Page 86 of Captiva Café

Linda looked momentarily flustered by the direct acknowledgment but recovered quickly. "Yes, well. At our age, one doesn't have time to waste on unnecessary complications. Byron and I share many interests and find each other's company...agreeable."

"High praise indeed." Byron chuckled, his hand still covering hers.

The café door swung open again, and Sarah arrived with Trevor and their three children—Noah immediately makinga beeline for Paolo, Sophia clutching what appeared to be a project about marine life, and little Maggie toddling straight to her grandmother with arms raised in the universal request to be picked up.

"Sorry we're late," Sarah said, helping Trevor arrange additional chairs at the rapidly expanding table. "Noah insisted on finishing his model sailboat this morning. Apparently, it couldn't wait another day."

As Maggie lifted Little Maggie onto her lap, she glanced toward the door, hoping to see Lauren's family next. The conversation they'd had the previous week had been raw and honest, but she knew the healing process was just beginning. Lauren's admission that she had spent her life measuring herself against her mother had been painful for both of them to acknowledge.

"The artifact display looks wonderful," Sarah was saying to Dr. Reyes, who had joined their table. "I'm so glad you were able to work out an arrangement that preserves the items properly while keeping their story here at the café."

"It was the most sensible solution," Dr. Reyes replied. "The actual artifacts need controlled conditions for long-term preservation, but their history belongs to this building and the community."

Linda leaned forward with interest. "My article about the arrangement comes out in tomorrow's Chronicle. I've been working with the Historical Society to make sure all the details are accurate."

"It's an excellent piece," Phineas Whitaker confirmed from his seat nearby. "Linda has done a fine job of explaining the significance of the find while emphasizing the collaborative effort to preserve it."

Maggie noticed how Linda straightened slightly at the praise, pride evident in her expression. It seemed Byron wasn'tthe only positive development in the newspaper editor's life recently—there was a new confidence in her professional demeanor as well, a sense that she was finding a more constructive way to use her journalistic skills.

The door opened yet again, and Maggie's heart lifted at the sight of Lauren and Jeff entering with their children.

Maggie caught Lauren's eye across the crowded space, and for a moment, all the complicated emotions of their recent conversation seemed to hover in the air between them. Then Lauren smiled—a small, genuine smile that reached her eyes—and Maggie felt something tight in her chest begin to loosen.

As Lauren navigated through the café toward their table, Maggie set her granddaughter down to make room for the new arrivals. More chairs were procured, the table expanded further, and somehow space was created where none had seemed possible before.

"I saved you a scone," Maggie told Lauren as her daughter settled beside her. "The orange-cranberry ones you've always loved."

Lauren looked momentarily surprised, as if she hadn't expected Maggie to remember such a detail. "Thanks, Mom," she said softly.

As Jeff arranged the children—Olivia already deep in conversation with her cousin Noah about sailing, Lily showing Sophia her new bracelet—Lauren leaned closer to Maggie.

"Jeff and I had our first session with the therapist yesterday," she said quietly, her voice pitched just for Maggie's ears. "It was...intense. But good, I think."

"I'm proud of you," Maggie replied, equally quiet. "I know it's not easy, and don’t forget, I’m available to go with you if ever you need me."

Lauren nodded, her fingers fidgeting with her napkin. "The therapist asked me to identify moments when I felt most comfortable in my own skin, when I wasn't comparing myself to anyone else. Do you know what came to mind first?"

Maggie shook her head, waiting.

"Those summer mornings on Captiva’s beach, when I was maybe fourteen or fifteen. You used to wake me before dawn to go collect shells when the tide was out."

Maggie remembered those mornings with perfect clarity—the sky gradually lightening from black to purple to pink, their footprints the first to mark the damp sand, the comfortable silence between them as they walked.

"I loved those mornings," Maggie said.

"Me too," Lauren admitted. "Because during those walks, I never felt like I had to be anything other than just...me. Your daughter, walking beside you, looking for the perfect lightning whelk." She paused, meeting Maggie's gaze directly. "I want to find that feeling again."

The simple honesty in her daughter's words brought tears to Maggie's eyes. "Maybe we could start walking together again," she suggested. "Not every day, but when you visit. Early mornings, just us."

Lauren's eyes glistened. "I'd like that."

The moment was interrupted by the arrival of Grandma Sarah, who made her entrance with characteristic flair. Dressed in a flowing turquoise outfit that matched her famous RV, she paused in the doorway to survey the café with an appreciative eye.

"Well, isn't this just the most charming spot!" she declared, loud enough for the entire café to hear. Heads turned, andseveral tourists who recognized her from her YouTube channel immediately began taking discreet photos.

"Mom," Maggie greeted her, half-exasperated, half-amused. "I thought you were busy filming today."

"And miss the grand opening? Not a chance," Grandma Sarah replied, making her way to their table. "Besides, I promised I wouldn't film inside without permission, didn't I? I'm respecting boundaries, just like we discussed."

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