Captiva Ever After (Captiva Island Series #7)

“What?”

“For the sake of your sanity, and your relationship with your children, I strongly advise you to look at this double wedding as two separate couples, with individual tastes. From the moment Beth and Chris told you they’d agreed to a double wedding, you’ve seen that day as one big wedding instead of two separate ones, and that’s a huge mistake.”

“Chelsea, I’m trying to manage a double wedding from a logistics standpoint. It’s not easy running this event, and I’m making decisions that will streamline everything.”

Chelsea nodded. “Yes, and I completely understand that thinking, and Beth and Chris made the choice for the double wedding in the interest of location and scheduling, not so they’d have the exact same wedding details. You can’t expect these two brides to lose their individuality, just because they’re getting married on the same day.”

Frustrated, Maggie shrugged. “I get that, but how am I going to deal with a father of the bride who seems to be grandstanding?”

“My suggestion is that you first talk to Crawford and find out how this article happened. If he was the one who initiated the announcement, then I think you need to publish one of your own. Beth and Gabriel’s wedding is every bit as important as Becca and Christopher’s and I can guarantee you that neither of these two couples cares about this foolishness. If you’re not careful, this wedding will become a battle of the in-laws. Don’t let that happen.”

Maggie sighed. “You’re right. I don’t want that. I just want Beth to have the wedding she’s dreamt about her whole life. I care that Becca is happy as well, it’s just…”

Chelsea finished Maggie’s sentence, “You want your daughter to be happy. I get that. Just remember that your son might not care about all the wedding details, but if his bride is unhappy, he’ll be unhappy. Don’t get mad at me, but is this more about you and the Key Lime Garden Inn, or is it really about the kids’ wedding? You know that they don’t care at all about this. What’s going on here?”

“Don’t be silly. The inn is mentioned in the article as is the Wheeler family name. I’m not going to be one of those awful mother-in-laws who try to control everything. It’s not about that. It’s just that on the wedding day, I don’t want Becca to overshadow Beth. I appreciate the hoopla surrounding the local girl getting married. I get the history here, but my daughter is just as important.”

Maggie got up and sliced two pieces of mushroom and broccoli quiche. Bringing the plates to the table, Maggie shook her head.

“Why didn’t you stop me when I suggested a double wedding on Captiva?”

Chelsea picked up her fork and scooped up a piece of the quiche. “It’s simple, Mags. When you get an idea, it’s like a freight train going at high speed. There’s no stopping it, or you.”

Swallowing her first bite, Maggie responded, “Yeah, but some trains go off the rails in the blink of an eye, leaving carnage all around it.”

Chelsea laughed. “What a lovely image. Leave it to you to recognize a disaster in the making.”

* * *

Maggie looked in the mirror and studied her hair. She’d had some hair loss during chemotherapy, but not a significant amount. Still, she’d hoped what she did lose would have shown signs of regrowth once the treatment ended. Instead, the bald spots remained.

Radiation therapy didn’t help matters. Frustrated, she hated the way she looked and wondered how long it would be before her once thick hair would return.

At this rate, my hair is going to look awful on the wedding day.

“Hey, Mom, are you up there?” Sarah yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

“I’m here. Come on up,” Maggie answered.

“Hey, honey, are the kids with you?”

“No, Trevor has all three and they’ve gone over to his parents’ house to look at baby chicks.”

“Baby chicks? Somehow, I don’t see Devon and Eliza Hutchins raising chickens. What’s that about?”

“I was just as surprised as you are, but they’ve promised to buy Noah chickens and I insisted they stay at their house. They agreed to raise them and watch over them.”

“I can’t believe they agreed to it,” Maggie said.

“Neither could I. I thought for sure when I suggested they had to keep them that would nip it in the bud, but nope.”

Maggie laughed, imagining Eliza Hutchins wearing her expensive Chanel suit and lots of gold jewelry while holding a baby chick. “The things grandparents are willing to do for their grandchildren.”

“Anyway, I thought since I had the afternoon to myself that I’d come over for a visit. What’s new with you?”

“I’m glad you’re here actually. I need some advice,” Maggie answered.

“Is this wedding advice?”