by Rachel Hanna
As her mother reminded her at the time, she wasn’t getting any younger. Almost forty years old, she had always assumed her life would be different. Instead, her career had gotten the better of her, and before she knew it, all of her girlfriends were married with kids in middle and high school, and she was still dating IV drip bags and heart monitors.
But this whole fiasco of an idea took the cake.
How had she found herself in this mess? No fancy job. No fiancé. And way too much embarrassment to ever go back to Atlanta or any of the surrounding areas. She could never show her face there again.
No, this was her punishment for being so stupid. So trusting. So gullible. She’d live out her days on an island of old folks, eating pea soup and square dancing. Living in her shack. Waving at the passing dolphins, who would laugh at her with their little dolphin friends.
Danielle sank down into the plastic Adirondack chair on the rickety deck overlooking the vast expanse of ocean and sighed. It was a deep sigh, like it came from the pit of her soul.
She closed her eyes and tried to remember what life was like even six months ago. It seemed like a lifetime ago, and she longed to go back to that place of normalcy before everything became so very abnormal. Even though she’d been exhausted by her hectic schedule, she knew how to live that life. How to exist on takeout Chinese food from Golden Dragon. How to interact with patients and their families during the worst times of their lives. How to detach herself from feeling things she didn’t want to feel.
Maybe that was why she’d been so ready to get married to a man she didn’t really love because feeling things too deeply was dangerous. Richard allowed her to avoid getting in too deep. They were both focused on their careers, and it was a good match. A good compromise. A good partnership. Until it wasn’t.
Chapter 2
There wasn’t much that Bennett Alexander hated more than meeting with new nurses for the island. So many had come and gone over the last three years that he almost hated to go through the trouble of explaining the position and the rules of living on Wisteria Island.
His brainchild, the unique community had been on his mind for years before the island had come up for sale. It had provided the perfect opportunity to create his vision, but some days he wondered if he’d made the right decision.
Wealthier than most people could ever imagine, he would soon hit forty-five years old with more in his bank account than he could ever need. That didn’t mean he had everything he wanted. He tried not to let those thoughts creep in, though.
“Mr. Alexander? The new nurse is here,” his assistant Naomi said, popping her head through his doorway. Naomi had been with him for seven years, moving from the big high-rise office building he’d owned in Boston to the tiny South Carolina island. It had been quite a culture shock for them both.
“Thanks. You can send her in.” He looked down at the file on his desk. Danielle Wright was her name. He knew little else about her since the staffing agency had done all the legwork. Moments later, she walked through the door. Bennett was surprised at how petite she was. He hoped she was strong enough to handle the physical nature of the job.
“You must be Mr. Alexander?” she said, smiling. He stood and reached out his hand.
“Please, call me Bennett. Have a seat.”
She sat down and cleared her throat. “Very nice office.” She looked around and then back at him, her jaw clenching a bit.
“Thanks.” She stared at him like the cat that ate the canary. “Why do I get the feeling you have something on your mind, Miss Wright?”
“Well, I’m just a little surprised at how nice so many of the buildings are on this island… except the place where you want your nurse to live.”
He smiled slightly. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.”
“And yet you have done nothing about it?”
Bennett chuckled. “We’re getting off to quite a start…”
“Look, I don’t mean any disrespect, but I have to say that sleeping in that ramshackle cottage last night not only gave me a crick in my neck, but may have also resulted in me getting up on the wrong side of the bed. So, unless you’d like for me to invent new types of mold and mildew, I don’t understand the point of putting me there.”
She had gumption, he’d give her that. “I have to admit that I haven’t seen the inside of the cabin since I bought the island.”
Her eyes widened. “You really should see it then. It’s the stuff nightmares are made of.”
“I’ll make a point of that,” he said, jotting it down on his ever-growing to-do list. Weren’t wealthy people supposed to sit back and eat expensive chocolates all day? Because his life certainly wasn’t going that way.
“Thank you.”
She definitely seemed a little rough around the edges, like a scalded dog. He probably shouldn’t say that out loud. No woman would appreciate being compared to a dog. She certainly wasn’t a dog with her cute button nose and her… Never mind, he thought to himself. He came to this island to get away from attractive women, and he sure would not pursue an employee of his.
“So, I wanted to go over your job description, duties, rules of the island, and so forth. How much do you know about Wisteria Island?”
“Very little.” Well, at least she was honest.
“Wisteria Island is a retirement village for those over sixty, and some might even refer to us as semi-assisted living. We have some residents who are fully independent and others who need more support, which is where you come in. We are not a typical assisted living center or a nursing home, so our residents are mostly healthy people.”
“Why do people move here?”
“To tell you the truth, many of our residents don’t have supportive family.”
“That’s awful. I ran across that a lot when I worked in a hospital setting. Some people would never get visitors, and they would die alone.”
