Page 53 of Captiva Book Club

“Congratulations, Maggie. It’s wonderful news.”

“Thank you, Oliver.”

She looked at Paolo and then at Sarah, Christopher and Becca. “How about the five of us go into my office and call Lauren, Michael and Beth?”

“Sounds great. I can’t wait to tell them the good news. I’m going to call Trevor right after that.”

After that, there was only one more person Maggie needed to get in touch with. And that was Gretchen Potter, and the Reach to Recovery Organization.

CHAPTER 18

Katie Wright prided herself on being thorough in everything she did, including matters of the heart. The moment she saw Luke Powell driving Santa’s boat at the Christmas Parade, she found herself intrigued. Luke had a reputation as a nice guy, though some saw him as clueless in relationships.

Katie’s mother, Claire, had learned about Luke’s past relationship from his stepmother, Ciara Moretti Powell. It wasn’t much of a mystery to Katie why her mother thought she needed to know about Luke’s romantic history. Claire often remarked on Katie’s obsession with work and worried that her daughter would never find a lifelong partner.

It was obvious to Katie that her mother saw Luke Powell as a potential boyfriend. While Katie usually ignored her mother’s attempts to meddle in her love life, this time, she didn’t resist.

Luke’s reputation as a “nice guy” wasn’t enough for Katie. She needed concrete details, a clear understanding of who Luke Powell really was, before she could entertain the idea of spending any time with him.

They had already talked quite a bit at the book club meeting, and she found him interesting, pleasant, and good-looking, but in an approachable way. He wore glasses, though she noticed he took them off at the meeting, leading her to assume they were for reading only. His light brown hair had streaks of blond, likely from spending so much time in the sun. He was tanned and, when she saw him up close, he was taller than she had initially thought—just a couple of inches taller than her.

Her research was exhaustive, blending online searches with subtle inquiries among the island’s residents. The picture emerged of a man deeply committed to his career, to the point where relationships seemed a distant second. This didn’t surprise Katie; she herself had always prioritized her work. It was something she respected, even if it made romance more challenging.

The story of Luke’s ex-girlfriend, Meredith, seemed like gossip to Katie, and so, thus far had ignored it. But when her mother brought it up, Katie paid attention. After six long years of waiting for Luke to propose, Meredith had finally decided to move on. The fact that she was now getting married, just seven months after their breakup, was something Katie found strange. Her mother indicated that Luke’s brother, Joshua, thought it was a cruel attempt to upset Luke, but Katie wasn’t so sure.

Katie didn’t consider herself overly romantic. She liked things to be clear, straightforward, and above all, logical. Emotions were fine, but they needed to be controlled, understood, and managed. That’s why she found her reaction to Luke so confusing.

There was something about the way he interacted with Ciara and the other women that caught her off guard. He was confident, but not arrogant, engaging, but not overly familiar. It was enough to make her curious, though she would never admit it out loud.

She’d given Luke her phone number, but didn’t expect him to call so soon.

“I know you’ve probably got a million things to do before Christmas, but I wondered if you’d like to meet and take a walk on the beach tomorrow morning? Early morning walks are the best, because hardly anyone is on the beach at that hour,” he said.

“Thanks for asking, but I can’t,” she answered, not sure why she was putting him off.

“How about later in the day? Business is slow this time of year, so I’m free all day.”

“Um…I’ll have to see. I’ve got a conference call at one o’clock. What time were you thinking?”

“You decide, and I’ll meet you in front of The Mucky Duck.”

She didn’t want to appear rude, so she agreed. “I can meet you at three o’clock, does that work for you?”

“Yeah, that’s great. I’ll see you then.”

When the call ended, she shook her head.

I did it again.

Reminding herself that their interaction shouldn’t be so formal and businesslike. But that was how she operated, and apparently, it was how Luke did too, if she believed her mother.

When the time came, Katie made her way to The Mucky Duck, her mind still half-occupied with the tasks she’d been working on earlier in the day. As she walked toward the restaurant, she paid no attention to the clouds forming overhead.

As she approached the beachside restaurant, she spotted Luke waiting for her on the beach path. He looked far more relaxed than she felt.

“Hey,” he said. “Thanks for meeting me, although I just now looked at the forecast. It’s supposed to rain.”

Katie laughed. “I was under the impression that you and I had paying attention to detail in common. How did we miss this?”

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