“Does it have a view?”
“It does.”
“Well, it will have to do. There’s not a lot to choose from here on Magnolia Key.”
“Tiffany!” She frowned at her daughter.
“What?” Tiffany shrugged. “There isn’t.”
“Do you want me to take your tote bag up for you?” Maxine offered, after giving Darlene an apologetic look.
“I’ve got it, Mom. I’m pregnant, not incapable.” Her daughter rolled her eyes.
Ah, there was the look she remembered so well. She pasted on a smile, ignoring Tiffany’s attitude.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then. I’m working at Coastal Coffee in the morning. Maybe we could have lunch after that?”
“Fine. I’ll meet you there about noon. But then I want to catch the ferry. I have an early evening flight out of Sarasota, and it takes forever to get to the airport from here.”
“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Tiffany headed up the stairs. She turned to Darlene. “She’s tired.” As if that excused her daughter.
“Pregnancy can really zap it out of you, can’t it?”
“It can.” But she wasn’t sure that pregnancy made someone rude… She just hoped Tiffany was nice to Darlene when she came down for breakfast. “I should go. Good to see you.”
Maxine headed out to her car and drove the few minutes it took to get back to her cottage. She went inside and looked at the lovely appetizer she’d made. With renewed resolve, she popped it back in the oven to heat it up. She might as well enjoy it.
She sat with her brie and wine, mulling over Tiffany’s visit. She was extremely happy for Tiffany and the pregnancy. She had really thought her daughter would never have children. She never seemed interested in them. But maybe her husband had wanted them. She wouldn’t know. She wasn’t close to Tiffany’s husband at all. He was kind of a standoffish guy.
But now she did have some hard decisions to make. Why had this happened right after she’d decided to make Magnolia Key her home?
And to be honest, Tiffany’s attitude annoyed her. She’d forgotten how thoughtless Tiffany could be.
But how could she stay here when her first grandchild was being born? And Tiffany said she needed her. She was probably overwhelmed with the thought of having a baby. Babies could be scary. She remembered when she brought David home. She couldn’t believe those nurses just let her take this human being home with her. That she was responsible for him. What did she know about babies? But, like every mother, she’d learned.
And she’d loved being a mother. Especially when the kids were young. Back when… they liked her.
How could she go back to Philadelphia and put up with Tiffany’s attitude? The eye rolling. Always being treated like she didn’t know anything, or did things wrong. But surely that would change when the baby was born. Because she’d know how to take care of it.
She wondered if Tiffany knew if it was a boy or a girl. She hadn’t said.
Why did life keep throwing her curves?
CHAPTER19
The next morning, Beverly looked up to see Maxine rushing into Coastal Coffee. “I’m sorry. I tossed and turned all night. Hit the snooze on my alarm. I’m really sorry.”
“We just opened. It’s fine.” Beverly frowned, concerned about her friend. It wasn’t like Maxine to be late for work. “You do look tired, though. You okay?”
“I’m… no, I’m not.”
“My guess is it has to do with Tiffany’s arrival.”
“It does. She wants me to move back to Philadelphia.”
“But did you tell her you’d decided to stay here?”