“We consider everyone here to be family to us. Many of them were put here by family who didn’t want the responsibility. Others came on their own because they could afford it, and let’s face it - Wisteria Island is a beautiful place to live.”
She scrunched her nose. “Well, for most people.”
“I promise I will come look at that cottage,” he said, smiling. “So, back to what I was saying… As you can see, you can only access the island by boat, so it was important to make this a freestanding city all on its own. Each resident has a job, and they earn tickets instead of money. They use those tickets for many things including golf, our spa, workout classes, the movie theater…”
“Wait. There’s a movie theater and a spa?”
“I told you, it’s just like any other town. We have a grocery store, a beauty salon, coffee shop, drive-in theater for golf carts, a bakery and a lot more.”
“Sounds like you’ve built the perfect city.”
He smiled. “I like to think so.”
“Do families come for visits?”
“We have scheduled family visits once per quarter. Loved ones come and visit for a few days. Otherwise, there are a lot of video calls for those who have interaction with family. Of course, residents can also travel to visit family, but that rarely happens for most of them. All of our employees live on the island too.”
“So, how will I factor in when it comes to medical care?”
He stood up and sat on the edge of his desk. “Your role is very important. You are the primary medical support residents have here. We have a doctor on the mainland that comes once a month for any pressing issues, but aside from that, you will be tasked with taking care of our residents. Everything from sprained ankles to high blood pressure. You’ll pretty much always be on-call, although most residents are in bed fairly early.”
“I have to ask this. If this place is such a utopia, why have so many nurses left?”
Bennett sighed. “I’ll be honest with you, Miss Wright,” he said, almost laughing when he said her name. Miss Wright? Was the universe making a joke? “The res
idents here are unique. Some are more difficult than others. A few of them delight in creating drama. Remember, many are outcasts from their own families, but they become our family no matter what. We don’t give up on anyone. I just hope you have a thick skin because I really don’t want to have to hire another nurse.”
“Why are you doing this? Surely it’s not a big money-making venture for you?”
“I do all right. This place was never about making money. My grandmother - her name was Della - was my idol. I adored her. We were quite poor when I was a kid, and when it came time that we couldn’t care for her anymore, my mother put her in the local nursing home. I’ll never forget how sad she was there. I hated going there to visit her. There was this smell - a mixture of orange scented cleaner and nasty cafeteria food. It would just turn your stomach. Anyway, the place was state run, and it got shut down after she died. I just remember thinking how horrible it was for people to live their entire lives and then end up in a place like that. So, when I started making money, I began planning Wisteria Island. My grandmother loved wisteria, hence the name.”
He sensed her expression softening a bit. “That’s a great story, Mr. Alexander.”
“Please, call me Bennett.”
“Okay, Bennett,” she said, smiling as she stood up. “And you can call me Danielle.”
“I’ll try to remember that.” Why did this conversation feel like it was bordering on flirtatious? Maybe it was because he never left the island much, and he really needed to go on a date soon.
“Any other questions?” he said, getting back behind his desk for safety.
“Oh, just one. Eddie said I need to have dinner with the residents?”
“Yes. That’s one of our rules.”
“And why is that?”
“Listen, Danielle, you’re going to need to socialize with these people to gain their trust. You have no idea how untrusting some of them can be. Dinner is a part of that. Get out into the community. Visit the stores, spend some time looking around and getting to know people. They need you more than they realize.”
She nodded. “Will do.” As she walked toward the door, she turned back. “Are you coming to my place later?”
Bennett froze for a moment. “What?”
“That place will not fix itself, so unless you have an old-man construction crew, I assume you’re Mr. Fix It?”
He let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’ll tell ya what. I’ll come by after dinner and take a look.”
She smiled slightly. “Bring a toolbox.”
As Bennett watched her walk away, he wondered if Wisteria Island was ready for her. Or maybe he was more worried about himself.
As Danielle stood outside of the cafeteria, her hands felt a little sweaty. It was never becoming for a woman to have sweaty hands, but it was her one cue that anxiety was lurking in her body. As a former ICU nurse, sweaty hands weren’t something she often experienced. The high level of stress and pressure in her former workplace was something she thrived on, and she rarely felt anxious about anything. Well, until the end, when she had to leave her job. That was pretty stressful.
She shook her head in an effort to rid herself of the terrible memories from that time in her life. This was her new beginning, as odd as it was. She had to make the best of it. There were no other choices at this point.
Forcing a smile, she pushed the swinging door open and took in the scene before her. The place was decked out like a real fifties diner, complete with black and white checkerboard floors, a long chrome bar, fake red leather bar stools, and small square tables scattered across the enormous room. A jukebox played fifties tunes from the other side of the room, its lights alternating a glow of pink and orange.
This wasn’t at all what she’d expected. Instead of a dingy hospital-style cafeteria, she’d literally walked into a party where people were laughing, eating and even dancing.
