Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
For the first time in a long time, Mari woke up with a sense of purpose. It wasn’t as though she’d been aimless in her life. At least not lately. She had maintained a decent job for a number of years, even though nursing wasn’t her dream job and she didn’t love it.
She had a few friends from work, a few from her neighborhood and her apartment building who she met up with on occasion. One of those friends was her landlady, Minerva Smith, an elderly woman who lived on the first floor of her small building.
After she moved in following her breakup from Adam, Mari used to check on Mrs. Smith from time to time, just to be sure she was doing well and didn’t need anything. They would sit together on her back stoop, have a cup of tea and watch the birds. She did that a few afternoons a month. Or she used to.
That all came to an end a couple of weeks ago, when her landlady’s son and his girlfriend had moved Mrs. Smith to a nursing home and he had taken over as landlord.
Brian Smith and his girlfriend had no interest in maintaining anything more than a landlord-tenant relationship with the people who lived in the building, including Mari.
Mari had a nice life. She was just fine, if very lonely. Especially recently. Not only did she miss the hot tea, the chatting and the bird-watching with Mrs. Smith, she missed the routine and comfort of being in a relationship, even if it wasn’t with the love of her life.
She hadn’t known Mrs. Smith long, but she’d been very compassionate when Mari moved into the building just over two months ago, fresh off her breakup with her longtime boyfriend, Adam Parker.
They’d been seeing each other off and on for almost a decade when—bam!—he ended it for good. Once it was over and she stopped to think about it, it was as clear as day to Mari that she and Adam were never going to be a permanent couple.
Adam travelled a lot for his job, but his home base was in their apartment. They’d met at her favorite deli on the block, struck up a conversation about something she couldn’t even remember and the rest was history, so to speak.
She’d been fortunate there was a one-bedroom apartment available in the building next door that she’d been able to rent immediately. It meant she could stay in the neighborhood she was so familiar with and continue to shop at the same stores, get takeout from the same restaurants and keep up the same commute for work.
Although their history was over, Mari had a hard time being too upset about it once she got over the initial shock. To her, that meant Adam hadn’t been the right man for her. She liked him. He was nice. But there was no spark.
And that was on her, not Adam. She was the one who felt no spark. In the last year of their relationship, he was the one who sought out her company, not the other way around. To Mari, their relationship was one of comfort and habit. Adam deserved better and so did she.
Their final breakup happened when he started talking—again—about settling down in the Southwest, a long-held dream of his. Mari didn’t want to live in the Southwest. Ever.
It was too hot. Too dry. She didn’t know anyone there. She’d have to start all over.
No. She was simply not interested in moving to that part of the country. Visit? Sure. Live there? Absolutely not.
They had argued about that one topic for as long as they’d been together. Most often, their short breakups had to do with her not wanting to move from Chicago to New Mexico or Arizona, and him being hellbent on the idea. It was only a matter of time before he was headed there. She always told him that he’d be going alone.
They would go their separate ways for a couple of weeks, most often while he was on a work trip that took him out of Chicago. When he returned, he would apologize for being so hard-headed about his plans. They’d strike up their romance, such as it was, the same day.
That was really the only roadblock to their future happiness together. At least that’s what he’d always argued and she didn’t disagree.
A few months ago, the death knell to their relationship sounded when his company changed things up and announced his transfer to a permanent job in Southern California. Adam was going to be within driving distance of one of his dream retirement places: Arizona. He was thrilled by the transfer and expected Mari would be elated, too. She was not. If she didn’t want to move to Arizona or New Mexico, she sure as heck didn’t want to live in Southern California.
Adam took his job transfer as a sign that he was meant to go. She took it as a sign that they were over for good and wished him well.
He spent an entire night, before during and after dinner, arguing with her about how great it would be to live in Southern California.
“Just think of it, Mari,” he’d insisted. “No more winter! No more slush and snow. You can get local fruits and vegetables year round. There’s hiking and museums and art and—hey!—we could even try surfing. Maybe plan some road trips, explore the area.”
