"Me too," Michael confirmed. “I’m glad that we’re in Sweet Blossom Bay for the summer.” He gave her a tight smile. “Although I’m not too happy about the circumstances.” He shook his head. “But it’s like Mom always said. There’s a reason for everything.”
“I hate that this happened to Uncle George,” Linda told him truthfully. “But in all honesty, if it hadn’t.” She swallowed. “Michael, I think he would’ve lost the hotel.” Her jaw clenched as her voice got even lower. “I’m scared we might still lose it.”
LINDA
“Don’t think like that,” Michael said, gently squeezing her upper arms as he looked straight into her eyes. “We’re going to find a way to fix this.” His eyes narrowed with quiet determination. “Martin’s been keeping me updated. As soon as I settle in and stretch my legs, we’ll head to the office.”
“You’ve just got here,” Linda started to protest. “You need to unwind from the long drive.”
“Trust me, I won’t unwind until we’ve got this situation under control,” Michael assured her. “So the sooner I get stuck in the better.”
Linda nodded, a wave of relief washing through her. For the first time in days, the heavy knot in her chest loosened. If anyone could help fix this mess, it was her older brother.
“Hey, Uncle Michael,” Jake called, waving and standing behind the car. “Can you pop the trunk so we can get your bags?”
“Sure, kiddo,” Michael said, turning back towards the car.
As soon as the trunk opened, the kids dug out the bags.
“Good grief, Michael,” Linda said, raising her brows as she saw all the luggage. “Are you moving home?”
Michael grinned down at her, then shocked her by saying. “I’m seriously thinking about it.”
“Really?” Linda stood looking at him aghast.
“We’ll chat later,” Michael assured her, pulling some bags out.
Linda reached in, but all the bags were already taken. So she followed the group inside, barking instructions on which room Michael was in and which room Lily would take.
"I'll get coffee on while you’re getting settled into your room," Linda offered her brother. "Rosa is doing something special for us tonight, so dinner is sorted. Do you want a snack to tide you over until then?”
"No thanks, sis," Michael declined, carrying his bags toward the stairs. "Lily and I stopped for an early lunch about an hour before we got to the bay. But I won’t say no to a cup of coffee.”
"Okay. Come through when you're settled," Linda told him.
"Will do," Michael promised.
Linda had just finished putting the coffee on when she heard her brother's heavy footsteps on the stairs, then moved into the hallway where they stopped. Linda moved to the kitchen door and saw him looking into the room that was about to become Uncle George’s recovery room.
"So this is Uncle George's room?" Michael asked.
"Yes.” Linda nodded in confirmation.
He looked at it for a long moment.
"You've done a great job," Michael praised her.
"Wait until you've seen it properly," Linda told him. “Come on. While the coffee’s brewing, let me show you.”
Michael walked into the room while Linda explained the setup. He stepped through the side door into the therapy room and looked around at the parallel bars, the treadmill, the bike, and the sturdy wooden chair.
"You pulled this off in just three days," Michael acknowledged. "You've managed to make Uncle George a real recovery suite."
"That's what I was going for," Linda admitted.
"He's going to love it," Michael predicted.
"I hope so," Linda replied with a huge sigh. “I really hope so.” She looked at him. “Uncle George has actually been taking it all well.” She shook her head. “Well, now that he’s gotten over the fact that he actually fell in the first place.”
