Page 22 of Visions of You

The home was three stories high and rectangular. The foundation and lower walls were made of stone, which transitioned tocinderblock. Timber accented the top portion of the structure and the eaves under the roof. The Barn and family cottages were similar. “When was this built?”

“Late 1800s. We’ve been on Calypso Key a long time.”

I nodded, recalling her saying the buildings had been reconstructed after a hurricane destroyed the originals.

Maia opened a glass-paneled door and we stepped into a massive kitchen, cool air blowing over us. A long wooden table stretched out before us with the kitchen proper on the other side of the room. I inhaled a lungful of delicious scents. A dark-skinned man in a white chef’s coat stood over the gas six-burner stove. He turned around when we entered.

Maia waved to him. “This is Anselm, a chef at Dorado. What’s for lunch?”

“I have pasta primavera or a Cuban sandwich today.”

Maia grinned at me. “Take your pick. They’re both great.”

I ordered the Cuban, feeling slightly stunned as Maia and I took two seats across from each other at the table for eight. I faced the door and glimpsed sunlight sparkling off a pool behind the house. “Are we eating alone?”

“Probably,” Maia said. “Lunch is pretty unscheduled. People just show up when they have time.”

My Cuban sandwich was divine. Spicy and juicy. “I only have a little brother. It must be wonderful to have so much family around.”

A shadow crossed her face for a moment, then she smiled. “It is. We’re close, and Gabe coming home is just what we needed. Prodigal son returning and all that.”

I couldn’t help being curious. “Why did he move home?”

“My dad’s ready to turn over some of the financial side of things, and Gabe is the one in the family with the business mind. And he wants to raise Hailey here.”

“I met her. She’s a hoot.”

“Isn’t she great? This move will be good for both of them.Especially Gabe.” Maia took a sip of water and shook her head. “He got divorced a few years ago and he hasn’t been the same.”

I told myself knowing more about my new boss would be a good thing. My curiosity had nothing to do with the fact that our eyes met anytime either of us walked into a room. Gabe and I had kept our flirting quiet, and I hadn’t said anything to Maia about how hot her brother was. “Not an amicable split, I take it?”

Maia whipped her head back and forth. “No. Kora up and walked out on them. She really did a number on Gabe. He told me he’s never getting married again.”

That was comforting. Even if sparks were starting to fly between us, at least I didn’t need to worry about a serious relationship on either side.

She took a bite of a French fry. “He needs to open up again. Gabe has always been serious and conscientious. But after Kora… He’sgrim. And he was never like that before. My God—he ended up in jail, for crying out loud!”

I was drinking my water and sputtered, almost dropping it. “What?”

Maia shot me a rueful look. “Yeah. That family drama I told you about on your first day? Gabe got into a bar fight and spent the night in jail. I had to bail him out. Nothing came of it, but the incident just highlighted how much he needed a life shift. Moving back home will be good for him. It already has been. He was super grouchy that morning he first droveShark Bait, but his mood has been lighter every time since.”

That gave me a fuzzy feeling, but it faded at the thought that the man I’d been flirting with had been in jail. And was my boss. Maybe sabbaticals weren’t such a bad idea.

Crisp steps entered the room behind me, and I turned as a tiny older woman walked into the room. She wore jeans and a western-style shirt with snaps up the front.

Maia made the introductions. “April, I’d like you to meet my grandmother.”

The woman crossed the floor and folded her arms over the back of the chair next to me. “Very nice to meet you, and welcome to Calypso Key. Please call me Nona—everyone else does.”

I smiled at her friendly, yet no-nonsense introduction. “Same to you, Nona. And I’ve felt very welcome here. This house is magnificent.”

She waved a gnarled hand. “More of an empty old mausoleum now.”

“Nona!” Maia burst into laughter.

“This big house is meant to be filled with laughter and people, child. Now that you’ve moved out, I only have your father and Evan for company.”

“Gabe and Hailey are just down the path!”

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