Mari didn’t argue. She ate in silence. She cleaned up the dishes in silence. When they moved to the living room, she crossed her arms, sat in silence and didn’t engage. This made Adam to try harder to convince her.
When she finally spoke, all she said was, “I’m sorry, Adam. I don’t care if rainbows shoot out of every building and gold lines the streets there. I’m not going anywhere. I wish you well. I’m sorry it didn’t work out between us.”
He stared at her, the excitement in his eyes dying. Coldly, his tone one of absolute defeat, he said, “No, you aren’t. You aren’t sorry at all.”
Mari didn’t say anything. He left the apartment to stay at a friend’s place, head hung low and obviously upset about her feelings. She started looking for a new apartment immediately.
He took their breakup much harder than she did, which summed up the gist of their entire relationship. He was always the one who kept things going between them. While she cared for him, she could never say that she loved him as more than a dear friend.
Once, in what was certainly a weak moment, her mother had told her about the love she’d felt for Mari’s father without naming him. Francesca usually treated anything to do with Mari’s father or her feelings for him like they didn’t exist.
The rare times Francesca did say anything, she had always romanticized the relationship, keeping her answers short and sweet so as not to garner any detailed questions.
They’d just watched some romantic movie where passions were high throughout the film. Mari had asked her mother if that’s the way it had been between her and Mari’s father.
At any other time, Francesca probably wouldn’t have answered. However, it was late at night when the movie’s end credits started rolling. Her mother told Mari more than she ever had about their short but meaningful time together. She said she had loved Mari’s father very much and that when it was over, she knew she’d never love anyone like that again.
And that, she told Mari, was why she’d never bothered looking for another man. She had Mari and she had her amazing memories of a love for the ages, as she put it.
Francesca said she had felt a burning in her heart and soul that told her, “I must be with him and no one else will do.”
Mari had never felt that burning feeling for Adam in all the years they’d been together.
Once she knew the truth about Horatio Beauregard Lovelock, Mari felt let down. So much for a love for the ages. She had been completely fooled by the few stories her mother had told her about her father.
It was not until after her mother’s death that Mari found out the truth. Her father was not dead. He’d had a brief affair with Francesca and moved on. Mari wasn’t angry at her mom. She couldn’t be. Francesca had done the best she could as a single mother and lived her life the way she wanted after Horatio was no longer a part of it.
Mari was older, with fewer stars in her eyes, than that young nursing school graduate mourning the loss of her mother. She understand that learning the truth as she had, through the letter she’d found while going through her late mother’s things, likely drove her in the direction of how she operated her love life.
If, like her mother, she found someone who struck a chord in her soul, she would stop and take note, maybe even pursue that man. If she found someone who sizzled her socks off, she’d maybe invest in a future with him.
So far, no one had done that. While Adam had come the closest to doing that, she’d known all along he wasn’t the man for her forever.
Today, she got out of bed in Florida with a sense of purpose that this was the first day of a brand new life. She had come to Valentine Key with the idea she might come away with some wealth that would increase the savings cushion she kept for herself.
Curiosity had also driven her here. She wanted to at least once meet her father’s other children, even if they didn’t want to associate with her ever again. That was what she had expected—to be shunned as the illegitimate girl child and rebuffed by all.
Instead of being reviled, she had been tearfully welcomed with open arms and added to the group of Horatio’s daughters like she’d always been one of them. The mere idea made her tear up. She was not a crier, but the welcome had been so unexpected, it made her emotional.
Mari was coming away from this trip with so much more than she’d ever dreamed of. She now had forever the tremendous boon of a family, sisters and instant friendships built in.
She had a place where she could be one of the sisters and not the only child of a single mother who died decades ago.
Mari had acquired something she hadn’t even known she wanted desperately. At long last, she had a warm, welcoming place to belong. A place where she fit in and an opportunity to invest her time into a business, even if she knew absolutely nothing about it. She felt like, with the friendship of her newfound sisters and aunt, she could conquer anything she put her mind to.
