Page 11 of Captiva Book Club

Along with medical school and several other important responsibilities, she smiled, thinking of her newly-acquired job of keeping her husband’s feet firmly on the ground.

Maggie sat in front of her laptop, searching for more background information on Oliver Laurier. There was plenty to read about his former positions at several well-established restaurants in Manhattan, San Francisco, and Paris, but little about his personal life.

Why she couldn’t take his word for the months he took to deal with a “personal issue,” she couldn’t say. All she knew was that something seemed off. Before she could hire him as a chef for the Key Lime Garden Inn, Maggie had to be certain there weren’t any skeletons in his closet…at least ones that didn’t lead to her front door.

The inn’s housekeeper, Millie Brenner, came up behind Maggie, and she jumped when she realized Millie was standing there.

“Oh, my goodness, you scared me to death,” Maggie yelled, as she quickly closed her laptop.

“I’m sorry, Maggie. I just wanted to know if it was all right if I used the computer to do my bookkeeping. I’ve got lots of Christmas shopping to do, so I’d like to leave a little early if you don’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind. I left a bunch of receipts in the folder, if you want to upload them to the software, that would be great.”

“Thanks, Maggie. What are you searching for online?”

It was none of Millie’s business, but that never stopped her from sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong.

“Oh, just some Christmas stuff. Before you know it, this place will be in complete chaos with my children and grandchildren running around. I thought I’d look over some gift ideas,” she lied.

“Nice. I sometimes buy stuff online, but I enjoy Christmas shopping in person,” Millie added. “Well, I’ll get to the bookkeeping and leave you to do your shopping.”

As soon as Millie left, Maggie opened her laptop again and continued her investigation. She was nearly finished searching when Oliver’s name appeared on a local Miami television station’s website. She clicked on the article, and when it came up on the screen, a photo of Oliver with his wife and two young boys appeared.

The small headline read: Local Chef’s Family Die in Tragic Flood Accident.

Shocked, Maggie put her hand over her mouth and continued to read.

Tragic Loss in Flooding: Chef Oliver Laurier’s Family Among Victims.

Katheryn “Katie” Laurier, 38, her husband Oliver Laurier, and their two young boys, Colin, 6 and Caleb, 4 were caught in a devastating flood in downtown Miami, Florida.

The family was traveling along Biscayne Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, to attend a family gathering when a torrential downpour caused severe flooding in the area, disabling their vehicle. They were hit by a sudden wall of water, making it impossible for Oliver to hold on to his wife and their two children.

Miami Fire Chief Arthur Wilkins reiterated reports their vehicle was struck by “a wall of water” from the overwhelmed drainage systems.

Despite Mr. Laurier’s desperate attempts to save his family, the powerful floodwaters claimed the lives of Katie, Colin, and Caleb.

A donation in their name has been set up. Please send all inquiries to the following email address.

Maggie couldn’t read any more and closed the laptop, but not before sending the article to Chelsea. As soon as she could get away, Maggie planned to talk about this to her best friend. She didn’t know Oliver at all, but that didn’t matter when it came to feeling compassion for his situation. Her heart breaking for Oliver and what he must have gone through since that terrible day, and every day since, she didn’t know how to process this news.

She understood Oliver’s reluctance to share this information with her, Riley and Iris. She wanted to tell him that all the employees at the Key Lime Garden Inn were family to her and Paolo and could talk to them about anything.

After a few minutes of debating on what to do, she decided to tell no one but Paolo in the hopes that Oliver would eventually feel safe enough to share this awful news with her and her family.

What she was certain of, however, was that she would hire him to be the new chef at the Key Lime Garden Inn, and as such, the newest member of her extended family.

CHAPTER 4

“What are you going to do?” Chelsea asked as she carried a tray with two plates of frittata and two cups of coffee to the table under the garden gazebo.

“Thank you for getting this for me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I’m feeling lazy today.”

“You’re entitled. You work too hard.”

Maggie took a sip of her coffee.

“As far as Oliver goes, what can I do? Other than hiring the man, I can’t force him to talk about losing his wife and two sons in the most horrific way. The post-traumatic stress he must feel has to be overwhelming,” Maggie answered.

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