More Than This

by Stephanie Taylor

  “Pourrais-je obtenir un verre de champagne, s'il vous plaît?” he says to the flight attendant when she arrives. He turns to Holly as an afterthought. “Champagne?” he asks her.

  “Champagne?” Holly repeats, blinking a few times. She hadn’t expected him to acknowledge her. “Yes, please. I’d love champagne. Merci.”

  The flight attendant delivers two glasses of champagne and disappears again, and the man holds his out to Holly so that they can touch the rims together in a casual toast. “Santé,” he says, bringing his glass to his lips.

  “Santé,” Holly says, letting the bubbles tickle her nostrils as she watches the winking red light of the plane again. Cheers to home, she thinks, and to knowing when to say yes, and when to say no.

  24

  The sight of the island in the distance is maybe the best thing Holly’s ever seen. She stands at the front of the boat, wind whipping through her hair as she watches Christmas Key grow closer as they approach. Everything is just as she remembers it: the palm trees around the dock; the curve of the island as it wraps around and turns into December Drive in both directions; the way the sky looks as it hangs over the most precious piece of land that Holly’s ever known.

  Within ten minutes, they’re pulling up to shore and docking. As promised, Fiona is there to greet her with Bonnie by her side. They both cast furtive glances around to make sure no one is watching (but someone is always watching—Holly knows this) and as soon as Holly’s feet are on terra firma, there’s a manic scramble to see who gets to hug her first. In an effort to avoid squabbles and hurt feelings, she opens her arms wide and pulls both Fiona and Bonnie to her at once.

  “I’ve missed you both so much,” Holly says into their ears as she holds them close. “You have no idea.”

  “We’ve missed you so much,” Bonnie says. “Don’t leave us again, sugar. It ain’t right!”

  “Didn’t we find out recently that leaving the island is a bad idea?” Holly asks, pulling back and looking into Bonnie’s eyes. “Apparently I didn’t learn anything from your adventure in Clearwater.”

  “Oh, let’s not even mention that nonsense!” Bonnie scolds her, swatting away any talk of her ill-fated, short-lived plans to live near Tampa with the weekend pirate she’d met on Christmas Key. He’d turned out to be not only a dud with a flair for the kinky, but his swashbuckling pirate act had been a total misrepresentation of the facts. The women exchange an eye roll as they remember the situation.

  “Bonnie and I need to talk to you.” Fiona takes a step back and looks at her best friend. “I know you wanted to go home and just sleep it off for a night, but there are a few…”

  “Issues,” Bonnie offers. “We got issues, sugar.”

  “And they can’t wait until tomorrow?” Holly lets go of the handle of her suitcase and looks at her watch. It’s almost five o’clock, but it feels like ten at night. That—combined with the two hours of sleep she’d gotten on the plane the night before and the thick humidity that she’s swimming through once again—makes her want nothing more than the cool darkness of her own bedroom.

  “It can’t,” Fiona says. “And to start with, you can’t go home.”

  “What do you mean I can’t go home?” Holly frowns at both of them, panic ripping through her. Has her bungalow burned down? Flooded? “What’s wrong with my house?”

  “Coco’s there.” Bonnie presses her lips together apologetically. “We tried, but she wouldn’t budge. Stubborn old mule.”

  “What the hell is my mother doing at my house?”

  “Well,” Fiona says, looking at Bonnie.

  “Yes…well,” Bonnie says, staring back at Fiona. They’re clearly buying time and trying to avoid the inevitable.

  “Spit it out. One of you.”

  “She wants to build a casino.”

  “What?” Holly’s voice blooms like condensation in cold winter air as it leaves her mouth. “Are you freaking kidding me? I’m gone for one second, and she’s down here trying to build a casino?”

  “And it’s not just the casino,” Fiona says. “She’s looking at a much bigger picture.”

  “Okay, I’m listening.” In spite of her bone-deep exhaustion, Holly folds her arms across her chest.

  “Let’s go to my place, sugar,” Bonnie pleads. “I’ve got my guest room set up for you, and Pucci is even there waiting. We tried to get Coco to leave, but she said she was staying until you got back, and we didn’t want to tell her that you were coming back today.”

