Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
“ I f that woman doesn’t beat all,” Maggie said as she lifted the front of the Christmas tree.
Chelsea held on to the tree trunk and they walked to Paolo’s truck.
“Tell me again why Paolo and Steven aren’t helping us with this?”
“I told you Steven and Trevor picked him up at the crack of dawn this morning. I think Steven wanted to show them some of the model homes his company built. There’s a couple in Fort Myers and several in Tampa. How is it that you don’t know this? Why didn’t Steven tell you before he left this morning?”
“He did, but I didn’t know they were going all over the place. I thought they would be in Fort Myers and then head back by now. Anyway, what were we talking about?”
“Linda St. James and her harebrained schemes.”
“Oh, right. Well, I have to admit there is some merit to the idea of surrounding Kristin with friends. It would be a mistake to let her ex-husband think she was alone. Men like him love to isolate their victims.”
They hoisted the tree on top of the flatbed truck, and then Maggie turned to Chelsea. “Don’t tell me you agree with her?”
“I’m not saying her method is perfect. I mean, come on. Linda has a way of combining snooping and gossip to make it look like she’s doing something noble. To be fair, though, I think she is worried about Kristin and wants to help.”
Maggie laughed and shook her head. “This is how it starts.”
“What?”
“Linda gets under people’s skin but comes out on top, because they start scratching the itch, but then, after a while, they don’t feel it anymore. And there she is, Linda St. James, a permanent resident under the skin of kind people like you.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “I think that’s a bit dramatic. Do you think her ex-husband will come here?”
Maggie shrugged and leaned against the truck. “I don’t know, Chelsea. I suppose it’s possible, but what can we do about it? I have to believe that the police or agents or whoever is watching him will protect her.”
Chelsea nodded. “I hope so.”
“Let’s get this tree back to the inn and get it into the stand. While we’re at it, I guess we should look around the attic for more Christmas lights. Heaven knows I better get this inn decorated to your liking. I don’t think I can take another admonishment from you on this subject.”
Chelsea laughed. “Just think of me as Santa’s decoration elf.”
When they got home, Byron Jameson was waiting.
“Hey Byron, you’re just in time. We could use a hand getting this Christmas tree up in the living room,” Maggie said. “Did you want to see me about something?”
“I wanted to thank you for having me yesterday. It was wonderful, and I have to say it got me in the holiday spirit even more than before.”
Maggie smiled. “I’m so glad. We were thrilled to have you join us. Are you ready for your Santa Claus appearance?”
“I sure am. I just stopped at the Town Hall to see all the Christmas gifts. I think more parents are participating than ever before. It’s heartwarming to see so many people come from all around Southwest Florida to join in our island festivities.”
“I agree,” Maggie said. “How about we get this tree up? The base is already in place, so I’ll get down on the floor to make sure it stays where it should. You and Chelsea can hoist it upright.”
“Okay, Chelsea, it’s you and me. Let’s go…PUSH!”
Kristin and Claire Wright grew up in the small coastal town of Niantic, Connecticut. Their family was active, skiing and snowboarding every winter, rock climbing, waterskiing and tennis were their favorite competitive sports. Their father, Walter Wright, even made it halfway up Mount Everest before he was married.
Claire went to school in Bethel, Maine, and competed in every winter ski event leading up to the Olympics. She never qualified but won several competitions along the way.
Kristin fell in love with tennis. She played every chance she got and eventually, when her family moved to Gainesville, Florida, her father hired a professional coach to train her.
Like her sister, Kristin found a hobby she obsessed over, and worked hard to compete against some of the best players in the world. When chronic knee injuries became too much to overcome, she had no choice but to think about her future without tennis.
She went to college for fashion in New York, and when she graduated, worked for several fashion houses, always content to stay in the background. She worked hard but was uncomfortable anytime she was the center of attention.
That didn’t matter when it came to getting invited to celebrity-run parties and events mostly hosted by her employers.
When the fashion designer that she’d worked for pulled her from behind the sewing machine and put one of his latest designs on her, Kristin’s modeling career began.
It was not an easy transition. She hated the attention and the limelight, and longed to be back cutting fabric, working with models and keeping her private life her own.
It was during Paris Fashion Week that she saw Nick Caruso in the audience. She didn’t know who he was, although the people he’d surrounded himself with were many of the rich and famous.
One night, someone handed her a note when she was in the dressing room. She opened it and saw, in perfect handwriting,
Have Dinner with Me, Nick Caruso
Kristin didn’t know what to do. The woman who delivered the note stood there waiting for an answer. She told herself it would only be one dinner, so she agreed.
But Nick had other ideas. He pursued her, and after one dinner there was another, and then another. Before long, everyone knew her, no longer as Kristin Anna Wright, but rather Nick Caruso’s girlfriend.
She hated it. She hated everything about his life and a world that thrived on shallow presentation where optics were everything. She began to question her choice of career, telling herself that she was stupid to think she was outfitting women, and the whole celebrity thing wouldn’t bother her. She understood that these were not real people, and she wanted a real life.
Kristin had no idea what Nick did for a living. When she asked him, he gave vague descriptions, portraying himself as a broker who connected people and orchestrated situations. Judging by the celebrities and wealthy business people he surrounded himself with, Nick Caruso appeared exceptionally successful.
When it finally became too much for her, Kristin decided to break up with him. While she enjoyed some of their time together, she hadn’t fallen in love with him or his lifestyle. She was sure Nick would find another woman to obsess over.
