Return to Osprey Cove
Page 25
As he sat there enjoying his drink and the beauty of the day, he was thinking of all his plans for his new life in Aruba. Fresh in his mind was getting a Harley, something he had wanted to do in Puerto Vallarta and never got around to. There was no doubt that he would get his scuba certification. The clear waters here in Aruba were a diving and snorkeling paradise. He would have no problem living the good life here. His new villa had cost less than $2 million. The money he had banked after selling the first portion of the diamonds would allow him to live his dream here in Aruba.
A smile came to his face as he looked out on the calm Caribbean. The days of worrying about the dark sedan were over. He could relax now and enjoy the good life, here in paradise.
THE OSPREY COVE LODGE
Michael decided to take Catherine up on her invitation to visit her at The Osprey Cove Lodge. He missed his sister; it had been a while since he had seen her. Michael made the trip to Canada alone. Shortly after his conversation with Catherine in which she expressed her concerns about Marilyn, Michael had told Marilyn he needed to put their relationship on hold. It was a gentle way of telling her it was over. Michael had phoned his sister, Margaret, in Rio inviting her to join him in visiting Catherine. He mistakenly thought that she might enjoy seeing their sister before she had the baby. But as was typical for Margaret, she had no interest in spending time with her siblings. She had a new agenda going on in Rio and was quite content with her life there.
Catherine was now six months pregnant. Winter had settled in at the lodge. The cove and lake would soon be frozen over. It had snowed the night before, leaving a fresh dusting of snow everywhere creating a winter wonderland. When Michael got out of his rental car and glanced at the lodge surrounded by the lake with its edges starting to freeze and the newly-fallen snow, he felt like he had stepped into a Norman Rockwell painting. He was awed by the beauty before him. His reaction was not unlike the one his sister had experienced on her first visit to the lodge. Catherine was watching for her brother's arrival out the window of the third floor living quarters that had been her home these past few months. When she caught sight of him, she hurried down the stairs and met him on the front porch. Tears came to his eyes when he saw his sister. She looked more beautiful than ever. Even at his first glimpse of her, it was easy for Michael to see how happy his sister was. They hugged for a long time until the cold air forced them inside the lodge. Alex had watched the touching scene of the two siblings' reunion from inside the lodge. It warmed his heart to see Catherine so happy and excited to have Michael visit.
It did not take long for Alex and Michael to get to know one another and grow to like and respect each other. They were a lot alike in many ways as Catherine had said. Any misconceptions that Michael had developed toward Alex had faded away. Alex's good qualities and his affection for Catherine were apparent.
During Michael's visit, Catherine told him that she had gotten established with a doctor in Kingston and planned to have her baby born there. This was not what Michael had hoped for. He had hoped that he could convince Catherine to return to Chicago and have the baby there, but it was obvious to him that Catherine had made up her mind on the matter.
On the last night of his visit, Catherine and Alex told Michael that they planned to get engaged shortly after the baby was born. Neither of them wanted to rush into marriage, but they knew that they loved one another and wanted to be together. Catherine told Michael she would wait until after the baby was born to give her resignation notice to Raynott and see about selling the loft.
Michael watched the happiness on his sister's face as she told him about her plans for the future. As he listened to her, his mind drifted to the secret that he knew and hoped his sister would never find out.
Alex had not yet hired a general manager for the lodge. He and Catherine had worked together to make the transition to the new ownership go smoothly. Catherine had suggested several marketing strategies which they were already implementing. Alex had convinced his father that he needed at least until March to get things going at the lodge. March was the month that Catherine was due to have her baby. His father was happy to oblige, although neither he nor his wife, Julia, were aware of Catherine's presence at the lodge -- at least not yet. Everyone, including Catherine, was looking forward to Libby coming home for break next week. Alex planned to tell his parents about Catherine when Libby got home.
Alex had a good feeling about Catherine and Libby. There was no doubt in his mind that the two would bond. He knew Catherine would make a wonderful mother to Libby and her own child. Libby would finally have a mother and a sibling.
After Michael had left and Alex and Catherine were alone again, Catherine felt the need to ask Alex something one more time.
"Alex, I know that you care about me, but doesn't it bother you that I will be bringing a child into our marriage?"
Alex smiled at Catherine, leaned over and kissed her forehead as he answered, "You do know that I have a daughter, don't you!"
NEW YORK
Mary arrived at Catherine's loft to carry out her usual cleaning routine. It was cool in the loft this December morning, so she turned up the heat so that she would be more comfortable. It hardly seemed necessary in her opinion for her to come in and clean as often as Catherine had requested, but she was glad for the work. Mary was not as young as she used to be. Taking care of the loft was easier than most other jobs. As she was working in the master bedroom, she opened the closet and noticed the expensive-looking leather bag. She remembered Catherine had told her to do something with it. She had totally forgotten about it. She unzipped the bag and saw the torn and dirty clothing stuffed inside. She immediately went downstairs and got a trash bag and dumped the clothing into it. Mary then stood looking at the bag trying to remember what Catherine had asked her to do. Did she say get rid of the bag and the clothing, or just the clothing? It had been nearly two months since Catherine had given her the instruction. Mary's memory wasn't what it used to be. As she observed the bag more closely and saw its fine quality, she concluded that surely Catherine did not intend for her to throw the bag away. She zipped it back up and pushed it back into the corner of the closet and went about her cleaning.
Follow the lives of the characters of Return to Osprey Cove as their stories continue in Book 3, Sunrise at Osprey Cove, available on Amazon.com.
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