Captiva Ever After (Captiva Island Series #7)

When she reached the Key Lime Garden Inn, she walked up the driveway and then approached the woman sitting under the gazebo. Crossing her fingers that the position of housekeeper hadn’t already been filled, she smiled at Maggie.

“Ms. Moretti?”

“Yes, can I help you?”

“Yes, my name is Millie Brenner and I’m applying for the housekeeper job if it’s still available.”

Maggie’s eyes widened, which gave Millie hope.

“It certainly is.”

Maggie got up from her chair. “Please, won’t you have a seat? Would you like something to drink?”

Millie shook her head. “No. Thank you. I’m fine.”

“This is a surprise. We’ve been having such a difficult time finding someone to fill the position. Do you live on the island?”

“Yes, that is, I do now. I’ve just moved here from Maine.”

“Maine? Oh my goodness. Captiva must be a shock to your New England system. I’m from Massachusetts myself, but I’m familiar with Maine’s weather. My family loves to ski and spent many winters visiting Maine. How is it that you’ve come to Captiva?”

“Well, I was born here actually…correction, I was born in Fort Myers but my mother told me stories of her time on Captiva. She was from Maine and so we moved there right after I was born.”

“And, so, now you’ve come back home. How wonderful. I wonder if the Key Lime Garden Inn was in operation when your mother was last here.”

Millie nodded. “Yes, I believe it was. At least that’s what I was told. My mother shared several stories of her time here on the island. She passed away two years ago, so I decided to move here and see for myself what is so special about the island.”

“You don’t have any children?” Maggie asked.

“No. I have two sisters who live in Key West. They have children so I’m a very involved aunt. At least I was when they were little. They’re grown now and so I don’t see them as often.”

“What makes you want to work here at the inn?”

“I need to work, for lots of reasons, but mostly to get out of the house and stay engaged with people. It can get lonely when you’re all alone.”

“You’re not married then?”

“I’m divorced. My husband still lives in Maine. It’s just me.”

“Have you had any experience doing this kind of work before?”

Millie shook her head. “No, not really. Not in any sort of employment way. I certainly know how to clean and do laundry. I went to school to be an accountant. That’s my background, and my employment history.”

Millie pushed the one page piece of paper in front of Maggie. “I brought my resume.”

Maggie looked over the paper. “Millicent Brenner. What a lovely name. I like the name Millie too. Is that what you prefer to be called?”

Millie nodded. “It’s easier for most people to remember. I’ve been called Millie my whole life.”

After looking over the resume, Maggie seemed confused.

“You’re rather overqualified for this job, but I do have a proposal for you and a possible increase in pay if you’re interested. The woman who has been doing our bookkeeping is leaving us. She’s been doing it part-time along with other jobs off-island and it’s been too much for her. Would you be interested in doing both jobs? I can pay you much more that way.”

The offer was too good to be true. Millie needed money in the worst way and doing both housekeeping and bookkeeping would take away much of her worry and stress over money.

“I guess it depends on how many hours and how much the pay is, but I think it might solve both our problems.”

“I have to ask you a question that might sound strange. Do you plan to stay in this job for a while? I only ask because we’ve gone through several housekeepers who could only commit to a few weeks to a couple of months. I really need someone who plans to stay.”