Page 17 of Captiva Book Club

Trevor nodded. “That’s a good idea.

“Mommy, look!” Sophia yelled as she dumped a huge mound of sand on Noah’s feet.

“Did you put her up to that?” Sarah asked Noah, who was giggling but didn’t answer.

“Sarah, I wanted to talk to you about something that’s been on my mind. It’s about my new job.”

“What about it?”

“First, you are right about me chomping at the bit. Ever since I accepted the job, my mind has been spinning constantly with ideas that I can’t wait to talk to Steven about.”

“That’s great, honey. I know he’s thrilled you accepted the job.”

“I know that some of the people you and Ciara work with at the Outreach Center live in their cars.”

Sarah nodded. “Those are the lucky ones, at least they have a roof over their heads.”

“Exactly. Since my new job is working with someone who constructs sustainable housing, why not collaborate with us to find a way to place these people in homes they can afford?”

Sarah’s eyes lit up with genuine enthusiasm. “Is that even possible? I just assumed that even though these homes are built with unique materials, the company isn’t building them for free. Someone is making money, somewhere.”

“Of course, but Steven has already purchased several acres of closed businesses and abandoned homes to build prefabricated tiny ones with this purpose in mind. He’s talked about me getting the word out, and I think you and the Outreach Center could be a perfect way to reach those who are homeless.”

“And the cost to those people who can’t afford much?” she asked.

“I’m not sure. All I want is for you to think about this. We’ll see Steven at Christmas, won’t we? You, Ciara, and I can talk to him about it then.”

Sarah nodded. “The Outreach Center works with other organizations. We could also pass the word to them. If we can create a program that not only provides housing, but also educates people on sustainable living, that would be wonderful. Imagine a workshop series on sustainable living, gardening, and energy efficiency, alongside providing actual homes.”

“Absolutely. We could work with them on financial planning, home maintenance workshops, and community gardens to encourage self-sufficiency,” he added.

Sarah laughed. “I just said that.”

Trevor took her hand and squeezed it. “See, we’re already on the same page.”

CHAPTER 6

Chelsea held up a copy of a paperback book and then handed it to Maggie, who was sitting on the back porch swing.

“I know you’ve been preoccupied lately, so I picked up a copy for you. It looks like we’re set for January 30th at Claire’s house for the first book club meeting.”

Maggie took the book in her hand and smiled.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“What?”

“What do you mean, what? Who picked this book?”

“Claire did, it made the most sense for her to start us off. What’s wrong with this book?”

Maggie laughed. “Only that the woman on the cover looks like me, that’s all.”

Chelsea looked at the book cover and shrugged.

“You may have a point. I hadn’t noticed. Now that you mention it, I think the story fits nicely with your own journey. A woman on a mission to find herself, after years of dedicating her life to her husband and children spends a year on Cape Cod. I mean, if we replace the location with Captiva Island, it almost sounds like you,” she teased.

The twinkle in Chelsea’s eye didn’t convince Maggie of anything except her best friend was making fun of her.

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