  Holly does a quick inhale-exhale loop as she runs through a vision of her mother camped out at her house. It doesn’t do much to calm her. “Okay,” she says. Let’s go to your place, Bon.”

  “We know you’re tired,” Fiona says, reaching out and putting an arm around Holly’s shoulders as they walk toward Bonnie’s golf cart. “But there are a few other things we need to talk about before you fall asleep.”

  “Yeah, doll. You’ve been out of touch for way too long, and there are some things we need to talk to you about. By the way,” Bonnie adds, “never do that again, okay?”

  “Never leave you and not check in?” Holly laughs at Bonnie’s emphatic tone. Even in the middle of her exhaustion and her fears about what else her friends have to tell her, Holly is elated to be home. “You got it. That’s a deal.”

  By ten o’clock, Holly is exhausted and all cried out. Pucci had worked himself into a full-on frenzy at the sight of his mistress, but is now lying calm and happy at her feet. Bonnie and Fiona hadn’t been sure whether to tell her about Ray first or all about Coco’s plans. In the end, they’d started by letting her know that Katelynn and Logan had arrived safely, and that Idora Blaine-Guy was completely installed at Vance and Calista’s house on White Christmas Way. They’d given her the scoop on Gator and the Killjoys’ strange visit to the island, and about Coco’s plans for a casino, and had let her cool down from that piece of news before finally telling her about Ray’s heart attack.

  Holly’s first response had been to jump up from Bonnie’s couch and demand to be taken to him immediately. “Is he back home now? Fee—did you guys take him over to Key West to be seen by a specialist? No offense,” she said in a rush, “it’s just that you’re a general practitioner, and he needs a heart doctor—”

  “We rushed him to Key West immediately,” Fiona had assured her, “but it was too late, Hol. He died before we got him there.”

  Holly sits between her two closest friends now, head in her hands, elbows on her knees. Her eyes feel puffy and closed up. “I’m speechless.” She shakes her head. “I was only gone for eleven days.”

  Fiona and Bonnie exchange a look over the top of Holly’s head.

  “Let’s get you to bed, sugar,” Bonnie says, running her hand up and down Holly’s back soothingly. “I’m sure Calista has Millie settled in for the night, so going to see her won’t do anything but get her riled up again, and since Fiona couldn’t convince your mother to get out of your house—”

  “I tried!” Fiona says defensively. “After I got the call from Holly yesterday I drove over there and told her some story about how Holly wanted us to flea bomb the place, and she didn’t buy it. She told me she hadn’t seen a single flea, and she wouldn’t be leaving until Holly showed up to kick her out herself.”

  “It’s okay. I’m happy to stay here.” Holly puts one hand on Fiona’s knee to calm her. “I just need to sleep. I’ll figure everything out tomorrow, but right now my head feels like it weighs a thousand pounds and I have to crash.”

  The women stand up and Fiona hugs Holly for a full minute, holding her in a tight embrace. “I’m glad you’re back,” she says into Holly’s ear. “Get some rest.”

  As Fiona lets herself out, Bonnie leads Holly to the guest room, which looks almost more inviting than her own bed. The top cover is folded back to reveal clean, mint green sheets, and Bonnie’s brought Pucci’s dog bed over and set it on the floor next to the dresser. The overhead fan is on, and the room feels cool and safe.
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  “You need anything else, you just holler, you hear?” Bonnie stands on her tiptoes and plants a kiss on Holly’s cheek. “Sleep tight, sugar. Sure good to have you home again.”

  All Holly can manage is a “Thanks, Bon,” before she slips out of her clothes and into the bed. She doesn’t shower, doesn’t brush her teeth, doesn’t do a single thing before sleep overtakes her.

  Bonnie closes the bedroom door softly and leaves the hall light on.

  25

  The word is out that Holly’s home, and speculation is running high about her shortened trip and about her lack of contact during her absence.

  “I thought they were going to elope,” Iris Cafferkey tells Carrie-Anne and Ellen as they make a fresh batch of coffee at Mistletoe Morning Brew. “Paris is very romantic, you know. It’s where Jimmy proposed to me.”

  “Ellen proposed to me over beers at her daughter’s Fourth of July picnic,” Carrie-Anne says fondly, winking at her wife.

  “While my daughter’s cocker spaniel threw up on the floor next to us because she was scared of the fireworks,” Ellen remembers.

