2. Linda
LINDA
The charcoal smoke from the evening grill drifted low across the grass, mixing with the cool salt air rolling off the lake as the last orange light of the Florida sunset bled into the tree line.
Down by the shoreline, the frantic whistles, shouting megaphones, and blaring loudspeakers of the Summer Lake Games had finally faded into a distant murmur.
The festival grounds were emptying out, leaving behind a damp, trampled lawn and the hum of cicadas starting up in the marsh grass.
The kids had long since vanished into the gathering dusk, swallowed up by a massive, shouting pack of local children and visitors for an impromptu twilight game of capture the flag near the edge of the woods.
For the first time all summer, the adults finally had a minute to sit down unburdened by the panic of Hearts Hotel being pulled out from under them.
The long wooden picnic table beneath the Hearts Hotel tent was draped with a faded red-and-white checkered cloth and piled high with paper plates, plastic cups, bowls of potato salad, and open bottles of cold beer and sweet tea.
Linda sat near the middle of the bench, a paper plate with a half-eaten burger resting on her knees.
The physical and mental exhaustion that had clamped down on her chest since she’d arrived back home, the constant, grinding dread of the Winebergs, the forged audits, the endless fight to keep the hotel from being stripped away, was finally gone.
Isabel sat to Linda’s right, looking comfortable with her bare feet propped up on an empty wooden crate, her sandals tossed aside in the grass.
"I keep waiting for someone to jump out from behind the coolers with a clipboard," Isabel muttered, staring down into her plastic cup of iced tea and wiggling her toes. "Some new regional zoning inspector telling us our deck chairs violate three different municipal ordinances."
"There are no inspectors coming, Issy," Owen said from across the table, leaning back with his hands laced behind his head, his bright shirt catching the dimming light.
"I’ve just learned that the town council is planning an emergency meeting.
They are going to unanimously vote to throw out every single one of their filings.
The hotel's historical status is locked in for good. "
Silence settled over the table. It wasn't the heavy, anxious, brittle they had lived with in recent weeks. It wasn’t the kind filled with whispered worries about lawsuits and hostile takeovers.
It was the deep, settled calm of people who had survived a brutal war and were finally breathing clean, unfiltered air.
Naturally, all eyes drifted toward Darius.
He sat beside Linda, his arm stretched out along the back of the wooden bench behind her shoulders, his thumb occasionally brushing the cotton of her shirt.
He was swirling the ice in his glass, his expression calm and unreadable in the fading light.
His eyes flicked across the group's faces before settling on Linda, holding her gaze.
"So," Martin broke the quiet, leaning forward with a small, knowing grin as he tossed a balled-up napkin toward his empty plate.
"Now that the dust has cleared and the corporate hounds are gone, what are you doing with that big house out on the point, Darius?
Are you putting it back on the market and heading back to the high-rises in Miami? "
Darius didn't answer immediately. He took his time, his gaze holding Linda's for a beat longer than necessary before he looked back down the table.
"I'm keeping it," Darius said simply.
Isabel stopped mid-chew, her fork hovering halfway to her plate before she dropped it with a sharp, metallic clank against the wood. "Really?"
"I'm going to live there," Darius replied, a faint, real smile touching the corners of his mouth. He set his glass down on the table with a thud. “With my family if they would come back.”
Linda watched the exchange between brother and sister. “The house is too big and lonely without the three of you there.” He turned to look at Penny, who was sipping her iced tea.
“I think we can manage that,” Penny said and glanced at Isabel. “What do you say, Isabel?”
“Mmm,” Isabel said, playing with the ice in her tea. “Maybe.” She grinned at her brother. “I’ll talk to Emma.”
“Thank you,” Darius said graciously.
“So are you going to live here now?” Michael asked Darius.
“Yes,” Darius said, and his eyes met Linda’s.
Linda’s heart gave a hard, sudden lurch against her ribs. She looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat as the weight of his words settled into the space between them. He wasn't just a summer visitor anymore. He was putting down roots right here in the bay.
“What about the company?” Linda asked.
"Turns out my laptop works just as well overlooking the bay as it does from a glass tower downtown. Miami isn't that far away when I actually need to be there." Darius’s voice dropped as his eyes darkened with emotion. “And Miami is not that far, so I can travel there and back.”
A quiet fell over the table as each person was locked into their own thoughts.
