Captiva Ever After (Captiva Island Series #7)

“So you were born, Millicent O’Hara? What a great name. I love it.”

Millie tried to make light of the situation. Shrugging, she said, “Yeah, I guess it’s cool. It was a long time ago and I don’t think she worked here for very long.”

Ciara put the picture back up on the wall. Asking more questions was the only way Ciara could push for more information “Well, now you’ve definitely spiked my interest in the past. For sure, I’m going to do a bit of research on the inn’s history and you can help me. We’ll have so much fun connecting the dots. We can display what we find somewhere here. What do you say? Maggie will be tickled pink at the idea.”

Millie’s stomach was in knots at the idea. She’d hoped that the casual mention of her mother would be the last of it, but now, it was impossible to know exactly what information Ciara would find. She wanted no part of Ciara’s new project but realized that staying involved might be her only chance of controlling the fallout.

She’d always planned to tell Maggie exactly why she was on Captiva Island and why she desperately wanted to work at the Key Lime Garden Inn. She wanted the story to be told by her and on her terms. That her mother worked at the inn was only the tip of the iceberg.

Now that Ciara wanted details, there was no telling what else she would uncover. Millie owed it to her mother to protect her memory and not hurt anyone in the process. Whether she could do both she didn’t know, but it was worth trying for everyone’s sake.

* * *

Becca couldn’t wait to get into the water and swim as many laps as she could in the early morning hours before anyone was out of bed.

For years, living on Captiva Island, it had been her habit to either run or swim just as the sun came up. It felt good to return to her old routine. When she exhausted herself from the swim, she toweled off and laid down on the towel, feeling the sand under her ribs.

It would be hours before the sand beneath her was hot, but she would be visiting friends and local business owners before then. She purposely didn’t think about Christopher or the wedding, instead pretending to live in the past, when she was the most popular island girl on Captiva.

When she did think of the wedding, she wondered how long she could stay on Captiva without dealing with her anxiety. She couldn’t ignore what was happening in her life for very long, but in this moment, she was content to let all of that worry fade into the background.

“Hey, early bird. I see you’re back to your old ways,” Joshua said.

“What in the world are you doing up at this hour?” she answered.

“Following you actually. I thought maybe we could have an uninterrupted talk.”

“Wow, you must have something pretty important on your mind to wake up this early. First, please tell me that you want to talk about something in your life and not mine, because I’m not in the mood to go there.”

“I think you’d better change your attitude, because I feel a major discussion between you and Dad is about to happen.”

Becca sat up. “What do you mean?”

“He’s worried about you, Becca. He hasn’t said a whole lot to us, but I know him better than any of you. I watch him and I know he’s concerned about this wedding. I’ve even overheard him talking to Ciara about it. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“Oh, man, this is exactly what I didn’t want to do. Why does everyone want to talk about the wedding? I don’t need the pressure and stress.”

“What stress? Why should marrying the love of your life give you stress and make you feel pressure? Come on, Becca, you need to spill. What’s going on?”

“Listen, I appreciate you coming down here so early because you’re worried about me, but I’m fine. There isn’t anything to worry about. I just needed to come home for a bit before all the chaos began. I wanted to be here on this beach doing exactly what I’m doing, so please let me.”

Joshua nodded. “Fine. Sure. Whatever you say. Just remember what I told you and get prepared. Dad is going to want to talk to you whether you want to or not. You can thank me later for giving you a heads-up.”

Becca smiled and gave her brother a push. He fell backward onto the sand.

“Hey, what are you doing this morning? Aren’t you supposed to be working on the repairs at the inn?”

“I get the not too subtle hint. I’m going. Just remember what I said, and Becca, in all seriousness, if you need to talk, I’m here.”

It was an unusual position for her little brother to assume, but it felt good to see Joshua in a kinder light. No matter how much he teased her, she knew he loved her just as Luke and Finn did.

Squinting into the sun, Becca smiled. “Thanks, Josh. I mean it.”

“No problem. Enjoy your beach day.”

She watched Joshua run back toward the inn and decided to find her father later. If he wanted to talk to her because he was concerned, she needed to calm his nerves. There was no point in avoiding Crawford Powell when he had something on his mind. He’d find her sooner rather than later. Becca knew that if she wanted to get control of the situation, she’d have to go to him before he did.

* * *