Captiva Ever After (Captiva Island Series #7)

Millie smiled. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. I need something permanent, so it looks like we’re a good fit.”

Maggie jumped up from her chair. “Great. Come with me and let me give you a tour of the place. I can show you a bit of the inn’s history as well as how the front desk and computer is set up. I’ll get in touch with Ciara later this morning and schedule some time for her to show you how the bookkeeping software works. Welcome to the Key Lime Garden Inn, Millie Brenner. We’re happy to have you join our little family.”

Millie couldn’t believe her luck. She’d prayed for a new start and now, Maggie Moretti had answered those prayers.

There was so much that Millie wanted to know about Captiva Island, the Key Lime Garden Inn and the world she had been a part of so long ago. Somehow, she’d find a way to learn about the people who had played a major role in her birth. It was the only way to give her the true sense of belonging that she’d searched for since her mother died.

* * *

Brea opened her laptop and searched for information on how long a dead body could stay in the trunk of her car before there would be a noticeable smell.

A detectable decomposition smell begins within 24-48 hours as putrefaction sets in and intensifies any time between 4-10 days, depending on the conditions.

“I bet the body would smell bad within twelve hours, especially if he was killed in the summer.” Brea said out loud.

“Mom!” Olivia screamed. “Lilly keeps messing up my puzzle. Tell her to leave my puzzle alone.”

“Lilly, leave your sister’s jigsaw puzzle alone,” Brea yelled.

Looking at the blank page on her screen, Brea sighed. She’d already tried several times to type out a synopsis of her plot but kept getting interrupted.

Her life was a chaotic series of errands and obligations that had nothing to do with her dream of becoming a writer, and everything to do with making everyone else’s dreams come true.

Closing her laptop, she laughed and shook her head.

Give it up, girl. You have about as much chance of becoming a writer of crime fiction as you do winning the lottery. Actually, you probably have a better chance at winning the lottery.

Olivia ran down the stairs with Lilly, their puppy, Willa, following close behind. “Mom, Lilly is impossible. Was I like this when I was a kid?”

On the cusp of her teenage years, Olivia recently seemed to see herself as having already arrived at that age.

“When? You mean you’re not a kid anymore? Good, it’s time for you to get a job,” Brea teased.

Olivia put her hands on her hips. “You know what I mean. I thought you gave her a puzzle of her own. Why does she need to touch mine?”

Brea looked at Lilly. “I did give you your own puzzle. Where is it?”

Lilly shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it’s with all the games. Will you help me put it together on my own table?”

Brea bent down to eye level with Lilly. “Of course. Come on, let’s see what happened to your puzzle and we’ll set it up in your room.”

Lilly turned to Willa. “Come on, Willa. You can be in my room and help mommy and me.”

Brea turned to longingly look at her laptop for only a minute before Lilly’s tugging on her arm received her full attention.

“I’m coming,” she said.

They passed Michael’s home office just as he finished his phone call.

“Daddy, Mommy is going to help me with my puzzle, Willa too.”

Michael got up from his chair and joined them. “That’s great news, Lilly. I’ve got some great news of my own. Looks like I get to start back to work the first of the year. It’s only desk work for a while, but they think I’ll be back on my regular shift within six months. Isn’t that great?”

Brea smiled even though she wasn’t so sure it was great news at all. The truth was that ever since Michael was shot, she wanted nothing more than for him to quit his job and find another career.

Instead, she pretended to be happy for him. “That is great news.”

“Daddy, you help mommy and me with my puzzle,” Lilly interrupted.