“Snacks for the plane because airline food is a crime against humanity. A book, but let's be honest, I won't read it because I'll be too busy talking to you. Tissues, because there will be crying. Don't argue with me on that one.”
Maggie didn't argue. There would absolutely be crying. The birth of her grandchildren, the farewell to the Andover house, the gathering of her children under one roof. Each of those things alone would be enough to reduce her to tears. Together, they formed a perfect storm of emotion that she was already bracing herself to navigate.
“What about the list for Gretchen?” she asked.
Chelsea's expression softened. Her sister Gretchen had become a fixture on Captiva over the past year, settling into island life with an ease that had surprised everyone, including Gretchen herself. She and Isabelle Barlowe ran the Captiva Café together, and the little restaurant had become a beloved gathering place for locals and tourists alike.
“Mostly it's about Stella,” Chelsea said. “Feeding schedule, favorite sleeping spots, the specific brand of treats she likes, and a reminder not to let her outside no matter how pathetically she meows at the door.”
“Stella's an indoor cat? I didn’t realize that.”
“Stella is a pampered princess who has never touched grass in her life and would be eaten by the first pelican that spotted her. She stays inside.” Chelsea set down her phone and dropped onto the sofa beside Maggie. “Gretchen thinks I'm being overprotective.”
“You are being overprotective.”
“I'm being appropriately cautious. There's a difference.”
Maggie laughed and sipped her tea, which had gone lukewarm. Outside, she could hear the distant crash of waves and the cry of seabirds. Chelsea's house sat close to the beach, close enough that the salt air drifted through the windows on dayswhen the breeze came from the west. It was a beautiful home, filled with light and carefully chosen furniture and the particular warmth that Chelsea brought to everything she touched.
“Where's Steven?” Maggie asked.
“On a call with a client in Tampa. He's got that development project heating up, and they want him on-site for most of next week.” Chelsea tucked her feet up under her. “The timing actually works out perfectly. He'll be traveling while I'm gone, so neither of us will be sitting in an empty house missing the other.”
“That is convenient.”
“I prefer to think of it as fate aligning in our favor.” Chelsea turned to face her more fully. “Speaking of which, how are you feeling about all this? And I don't mean the travel logistics. I mean the real stuff.”
Maggie set her tea on the coffee table and considered the question. Chelsea had a gift for cutting through the surface, for asking the questions that other people danced around. It was one of the things Maggie loved most about her, even when it made her uncomfortable.
“I'm excited about the babies,” she said slowly. “That part is pure joy. Beth has wanted this for so long, and Gabriel is going to be such a good father. I can't wait to hold them.”
“But?”
“But the house.” Maggie paused, searching for the right words. “The house is complicated. I thought I had made my peace with selling it. I moved here, I built a new life, I told myself that chapter was closed. But now that we're actually doing it, going through the rooms, sorting through everything, saying goodbye...it feels bigger than I expected.”
Chelsea nodded, her expression understanding. “You raised your children there.”
Maggie nodded. “ Every room has a memory. Every corner has a story.” Maggie looked down at her hands, at the wedding ring she wore, though it was Paolo's ring now, not Daniel's. “Ikeep reminding myself that the memories aren't in the walls. They're in me, in my children, in the family we became. Selling the house doesn't erase any of that.”
“But it still hurts.”
“It still hurts.”
Chelsea reached over and squeezed her hand. “That's why I'm coming with you. Not just for emotional support, though there will be plenty of that. But because you shouldn't have to carry this alone. Paolo will be there, your children will be there, but I know you. You'll spend all your energy taking care of everyone else and forget to let anyone take care of you.”
Maggie felt her eyes sting. “You know me too well.”
“That's what best friends are for.” Chelsea sat back, her tone lightening.
Maggie laughed, the tightness in her chest easing slightly. This was why she needed Chelsea on this trip. Not just for support, but for perspective. For the ability to find humor in the hard things and lightness in the heavy moments.
The front door opened, and Steven walked in, his phone still in his hand. He was a tall man, fit and tanned from years of living in warm climates, with silver hair and the kind of easy confidence that came from success in business and contentment in life. He smiled when he saw Maggie.
“Planning the great northern expedition?” he asked.
“Finalizing details,” Chelsea said. “How was your call?”
“Long. But productive.” He leaned down to kiss his wife's forehead. “The Tampa project is moving forward. I'll need to be there Monday through Thursday at least.”
