Page 40 of Captiva Café
"Well," Sarah said gently, "the inn is full, and things are busy. But still…she said that?"
Lauren nodded. "Like I was a stranger. Like I had no business showing up. I get that she's overwhelmed, but I moved my entire family down here to be closer to her. It's not like I live across the country."
Sarah sat down beside her. "Okay. First of all, I'm really sorry she snapped at you. That doesn't feel good, no matterhow justified she thinks she is. Second...um...did I hear you correctly? You moved down here to be closer to Mom?”
Lauren’s facial expression went from anger to confusion. “What? No, of course not. You know what I mean. It’s just...I... It just isn’t like Mom to be so rude to her kids.”
Sarah laughed. “I guess you’re forgetting our teenage years. We thought she was being rude back then, and I hate to say it but you’re acting a bit childish.”
Lauren jumped up from the sofa but Sarah grabbed her dress and pulled her back down.
“Okay, hang on a minute. You obviously came to see me because you wanted me to agree with you and complain about how awful Mom was to you. I agree that she could have been less abrupt, but you have no idea what Grandma has put her through lately with her silly YouTube channel. Mom is so understaffed and over-booked, it’s crazy. She and Paolo are doing everything they can to literally accommodate tons of people at the last minute. I think you should cut her some slack. Not everything is about you...or any of her grown children...at least not right now.”
Lauren stared at the ice cubes floating in her glass. "I just thought being nearby would mean more time together. But she acted like I was intruding on her life."
"You aren’t wrong to want that, Lauren," Sarah said, nudging Lauren with her shoulder. "You wanted connection. That's not a bad thing."
Lauren looked over at her sister, tears threatening at the corners of her eyes. "Did I make a mistake moving here?"
Sarah didn't answer right away. She leaned back, watching as Daniel began to stir in the bassinet, one tiny hand stretching above his head like he was reaching for something in a dream.
"First of all, your family moved here to give Olivia a chance at excelling in tennis. She’s a very lucky little girl that herparents were willing to move for her sake. Whatever else you thought would fix things by moving here, only you can answer that question.”
“Fix things? I don’t need to fix anything,” Lauren responded defensively.
Sarah smiled and nodded. “Okay then, you just hit a bump. Welcome to being closer to Mom. I hope you’ll be very happy here.”
Lauren let out a small laugh and leaned into her sister.
"Give her a day," Sarah added. "Let her decompress. Then show up again. Call first, sure—but don't pull away. She's just too wound up to see clearly right now."
Lauren nodded, more out of exhaustion than agreement. "I just wanted a quiet morning. Maybe walk the beach. Talk about how I'm adjusting. You know, normal stuff."
"Tell you what," Sarah said, standing up and heading for the kitchen. "How about we walk the beach? I'll text Trevor and let him know I'm taking a break. He can wrangle the chaos for a bit."
"You sure?"
"I'm positive. I do live at the beach, you know. It might not be a Captiva beach, but it’s still lovely."
Sarah opened the pantry, grabbed a thermos, started brewing a fresh pot of coffee, and filled a brown paper bag with banana muffins. She handed one bag to Lauren. "And this time, you don't have to share your pastries."
Lauren smiled. It wasn't the morning she'd planned—but maybe it was exactly what she needed.
Back at the inn, Maggie stared at her phone, thumb hovering over Lauren's contact. She'd already composed and deleted three different text messages, none of them adequate.How do you apologize for being rude without making excuses?
The inn felt overloaded and the usual quiet and quaint feel of the inn was lost, making Maggie feel more like the owner of a hotel instead of a bed & breakfast.
None of that was Lauren's fault. But all of it had conspired to make Maggie feel like she was being crushed under expectations she couldn't possibly meet.
A knock at her office door pulled her from her thoughts.
"Come in," she called, setting her phone down.
Oliver poked his head in. "Got a minute?"
"Barely," Maggie replied, but she motioned for him to enter. "What's up?"
"Just wanted to let you know I've got breakfast under control now. And I thought you might want these." He placed a small plate on her desk with two pastel de nada pastries.