Step One, pack up her small Chicago apartment and head for Valentine Key.
Step Two, find a place to live and immerse herself in the beach way of living.
Step Three, make friends with and get to know her sisters better.
∞∞∞
Victoria slept in, missing her morning walk on the beach, so she went down to get breakfast before the buffet service closed. She got there steps behind Mari, who was also apparently getting a late start.
“Good morning,” her youngest sister said.
“Good morning,” Victoria replied, getting right behind Mari in the buffet’s hot food line. There was bacon and sausage, scrambled eggs and vegetable frittatas, French toast and pancakes in warming trays with lids, along with assorted sauces, syrups and the like to go with the hot dishes.
Next in line, on another table along the same dining room wall, was a variety of fresh fruit, pastries, bagels and bread, plus yogurt and hard-boiled eggs. A mini refrigerator on the counter at the end of the table held bottled juices and water. The coffee station was in an alcove across from the mini refrigerator, offering carafes of hot water, decaf coffee and two kinds of rich, caffeinated goodness. Smaller silver carafes held milk and cream for the coffee and there were little bowls with sugar, sweeteners and coffee stirrers.
Victoria loved coffee first thing in the morning. She couldn’t imagine starting her day without it.
All in all, Aunt Lily put out a really nice spread, in Victoria’s opinion.
She did wonder if it would be better to go back to the way it used to be when the Lovelock Inn opened. Would guests prefer to have a sit-down, order-off-a-menu experience in a nice inn like this one?
Victoria would have to do some research. The part of the dining room area not set up with the buffet was as richly appointed as it ever was, with white tablecloth-covered square tables, four cushioned chairs surrounding each, waiting for guests.
There was only one young girl in the room, busily busing tables and putting a fresh white tablecloth down along with salt and pepper shakers, a paper napkin dispenser. She would then put the soiled tablecloth in a closet just out of sight of the dining room, and move on to the next table that needed cleaning.
Victoria followed Mari to a table in the corner. “Mind if I sit with you?”
“Not at all. I’d love to have the chance to talk and get to know you better.”
“I’d like that, too.”
“This inn of your aunt’s is very nice,” Mari said.
“Yes. And she’s your aunt, too, right?” Victoria grinned.
The color came up in Mari’s cheeks and she looked pleased. “That’s right. I keep forgetting I have a big family now. It’s hard to get used to. I’ve been on my own for so long.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I know we’ve all said this a hundred times, but I wish I’d known about you. I would have reached out.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. And you’re right—all our other sisters and Aunt Lily have said the same thing. But it’s nice. I’m happy to be here.”
“I know you’ve probably answered this several times, but where are you from? What do you do?”
Mari waved a hand dismissively, indicating she didn’t mind answering Victoria’s questions. “I live in Chicago. I’ve been there for about twelve or so years this time around. Before that, after I graduated from nursing school, I roamed around Europe for a few years.”
“You’re kidding!” Victoria said. “I did that after I graduated from high school instead of going to college, like our father wanted me to.”
“Really? Wow. I guess we’re both the adventurous type.”
Victoria shrugged. “I wouldn’t say that, but it was the first time I was old enough to do what I wanted instead of being told what to do and where to go. I reveled in the freedom. It didn’t hurt that it made our father angry, which made it even more fun.”
Mari laughed out loud. “I understand that sentiment. I really do.”
They ate quietly, each lost in her own thoughts, until Mari cleared her throat. “So, I know that Sunshine is the mother of Jessica and Jacklyn, and Kelly is the mother of Colleen, Darby and Evaline. I don’t know who your mother is, though, or even her name.”
“Was. She died when I was nearly four.” Victoria was strangely okay talking about her mother. It used to make her cry when anyone asked, but once her own daughter was born, somehow, that changed. Victoria didn’t know why.
Mari sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“No. It’s fine. You don’t need to be sorry. My memories of my mother—whose name was Isabella—are few and treasured. I know Horatio loved her, because Aunt Lily told me so. She died in childbirth after a horrible fifth miscarriage.”