“So it seems that we’re all going to be living in Sweet Blossom Bay now,” Penny said, raising her tea. “Here’s to new beginnings and friendships.”
They all raised their glasses with Penny.
Just then Linda’s phone buzzed. She pulled it out and saw it was a message from Anna and her heart lifted with joy.
“They’re moving Uncle George out of ICU,” Linda told the table, and there were more cheers.
She looked over at her brother. “They will only allow two of us to go see him.”
“I’ll go with you.” Michael had immediately known what she was asking.
“Do you think we can tell him about this new development with Hearts Hotel?” Linda asked no one in particular.
“I’d ask the doctor,” Darius advised. “He’d know best.”
“Darius is right,” Michael agreed. “We’ll talk to the doctor.”
“Maggie, can you take the kids home?” Linda asked her.
“Sure,” Maggie said, leaning over to take the car keys that Linda fished out of her purse.
“Take the car. I’ll go with Michael in his car to the hospital.” Linda looked at Darius. “Sorry, I have to go.”
“Of course,” Darius said, standing up and kissing her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Linda said with a sigh. “Another day of summer competition fun.” She rolled her eyes.
“Oh, come on, Linda,” Maggie scoffed. “Once you and Isabel got out there…”
“You were the most vicious competitors of the day,” Penny said, brows raised. “In fact, we’re thinking of getting trophies for both of you.”
“Funny!” Linda and Isabel said in unison as Michael came back to them.
“Sorry, are you all okay to pack up for the night?” Michael glanced around the group.
“Yeah, we’ve got this,” Martin assured him.
“I’m taking the kids home,” Maggie told him.
“Thanks,” Michael said, kissing Maggie's head. “We’ll see you all bright and early tomorrow morning.”
Linda and Michael walked down the brightly lit hospital corridor toward the location Anna had specified in her text message. The linoleum floor was scuffed by carts, and the air smelled faintly of lemon disinfectant recirculating through the air conditioner.
They found Anna sitting on one of the plastic chairs near the corner, her coat folded on her lap and her shoulders curved inward with fatigue.
"I’m waiting for the nurses and doctors to get him settled before we can go in," Anna said as soon as she saw them approaching, her voice tight with exhaustion.
Linda looked down at Anna with immediate concern, noting the dark, bruised circles beneath her eyes and the way her fingers clutched her handbag strap. Anna had been at the hospital every single day since George was moved to the intensive care unit, running on little more than worry and grit.
"How long have you been sitting here, Anna?" Linda asked, sitting down beside her and placing a hand over Anna's cold fingers.
"Not too long. They only just got around to moving him when I messaged you," Anna answered, offering a thin, tired smile that didn't reach her eyes. "The doctor and nurses are just finishing up the transfer to the step-down unit now."
Just then, the heavy wooden door of George’s room clicked open, and a nurse in teal scrubs stepped out into the hallway, holding a chart against her chest. She offered them a reassuring smile.
"The doctor said Mr. Heart can have visitors in twenty minutes," the nurse announced, checking her watch before walking down toward the nurses' station.
Michael looked at his watch, then down at Anna. "We have twenty minutes. Let's head down to the cafeteria so you can get some proper food, Anna."
"I'm not really hungry, Michael," Anna protested, shaking her head.
"You're going anyway," Michael insisted gently, helping her up. "Even if it's just coffee and toast. You can't sit here running on fumes."
“I could do with a cup of coffee,” Linda told them.
The hospital cafeteria smelled faintly of diluted bleach and fragrant coffee, a refuge from the sterile hum of the upper floors. They found a small round table near the corner by the vending machines, where the morning rush had long since cleared out.
Michael went to the counter and returned a moment later, balancing a heavy cardboard tray. He set a ceramic mug of black coffee in front of Linda, another for Anna, and slid a plastic-wrapped container holding an egg salad sandwich across the laminate table.
"You need to eat that, Anna," Michael said, sitting down and pulling his own coffee closer. "It's an egg salad sandwich on rye. They're actually edible here, and you need something in your system besides hospital air and worry."
Anna looked down at the plastic package, her hands wrapped firmly around her coffee mug as if drawing warmth from it. A reluctant, tired smile touched the corners of her mouth. "An egg salad sandwich at six in the evening. Truly the pinnacle of fine dining."