  “If not terribly romantic, then that was at least memorable.” Iris picks up the wand that Ellen and Carrie-Anne have left out near the cash register as part of the Harry Potter decor. “Anyhow, I’ll have a Butterbeer Latte for myself, and a Muggle Mocha for Jimmy—both to go, please.”

  “As you wish,” Ellen says grandly, ringing up the order while Carrie-Anne starts to make the drinks.

  “So this is where we’re all gathering to dish the dirt,” Maria Agnelli says, coming in on the heels of Cap and Wyatt.

  Iris turns around to greet everyone. It’s still only seven in the morning, but most of them have been awake for hours. “Didn’t you hear, Wyatt? It’s almost June.”

  “I heard,” Wyatt says. The sun isn’t even high in the sky yet, but he already looks overheated in the crisp Wranglers that he insists on wearing everyday, despite the humidity.

  “Shouldn’t you be back in Texas now, or are you sticking around for the summer to guard your favorite Southern belle and keep her safe from invading pirates?” Iris cocks an eyebrow at him. Everyone knows that Wyatt hadn’t taken too kindly to Bonnie leaving the island with the cantankerous Sinker McBludgeon—weekend pirate extraordinaire—and the fact that he’s there past his usual expiration date of April thirtieth is no real surprise.

  “Thought I might stick around for a while and see what kind of trouble you all get up to come summer,” he drawls.

  “Of course.” Iris gives him a knowing look as she takes the two to-go cups that Carrie-Anne has set on the counter for her. “You should stick around for the mosquitoes and for hurricane season—loads of fun to be had there, lad.”

  “Oh, leave the boy alone, Iris,” Cap says. “He’s a little lovesick, but it’s nothing we haven’t all been through, right?”

  “I haven’t been lovesick since 1942,” Mrs. Agnelli offers. “His name was Giuseppe, and he worked at his father’s salami shop in my village. Beautiful boy.” Her eyes glaze over as she remembers. “Nice salami, too.” With a cackle, Mrs. Agnelli elbows Cap conspiratorially, though their difference in height means she really just jabs him on the hip.

  “Good morning,” Heddie Lang-Mueller says, walking through the door of the shop. The small crowd parts as she steps up to the counter to join them. “Can I assume we’re discussing Holly’s return?” Heddie’s gray-blonde hair is swept into a sleek, low bun as always, and she’s the only one of the group who appears to be untouched by summer’s humidity. She pauses next to Cap, her ballerina-straight posture and improbably smooth skin standing in stark contrast to the signs of time that her fellow islanders and seventy-somethings carry around like badges of honor.

  “Of course, love,” Cap says, putting a hand gently on Heddie’s lower back. It’s a small gesture, but it doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone. Heddie and Cap have been quietly carrying on with one another for several months, and any time he gently ushers her across Main Street or someone catches them casually speaking in German to one another, smiles and secret looks are exchanged.

  “And what’s the verdict on her getting back so soon?” Heddie asks, looking up at Cap.

  “We don’t know. Bonnie wasn’t sure about emailing to tell her about Ray, so I can only assume she got back and found out last night. I drove past Bonnie’s around nine, and Fiona’s cart was parked there, too,” Cap says.

  “Coco’s still at Holly’s place,” Ellen says from behind the counter. “I heard she wouldn’t leave until Holly got back and forced her out.”

  “I almost forgot we had Coco to deal with.” Wyatt leans an elbow against the tall glass case that covers the muffins and scones. “What about that business with her and the casino? Are we done with that yet?”

  “Not by a long shot.” Cap shakes his head. He’s known Coco far too long, and there’s no doubt that she’ll stick around and stir up trouble for as long as possible.

  “It wouldn’t hurt for us to have—”

  “A village council meeting?” The door to the shop swings open, and Holly steps in. Her hair is still wet from her quick shower at Bonnie’s, and she’s wild-eyed and desperate for coffee.

  “Holly!” Maria Agnelli yelps, tottering over to her with her arms thrown wide. “You’re back!”

  “Hi, Mrs. Agnelli,” she says, letting the older woman rock her back and forth as she hugs her. “Hey, everyone.” She waves behind Mrs. Agnelli’s back, smiling at Cap and Wyatt, Ellen and Carrie-Anne, at Iris, and at Heddie. “It’s so good to see your faces.”

