Linda smiled, but inside her chest tightened. There was no money for a new house. Not after she had paid off every last one of Richard’s debts. The sale of this house had barely covered what he owed, and the mortgage had been quietly remortgaged multiple times without her knowledge. But Ethan and Olivia didn’t need to carry that burden. Her son was already angry enough with his father for walking out on her and straight into the arms of a much younger woman.
“I will,” Linda promised lightly. “You two stay safe out there.”
“Send us a lot of pictures,” Olivia made Linda and the kids promise.
“And be careful in the lake and the woods,” Ethan warned them.
“Love you, kids,” Ethan and Olivia called to their kids and were rewarded with an echo of that sentiment.
“Take care out there, Mom,” Ethan told her. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Linda answered.
She ended the call and let out a slow, steady breath. The last of the boxes had been loaded onto the moving truck. Linda turned and took one final look at the house. The place where she had raised Ethan, hosted holidays, and believed she was building something that would last. It was all gone now, just like her marriage.
Linda squared her shoulders, gathered her light jacket, phone, car keys, and purse, then ushered the children outside. As theystepped through the front door for the last time, she pulled it shut with a quiet, final click. The sound settled in her chest like the end of a very long chapter.
Her phone rang again the moment she reached the car. She fished it out of her purse and smiled when she saw Maggie, her lifelong best friend’s name on the screen.
“Hello, Maggie,” Linda answered warmly. “You have excellent timing. I literally just pulled the door closed on my old life.”
There was a brief, startled pause. “What? Oh shoot! That was today?” There was another pause and Linda smiled as, in her mind’s eye, she saw Maggie palming her forehead in exasperation at her forgetfulness. “Of course it is. It’s your house-leaving day.”
Linda frowned slightly at the weird catch in Maggie’s voice, and her spine stiffened as she wondered if something was wrong. “Yes… We spoke about it two days ago.” Her frown deepened. “Is everything okay, Maggie?”
Maggie sounded truly apologetic. “I’m so sorry, Linda. The boutique has been nonstop, and I completely lost track of the date.” She took a breath. “And then… then…” There was another anxious pause. “Linda, I’m phoning because you need to come home to Hearts Hotel.”
Linda’s brows shot up, and for some reason, a chill slid down her spine. Sophia and Jake were already buckling themselves into the back seat, watching her through the open door.
“I’ve already told you I don’t think I can make it this summer,” Linda said carefully. “I have a big interview at the Miami Historical Society in two days. I need to find a job, Maggie. Andyou’re coming to Miami so we can fly to California together at the end of summer…”
“No… Linda… this is more important than all that, I’m so sorry, Linda,” Maggie said, her voice dropping. “It’s your Uncle George. Tom and I… Tom asked me to call you as he is with George now.”
“What?” Linda went cold. Her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. “Uncle George?”
“He had a fall at the hotel. They think he’s broken his hip,” Maggie said, her words coming out in one big rush.
Linda’s hand tightened on the phone. “What?”
“Tom is with him and the doctor right now,” Maggie repeated. “George has to go into surgery.”
“I’m on my way,” Linda said immediately, glancing at her grandchildren. “I just need to stop at the cabin, grab our things, check out, and then we’ll head straight to Sanibel Island.”
She yanked the car door open and took a steadying breath, but didn’t slide into the car. Instead, she leaned on the door for support as her legs felt wobbly from shock.
A roaring so loud had started in her ears that Linda barely registered Maggie saying she had also been trying to reach Linda’s brother. Tom had asked her to let Michael know as well.
“I’ll get hold of him,” Linda assured her. “Thanks, Maggie.”
Once she hung up from Maggie, Linda scrolled through her contacts and tapped the number saved under Michael’s name with the word EMERGENCY beside it in bold capital letters. Herolder brother kept a special phone just for family emergencies, and Linda knew this definitely qualified as one.
He answered on the second ring. “Hey, little sister. Are you okay? How’s the move going?” His deep voice was always comforting. Michael had a way about him that usually put everyone around him at ease. Right now, there was no relief until she reached her uncle.
“I’ve just walked out for the last time,” Linda told him, unable to keep the worry and anxiety from her voice. “Listen, that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Oh?” His voice dropped instantly. “Is everything okay?”
“No. Uncle George had a bad fall. They think he’s broken his hip. Tom is with him at the hospital right now. I’m stopping at the cabin to grab our things and check out, then I’m heading straight to Sanibel Island with the kids,” Linda got out in one breath.