"It's a classic American hospital tradition," Linda said, carefully unwrapping the crusts of her own small packet of crackers.
She looked across at Anna, her voice transforming into a softer, grounding rhythm.
"How are you holding up, really? You've been here from dawn till dark every single day since they moved Uncle George to the ICU. "
"I'm managing," Anna murmured, peeling back the plastic wrap on the sandwich and taking a small, dutiful bite.
She chewed slowly before looking up between the two of them.
"How were the games today? I heard the loudspeakers all the way up on the third floor before they closed the windows for the evening shift. "
"Chaotic," Michael answered, leaning back with a dry grin. "We're currently just ahead of Eagles Nest in the standings, but it was touch and go during the obstacle course."
"Mostly because Isabel talked herself into participating in the three-legged race and managed to trip over her own ankles within three feet of the start line," Linda added, shaking her head with a faint laugh. "She tried to blame the lawn layout, but the whole town saw it."
"Tomorrow is where things get serious, though," Michael noted, taking a sip of his coffee. "Tomorrow is the real endurance stretch, rowing relays across the lake, the open-water swim, and the around-the-lake cycling loop."
“Sounds energetic,” Anna said with a small shudder, and took a bite of the sandwich. She chewed a bit and pursed her lips. “You are right, Michael, this isn’t half bad for hospital cafeteria food.”
“I’ve had a few since Uncle George landed in hospital,” Michael admitted. “And they are the best choice here.”
“Are the two of you not having anything substantial?” Anna asked.
“Oh, no,” Linda replied. “We ate at the barbecue at the lake.”
“I missed the Summer Lake Games,” Anna said as she remembered her time when she lived in Sweet Blossom Bay. “George and I partook in it each year when we were married.”
“I remember,” Linda said.
“Yeah, me too,” Michael nodded before sipping his coffee. “Uncle George was quite competitive.”
“He still is,” Linda reminded her brother.
“I know,” Michael agreed. “Speaking of Uncle George.” He looked at Anna. “How has he been these past few days? We’ve only been able to see him through the window and wave.”
“That meant the world to him,” Anna assured Michael.
They sat together in the hum of the cafeteria, sharing the simple, steady comfort of family before the twenty-minute visiting window opened and they had to head back upstairs to Uncle George.
They finished their coffee as the minutes ticked down, and Michael set his empty mug back on the tray. He leaned forward across the laminate table, his expression shifting from light conversation to something more serious.
"There's something else we didn't mention," Michael told Anna, keeping his voice low against the background noise of the cafeteria. "Darius and Baxter sorted out the entire problem with Hearts Hotel. All of the Winebergs' filings and forged audits are being thrown out."
Anna stared at him, her eyes widening in genuine surprise before the profound relief settled over her face. "Darius did that?" she asked, looking from Michael to Linda. "After everything?"
"He did," Linda confirmed, a small smile touching her lips. "And that's not all. Gill and her father's names have been completely cleared. In fact, Gill has been offered your old position back at the college."
Anna’s eyes misted with tears, and Linda watched as the sheer weight of years of anxiety finally lifted off her shoulders.
Anna reached out to steady her hand against the edge of the table, her breath catching.
"I’ve been so worried about Gill and her father through all of this," Anna whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
"They got caught right in the crossfire of that jealous Wineberg princess. "
"They're safe now," Linda assured her, reaching across the table to squeeze Anna's hand. "The cloud is gone."
"I'm just so happy for Gill," Linda added, a knowing look passing between her and Anna. "And... I happen to suspect that Baxter and Gill are in a relationship."
Anna let out a laugh, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "I already knew that, and I've known for months."
"You did?" Michael asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Of course I did," Anna answered, shaking her head with a gentle smile. "Baxter went to great lengths to help Gill behind the scenes. I honestly think he fell in love with her the very first moment he saw her."
"Well, I'm glad that Owen found Isabel," Linda said in a low hush, watching the light catch the edge of her coffee mug. "Because Gill had been his first true love, and it would've been heartbreaking for him to have met up with Gill again after all these years.”
“Yes, I know,” Anna said with a sigh and shook her head. Sadness darkened her eyes. “People waste so much time in life.”
“We really do,” Linda agreed with her. “We waste it on the most trivial things as well.”
“Things that in the long run don’t really matter,” Michael continued. “And we only realize it when it’s far too late.”