  “We missed you,” Heddie says in her crisp German accent. “It’s good to have you home.”

  “I’m so happy to be back,” Holly says truthfully, patting Mrs. Agnelli and letting her go. “You have no idea.”

  “What was that nonsense that happened in Paris while you were gone?” Cap growls, his bushy white eyebrows knitting together. “That Eiffel Tower business—were you in France?”

  “I was there—at the Eiffel Tower that day,” Holly says as she accepts a hug from Iris.

  “No!” Carrie-Anne gasps. “What happened?”

  Holly fills them in on the brief but dramatic incident, leaving out the details about how she’d immediately told River she wanted to come home. “And so I just realized that I’d had enough adventure for the time being, and that home was where I needed to be,” she sums up neatly.

  “Home is where you belong,” Mrs. Agnelli says, giving a hard nod of her head. “We missed you.”

  “I missed all of you. And apparently I missed a lot here.”

  “Ray,” Iris says softly, her eyes welling up. “We’re all beside ourselves.”

  “I know.” Holly’s own eyes fill with tears again, and there’s a moment of silent reflection in the coffee shop as they all remember Ray and reabsorb his loss again. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here. And that it happened at all. I still can’t believe he’s gone.”

  “We’re taking good care of Millie,” Cap says. “The womenfolk have everything under control, and the rest of us are on call for anything she needs—anything at all.”

  “I didn’t doubt for a minute that you’d all pull together and help her.” Holly wipes under both eyes, giving them a sad smile. “I need to get over to see Millie, so I thought I’d stop and get some coffee and take it to her.”

  “She’ll be happy to see you,” Heddie says. “I heard she didn’t want to have Ray’s service until you got back.”

  A huge wall of emotion smacks Holly in the face and her eyes overflow again in an instant. The thought that Millie had been concerned about her in the midst of her own sadness is almost too much to bear.

  “I’m so glad I made it back sooner,” Holly says hoarsely. “I can’t imagine how she must be feeling.”

  “Let’s get you those coffees.” Ellen wipes at her own eyes and starts fixing two drinks. “And maybe a couple of blueberry scones, huh? You can take them over to Ray and Mill—” She catches hers
elf. “I mean over to Millie’s.”

  Holly leaves the rest of the group at the coffee shop and heads out to Millie’s bungalow with the steaming coffees in the cup holders of her hot pink golf cart. As she bumps along over the sandy, unpaved roads she takes it all in: the tall palm trees; the cute little houses strung with Christmas lights all year long; the faces of the people she’s loved her whole life. This place is home.

  Millie’s curtains are still drawn against the bright morning sun, and Holly knocks tentatively with her knuckles as she holds the coffees and the bag of scones. Millie pulls the door open slowly, her face lighting up when she sees who it is.

  “Holly!” She throws the door open wide. “You’re home!”

  Holly steps into the house and sets everything on the table in the entryway so that she can hug Millie.

  “I don’t even know what to say,” Holly sobs, bending forward slightly so she can embrace her friend. “We all loved him so much.”

  “I know, honey, I know.” Millie shushes her gently. Her own tears have come and gone so many times since Ray’s passing that she’s surprisingly dry-eyed this morning.

  “I didn’t know until last night, Mill…I got in and Bonnie and Fiona told me everything. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.”

  “Wouldn’t have a made any difference, sweetheart.” Millie steps back from Holly and puts both of her hands on the sides of Holly’s face. With her thumbs, she wipes away Holly’s tears. Her own eyes well up in response to her young friend’s tears, and she drops her hands to her sides decisively. “Now, I smell coffee. Did you bring me coffee?” Millie laces her fingers together under her chin, the gold rings on both hands clinking together as she does.

  Holly nods. “Ellen and Carrie-Anne sent scones, too.”

  “Then let’s go out on my lanai and have breakfast before it gets too hot to be outside.”

  For the next hour, the women pick at the scones and sip their coffee at the little breakfast table out back, sharing stories about Ray and discussing the island, how much it’s changed over the years, Millie’s plans for the salon going forward, and the memorial service. They laugh, they both cry a little, and Holly’s resolve strengthens.