?”
“Just Maggie’s brother-in-law, Mr. Chandler.”
“What? Is Nolan Chandler staying here?”
Riley nodded. “Yes, he came in yesterday and he and Mrs. Chandler spent some time together, but the next thing we saw was Millie checking him into a room here. It’s none of our business, but it seems strange that he didn’t stay down at the cottage with his wife.”
“Well, not completely strange since Maggie said they were having troubles with their marriage,” Iris explained. “It’s none of our business, so we don’t ask too many questions.”
Chelsea wondered what could have happened to make Nolan stay at the inn, but not with his wife. That he was staying at the inn for only one night was more of a sign that things weren’t getting better between him and Kat.
“Oh well. It’s best we keep our heads down and let them figure it out. In the meantime, what can I do to help around here? There must be something I can do.”
Riley shook her head. “Not really. I mean unless you want to go out to the garden and bring in everything on this list?”
Riley handed Chelsea a long list of vegetables and herbs. Looking it over, Chelsea didn’t know how to recognize some of what was listed.
“I wouldn’t know oregano from thyme if they sat on the end of my nose. I’ll have to look them up on my cellphone.”
Iris giggled. “All the herbs are marked. As a matter of fact, everything in the garden is marked. You can’t make a mistake unless you can’t read.”
Chelsea nodded. “Is there a bag or something to put everything into?”
Riley pointed to a large basket by the back door. “You can use that basket over there. Take the scissors too, so you can cut the stems easier.”
Chelsea took the basket and put the list and scissors inside.
“Wish me luck,” she said. “If I’m not back in twenty minutes, send for help.”
As soon as Chelsea left, Riley and Iris looked at each other and cracked up laughing.
Chelsea gingerly walked up and down the garden path looking for rosemary herb but couldn’t find it. She used her cellphone to find an image of the herb and smiled when she located it in the garden. It took some time, but she picked everything Riley had written on the list, and then carried the basket-full of harvested tomatoes, zucchini, squash, kale, rosemary, parsley and basil.
Proud of herself, Chelsea put the basket on the counter. “Here you go. I got everything on the list.”
Riley looked into the basket and then at Chelsea. “Good job. Maybe we should have you do this more often. I’m sure Paolo could use the help.”
Chelsea shook her head. “Not so fast. I think I’ll keep painting landscapes. This work is backbreaking.”
The chefs were still laughing when Chelsea looked out the back door. “Does Kat come up for breakfast every morning?”
“No, only a few times. Most of the time I think she prefers to stay in the cottage. There’s a refrigerator there, and I know she usually has yogurt from the market. I know because I’ve seen the trash.”
Chelsea nodded. “It’s late enough. I think I’m going to go down and pay her a visit. I’ll be right back,” she said as she stepped out onto the porch.
She’d been busy with her life lately and hadn’t spent much time visiting with Maggie’s sister. That was the excuse she’d use when she saw Kat. She felt she’d been rude and wanted to make up for it by visiting her at the cottage.
The real reason was that she wanted to understand how long the woman would stay on Captiva. Maggie’s mother and Paolo had convinced Maggie to stay clear of her sister’s troubles, but no one said anything about Chelsea getting involved, which seemed more like an invitation than anything else.
She walked toward the cottage, looking for any sign that Kat was awake. When she didn’t see movement, she walked around to the beach side, and found Kat sitting on a rocking chair, staring out at the ocean.
“Hey, Kat,” Chelsea called out. “It’s me, Chelsea.”
“Chelsea, good morning. What are you doing out at this hour?”
Chelsea stepped closer to the porch.
“Mind if I join you up there?”
“Not at all. Please. I’ve got coffee if you’d like a cup.”
“That would be great. I started one up at the main house, but somehow never had more than a couple of sips.”
“No problem. How do you take it?”
“Black. Thanks.”
Kat went inside, and Chelsea sat on the second rocking chair.
“Here you go. I got one for myself, although I probably shouldn’t. I’ve been up all night.”
“You didn’t sleep at all?”
Kat shook her head. “No. I can’t seem to quiet my mind. Too much to think about.”
Chelsea took a sip of her coffee.
“Care to share what’s keeping you up at night?” she asked.
Kat laughed. “Chelsea, you are too funny. I know my sister and you talk about everything under the sun. There isn’t anything going on in our family that you don’t know about…that includes me and my husband.”
Chelsea smiled and looked down at the floor. “Sorry. I guess you got me there. I don’t mean to pry, but I can be a good sounding board while Maggie’s away.”
Kat hesitated before asking her question. “Have you ever felt like there are missing pieces to your life? I don’t mean something outside yourself, like a person or a thing that’s missing. I mean something inside you isn’t there?”
Chelsea nodded. “I’ve had that feeling…yes. Is that how you feel?”
Kat nodded. “Nolan is here. He stayed at the inn last night and wants me to go home with him…back to our old life. Although he doesn’t say things will be the same. If anything, he’s selling me on a promise that he’ll change.”
“That’s not a good thing?”
“It’s good for him. Change is always good, but he can only control what he’s capable of. He has no influence on the things I need to change. What I’m saying is that it’s not going to be enough because no matter what Nolan does or doesn’t do, I’m still the same person…a person who doesn’t know herself at all. That can’t be good for a marriage.”
Chelsea shook her head.
“I would have to agree with you there. Is that why you came to Captiva…to find yourself?”
Kat nodded. “I didn’t know it then. I came to Captiva to learn how my sister managed to be so happy. I wanted some of that happiness. I thought I was running toward something wonderful…a new chapter in my life. I never realized all I was doing was running away from my life back in California.”
Chelsea smiled. “Running is a knee-jerk reaction. I have them too. I’ve run before, maybe not to an island in Florida, but I’ve emotionally run away when I couldn’t cope. In the end, I realized that the thing I was running away from was myself. Once you get that, you plant your feet firmly somewhere…it doesn’t matter where…and finally address your issues. Whatever they may be, you have to have courage to be fearless…brave, and persistent. Take control, do the work, and then enjoy the peace you’ll feel knowing for the first time, you understand who you are, and love yourself as you are.”
“What if I don’t like what I find?”
Chelsea laughed and reached over to tap Kat on the arm.
“Honey, liking yourself isn’t where you end up…it’s where you begin from. Start from a place of self-care, and you’ll learn to put yourself first before you can take care of others.
Kat seemed to like Chelsea’s advice.
“I’ll tell you one more thing though. If you really don’t like yourself, then you need to find out why that is. I don’t think that’s your problem though.”
“No? How can you tell?”
“Because you cared enough about yourself to come to Captiva. Only one thing motivated you to come here, and that was to become a better person. I call that brave.”
“Nolan probably calls it crazy.”
“I hear he’s checking out to go back home today.”
Kat nodded. “Yes, he told me that. His flight is at four o’clock this afternoon.”
Chelsea didn’t say another word. Instead, she let Kat think about her future…with or without Nolan.