Captiva Ever After (Captiva Island Series #7)

“Hi, guys. I just got back from Andy Rosse Lane and your place.”

Although the sound of the wind was strong, Crawford’s voice was clear.

“Hey Crawford. We can hear you,” Paolo said. “What did you find?”

“Well, the best news is that as of right now there haven’t been any fatalities.”

“Thank heaven for that,” Maggie said.

“As far as the inn goes, from what I could see from where I was parked, there were plenty of trees down. The gazebo is gone. I’m not sure where it went but if I had to guess I’d say it’s in the Atlantic. The garden is completely destroyed. I’m not a gardener, but I’d say that you will need to start over and replant everything. The really weird thing is the water level is higher in other parts of the island but not so much where the inn sits. I think it’s probably suffered more from wind than from flooding. It’s almost like the water got pushed more to the east when it made landfall. From the road, it’s hard to tell exactly the extent of the damage. I didn’t go inside. The winds are pretty strong, but I think they are less than this morning.”

“Well, that’s something, I guess,” Paolo answered.

Maggie nodded. “What about the Carriage House?”

“Looks the same as it always did. I don’t see any problem there, and from where I was parked I didn’t see any damage on either roof.”

“Thank you so much for checking for us. Any idea on Chelsea’s place?” Maggie asked.

Crawford laughed. “You know how her house and the ones on either side of her have long stairways going up to the porch and front door? Well, I think everyone who owns one of those homes got lucky. Unless there is roof damage that I can’t see, I don’t think she’s got anything to worry about.”

Smiling, Chelsea gave a thumbs up. “Thank you for checking, Crawford. You’ve made my day.”

“No problem, Chelsea.”

“When do you think we can come back?” Maggie asked.

“I’d wait another day or two. The water has to subside and then there needs to be an assessment on the damage. The biggest thing they were worried about was the bridge. According to the news, as of right now, the bridge is intact, but they’re going to want to make sure it’s structurally sound before they let people drive on it. If I hear anything more about that, I’ll give you a call. For now, I’d say stay put for another couple of days anyway.”

Defeated, Maggie sat on the sofa and looked at Chelsea. Although grateful that no one was injured or died from the storm’s power, they were all stuck in West Palm Beach and had no way to get to the island. Two more days at the Hutchins’ house seemed a cruel punishment for having done nothing wrong.

Chelsea and Ciara joined the others out on the lanai while Maggie and Paolo sat in silence until Paolo unloaded on her.

“You’re a snob, you know that?” Paolo whispered.

“What? Where did that come from?” Maggie shot back.

“It’s true. These people have opened their home to us, and you’ve done nothing but complain since we got here, and it’s mostly been about how wealthy they live. That makes you a snob.”

Insulted and surprised at Paolo’s characterization of her behavior, Maggie shrunk against the sofa and pouted. Within a few minutes, the hurt subsided and she had to admit that her husband was right.

“You know what? You’re absolutely right,” she said. “Not only that, but they’re also Sarah’s family now and my grandchildren’s grandparents. I’m setting a terrible example. I hope no one but you noticed how I was acting.”

Paolo smiled and shrugged. “Only Chelsea, but she’s just as bad as you are.”

Maggie smiled. “That’s my wing girl…what did you expect?”

He laughed at that, but then got serious. “Looks like the inn might have skirted serious damage.”

Maggie nodded. “Let’s hope. We won’t know until we get in there, but it sounds promising. I’m sorry about the garden and gazebo though.”

Paolo patted her arm. “You know me. I’m sad to lose the flowers. I can always re-populate the vegetable garden, but the flowers took years to mature. Some of them were planted years ago when Mrs. Lane started her garden. It’s a tragedy if they’re gone but, as Crawford said, the most important thing is that no one was killed.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Maggie said. “Well, I guess we should go join the others, and I promise to be a more grateful guest.”

“That’s my girl,” he answered.

CHAPTER 12