Her sister Claire married a politician, and they moved to Washington DC. Everything about Claire’s life was so far removed from how Kristin lived hers.
Although Nick was upset when Kristin left him, she finally regained her life back and had hope for a happy future. That was, until she received a phone call from her sister telling her that their parents were in a car accident and had died.
Claire was pregnant with Katie at the time, and the trauma affected everything about the pregnancy. She was sick all the time, and for a short while they worried about whether she would carry the baby to full term.
Kristin, still living in New York, felt lost and untethered from the family she depended on.
After the funeral, Claire and Kristin grew close, clinging to each other as they were all that was left of their family.
When she ran into Nick again, Kristin was at her most vulnerable. The loss of her parents had impacted her life in ways she never anticipated. Barely able to get out of bed, she languished.
She was so depressed that she had made herself physically ill. Unable to eat or sleep, losing interest in everything, including the job she loved, Kristin clung to Nick Caruso like a lifeboat in a raging storm.
He nursed her back to health. She found joy again, and when he asked her to marry him, she said yes. She didn’t ask herself whether she was truly in love with Nick, and there were moments when she realized there was a fine line between being in love and not wanting to be alone.
They had been married for only a year when Kristin began to question how Nick made his money. She still didn’t know how he earned his living, but instead of pushing him for details, she chose not to rock the boat. She was afraid that whatever she had gained in their relationship would be lost, and there would be nothing left. She would be nothing.
Nick wanted her to quit her job. They had no need for her income, and if she left, she would have more time to focus on him and their marriage. She didn’t quit, instead, reducing her hours to accommodate Nick’s requests.
They stayed married for several years, and when she was offered a promotion and the chance to create her own clothing line, her hours grew again. The long hours were necessary for her to be a success.
They fought often, and the stronger Kristin became, the more Nick's anger grew. Kristin found strength in her abilities, her talent, and her judgment. She started calling the shots at work, and that transcended to calling some of them at home.
The verbal abuse and gas-lighting began, and there were even a few occasions when he struck her under the guise of accidental touches or nudges. He pushed her once, and she fell to the floor. Shocked, she looked at him, and he said, “So now you’re the victim. I suppose you will tell everyone that I hit you.”
There weren’t many of these instances, but there were enough for Kristin to muster the courage to leave him for good. The divorce took years instead of months. Back and forth squabbling about money and real estate dominated her days. When she wasn’t dealing with Nick, she worried about his growing anger.
Eventually, Nick’s business deals became legendary and well-publicized. Before long, he was arrested for money laundering and drug trafficking. Kristin wasn’t surprised, but it helped her get the judge to move the divorce along at a faster pace.
She left the fashion industry and searched for property in Florida, finally settling on Captiva Island. Her sister, Claire, followed her and bought a home on Sanibel Island, with her daughter Katie moving in only recently.
Kristin always wanted children, but her choices made that impossible. She never wanted to bring a child into her dysfunctional marriage, but that loss made her sad. She opened Seashells and Such and started her life on her terms. She was content, now, as she walked along the shoreline, the cool sand beneath her feet. She felt grateful for her new friends.
The ocean waves lapped gently, their rhythmic sound a comforting backdrop to her thoughts. She pulled her sweater tighter around her shoulders, the linen pants and top doing little to ward off the chill in the air.
As she gazed out at the endless expanse of water, her mind wandered back over the years. The highs and lows, the love and fear, the moments of strength and depths of vulnerability all swirled together like the tide.
Nick was getting out of prison. The words had haunted her since she first heard them. Money laundering, drug trafficking—she had always known there was something dark about his success, but the reality had been far worse than her imagination. And now, despite everything, he had managed to cut a deal. He would soon be free, and the thought chilled her more than the cool breeze.
Kristin looked down at her feet, watching the waves wash over them, then retreat, leaving tiny bubbles that quickly disappeared. She had built a life here on Captiva Island, far from the chaos that had once consumed her. Seashells and Such, her tourist shop, had become more than just a business; it was her sanctuary, a place where she could be herself without fear.
Claire and Katie lived just over the bridge on Sanibel. Their closeness had been a blessing, especially after Claire's divorce. Katie, now 26, was vibrant and full of life, a constant reminder of the joy and innocence that Kristin had once experienced vicariously through her. But now, even their bond was shadowed by the threat of Nick's return.
She stopped walking and stood still, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath of the salty air. Her friends, Millie and Linda, had assured her they had her back. At Thanksgiving, when she finally told them about Nick's imminent release, their support was unwavering. It was comforting to know she wasn't alone in this, but the fear still gnawed at her.
Would Nick come looking for her? She couldn't be sure, but she knew she had to be prepared. The thought of facing him again was terrifying, but Kristin was not the same woman she had been all those years ago. She had found her strength, her independence. She had rebuilt her life from the fragments of her past, and she was determined not to let him destroy it again.
Kristin opened her eyes and resumed her walk. The beach stretched out before her, a symbol of the endless possibilities and resilience she had cultivated. She was stronger now, surrounded by people who cared for her. Whatever came next, she would face it head-on.
The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting a golden hue over the water. Kristin turned back toward home, her heart a mix of apprehension and resolve. She had come a long way, and she wasn't about to let Nick Caruso take that away from her.
As she walked back to her shop, she thought about the future. There would be challenges, no doubt, but she had a community that stood with her. And most importantly, she had herself. Strong, capable, and ready to face whatever came her way.