“Because Horatio needed a son.” Mari didn’t ask; she made it a statement.
“Right. Well, I might disagree on the ‘need’ part, but in order to pass down the family business to his progeny, he had to have a son. As you heard at the reading of the will, it turns out it was written into the bylaws of Lovelock Enterprises generations ago.”
“Again, I’m sorry about your mother,” Mari said, then added, “My mother’s name was Francesca Roselli. She died of a heart condition when I was twenty, right before I graduated from nursing school. I almost didn’t finish my degree. It took me some time to come to terms with losing her, though it wasn’t unexpected. She had been ill for a while.”
“I’m sorry, Mari. I understand. I really do.”
Mari nodded. “Of all the sisters we have, you are likely the only one who understands that part of my life.”
“Yes. I guess us orphans will have to stick together.”
“Indeed. The orphan sisters is fitting.”
Victoria and Mari spent almost another hour chatting about their lives, their homes, their experiences backpacking across Europe and, of course, their thoughts about what lay ahead for them: The acceptance of their father’s challenge to run a business for a year on Valentine Key.
“How do you feel about running an art gallery?” Victoria asked Mari.
“Well, of all the jobs I’ve ever had—and there have been a few besides nursing—none of them quite fit with that. I have looked at paintings in museums a couple of times. That about sums up all of my intricate experience with fine art.”
Victoria chuckled. “Boy, do I understand. I’m pretty much in the same boat. While I have eaten in many restaurants, I have certainly never run one. Since I spent so much time overseas in boarding schools growing up, I picked up languages. That’s what I’ve been doing for the whole of my adult life—translations and interpreting. The best I can do is read a menu in several foreign languages to help other customers whenever I happen to be in a restaurant overseas.”
“Do you think Horatio did that on purpose? Gave us places to work where we had absolutely zero experience? I guess that will keep us all on even footing while we begin our competition. The wisps of conversation that I heard from our other sisters were basically the same thing. None of them have experience with the jobs they’ve been given to do.”
“I guess so. I will say I am intrigued by the opportunity.”
“You know, I agree with you. I am also very intrigued by this chance to change my life and go in a different direction. Nursing was never a great passion for me, and it’s the kind of job that I think one has to love. The patients deserve it. I fear I was stagnating where I was.”
Aunt Lily came into the room and approached their table. “Good morning, ladies,” she said. “I hope you had a lovely breakfast.”
Victoria nodded, as did Mari.
“Yes,” Victoria said. “We have had a delightful breakfast and we spent time getting to know each other.”
“Well, that’s just wonderful. I’m so happy to hear it. I was hoping to chat with Mari whenever you two are finished.”
Victoria glanced at the fitness tracker on her wrist and realized it was well past cleanup time for the breakfast buffet. The girl who had been busing the tables had finished that task as the diners cleared out. Likely her last chore was to clean up Victoria and Mari’s table.
“I’m sorry, Aunt Lily. I didn’t realize how late it was.”
“Oh, now, it’s not a problem at all. I’ll just send Becky over to clean up your table as soon as you’re gone.”
Victoria and Mari made plans to meet again the next morning for breakfast. After that, Victoria was going to show Mari around Valentine Key and they’d look at some places they might be able to rent once they moved to the island. They both needed to get a sense of what as available and what they’d have to budget for.
Victoria couldn’t live at the Lovelock Inn for the next year. However, she might have to rent a room at the inn until she could find a place, depending on what she could find on the island.
Victoria said her goodbyes to Aunt Lily and Mari, leaving her youngest sister in the capable hands of her favorite and only aunt. She had meant to discuss the situation at the Lovelock Inn with her aunt, but decided it could wait a little while longer.
She was off to find Miles and discover what else he knew about the business she was about to run. She wondered where he planned to live once he moved from Philadelphia down to Valentine Key.
His answers might determine where she decided to live. If Mari wanted to live in the same neighborhood, fine by her.