Page 16 of Captiva Book Club

“You’ve heard people say, be careful what you pray for? Well, I should tell you that I’m going to need serious help this holiday. My entire family is coming to Captiva. That means children, grandchildren, and my mother, who is someone you’ll come to know well.”

“Sounds wonderful,” he said.

“I have five children with families of their own. I counted the number of visitors we’re going to have, and I think it’s somewhere around twenty to twenty-five people coming in and out of the kitchen day and night. Iris will stay with us this Christmas, but she’s going to need help. I was going to ask you to start after the holiday, but I thought I would ask you what your plans are first.”

He shook his head and then smiled again. “I’m not going anywhere for Christmas, so if you want me to start right away, I will.”

“Wonderful, welcome to the Key Lime Garden Inn. I’m honestly thrilled you’re joining our family. I hope you’ll come to think of us as such.”

He nodded and looked down at the sand, and Maggie suddenly realized the word ‘family’ had a completely different meaning to him now. She decided to be straight with him about what she knew.

“I’m sorry about what you’ve been through,” she said softly.

He looked her in the eye and wasn’t smiling.

“You know?”

She nodded. “I didn’t know the day of the interview, but I did a little research before making my final decision and, well…”

He stopped her. “Of course, I should have realized…it was your right to do so. At least you know I don’t have a criminal background.”

“I don’t know what to say, Oliver. We don’t have to talk about this right now…or ever, if you’d prefer. I just wanted you to know that we’re family here at the inn, and everyone who works here knows they are loved and feels safe to share whatever they need without judgment.”

He looked off at the horizon and didn’t say anything for a few minutes. They sat in silence, and Maggie wondered if she should get up and leave. She touched his shoulder and then started to get up off the ground.

“You know where I am if you ever want to talk. In the meantime, I’ll see you tomorrow morning in the kitchen bright and early. Iris gets in at five-thirty. How does that sound?”

He nodded. “I’ll be there.”

She turned to walk away when he called out to her. “Maggie!” he yelled as he got up and walked toward her.

“Thank you, not just for the job, but for reaching out. I always knew I’d have to talk about losing my family when I decided to go back to work. I appreciate what you’ve said, and I want you to know that in time, when I’m ready, I’d like the two of us to sit down and talk about it. Right now, for my health, I need to focus only on my work. I’m just not ready yet.

Maggie nodded. “Understood, is it all right if I hug you?”

He laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever had an employer ask me that before, but yes, I’d love a hug.”

She put her arms around him and gently rubbed his back, unsure of who needed the hug more.

Trevor Hutchins spread two blankets on the sand, making a comfortable spot for his family. Once the blankets were laid out, his wife, Sarah, began changing their baby’s diaper.

Sarah teased her daughter and tickled her tummy. “Nice timing you’ve got there, little one. I could have changed you upstairs before putting you in this swimsuit.”

Trevor laughed and watched their other two children play in the sand. Their son, Noah, patiently showed his little sister, Sophia, how to use the plastic shovel to get the most sand into the bucket.

“I know you’re chomping at the bit to start working with Steven, but we’ve got to get through the holidays first. Mom, Chelsea and I went shopping the other day and I got tons of stuff for the kids. I’m leaving everything at her place so I can wrap the gifts in peace and they won’t see what I bought.”

“Great idea. This Christmas should be a blast with everyone coming down,” he said.

“Yes and no. Mom found another lump the other day. We’ve been waiting for the doctor to call her back so she can get in there and find out what’s going on. She’s putting on a brave front, but I know she’s scared. I’m scared too.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. This is terrible news, especially that it’s happening this time of year. The doctor still hasn’t called?”

“I haven’t talked to her since we went shopping. I was going to call her later today to find out.”

“I don’t know much about these things, but is it possible it’s nothing? I mean, people have lumps all the time that aren’t cancer.”

Sarah nodded. “It’s possible, and what I’m praying for, but if her cancer has returned, we’ve all got to rally around her this time. No more keeping information from her family, because she doesn’t want to worry us. She has to fight this thing, and that means she’ll need every one of us for support. As soon as we know for sure, I’m going to call Lauren, Beth, Chris and Michael on a video call. I don’t want Mom to have to repeat this news four more times.”

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