“Welcome to dinner, Dani girl!” Eddie said as he walked up and lightly slapped her on the shoulder. He was drinking a beer, which was odd all by itself, but he was also wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a plastic lei. She wondered what his closet looked like. It was most certainly colorful, probably like a box of Crayons had exploded.
“Danielle. And why are you wearing that?”
“It’s Hawaiian night!” he said, pretending to do the hula. One more beer and she feared Eddie would fall face-down in the large vat of pudding on the buffet next to them.
“I must’ve missed that memo,” she said dryly, trying to stay open-minded. She wasn’t one for theme nights or dressing up in crazy costumes. Even as a kid, she didn’t understand the point of Halloween. If you could buy candy at the store without all the work of dressing up, why not just do that? Then again, she’d always been a practical sort. It had served her well in her nursing career.
“Come on over here. I want to introduce you to a few of the residents,” Eddie said, a big grin on his face. He had more energy than most people she’d met in her life.
“Sure,” she said as she followed him over to the bar stool area. Danielle had to admit that she’d never seen a group so incredibly lively and eclectic. In fact, it was hard to take in all the crazy outfits, music and general noise going on in the diner. Some people were eating, others were dancing, and Danielle wasn’t sure exactly what to do with herself.
“Dani, I want you to meet one of our longest residents. This is Hazel Hastings.”
The older woman was a sight to behold with her pink poodle skirt and pony tail pulled on top of her head. Danielle couldn’t guess her age, although she assumed it was a pretty high number.
“Nice to meet you, Hazel,” she said, reaching out her hand. Hazel looked down at her hand and then back at Danielle.
“I don’t shake hands with new people.”
“Oh. Okay…”
Eddie chuckled. “Miss Hazel is a bit of a germaphobe. She’ll shake your hand after you’ve been here a couple of weeks, right, Hazel?”
“We’ll see,” she said, shrugging her little shoulders before walking toward the jukebox.
“She’s an interesting character,” Danielle said, unsure of what else to say. She’d never felt so much like a fish out of water as she did now.
“She’ll warm up to you, eventually. You gotta understand, these people have seen more nurses than they ever wanted to see. You’ve got to prove yourself to them.”
The only problem was that she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. This job was more involved than she realized. Sure, she’d had to have a personal relationship with her patients in the hospital, but she was in control there. They relied on her. They looked to her for guidance. Here, it seemed the inmates were in control of the asylum, so to speak.
“Dani, I’d like to introduce you to Mr. Mortimer Smith. We call him Morty.”
The short man grinned like a Cheshire Cat and reached out his stubby little hand. “How do you do, madam?” he said flamboyantly as he bowed. Danielle shook his hand and forced a smile.
“Nice to meet you, Morty. I’m Danielle, the new nurse.”
He waved both of his hands toward her. “Oh, Lordy be! Another nurse? Please tell me you have more staying power than the previous sourpusses Mr. Alexander hired!” Eddie joined him in laughter.
“Sourpusses?”
“They were simply no fun at all!” he said as he held his arms out and showcased his eye-catching outfit. He was wearing a rhinestone studded white suit with a matching cowboy hat, and Danielle wasn’t sure she’d ever heard a thicker southern accent.
“I thought it was Hawaiian night?” Danielle whispered to Eddie.
“Morty does his own thing.”
“I don’t follow the crowd, darling,” Morty said, obviously having heard her comment. She bit her lip in embarrassment. “Not all old people have hearing problems.”
“I’m sorry. I’m just trying to learn how this place works,” she said, trying to save face.
“It works because it allows each of us to be who we are. T
his is a family of outcasts, Miss Dani,” Morty said. It had become apparent that no one would call her Danielle, no matter how many times she requested they did.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Morty,” she said, eager to move on.
“Nice to meet you, too. Dani, can I give you one piece of friendly advice?”
“Of course.”
“Loosen up, dear. That face you’re making will cause wrinkles.”
As he trotted off to dance with a group of women, Danielle looked at Eddie. “I don’t think he likes me.”
Eddie shrugged his shoulders. “You need a thick skin here. They’ll test you, for sure.”
Oh, wonderful. What she needed was another test in her life. Why couldn’t things just be easy? Life was always testing her.
Danielle spent the next hour going around the room with Eddie meeting different residents. Some were fairly nice, while others shot daggers with their eyes. It was obvious that they questioned her motives, and some simply didn’t seem to like her. Maybe she was giving off the vibe she was actually feeling. Maybe they could see that she didn’t want to be there. Maybe they could see she didn’t want to be anywhere right now.
When they finally finished walking around, she was able to get a plate of food and sit down. She found an unoccupied table and plopped down, her feet killing her. The first chance she got, her new ankle boots were being flung into the ocean to be worn by a fashionable octopus.
“Mind if I sit?” She was surprised to look up and see Bennett standing there, a tray in his hand. More surprising was the vibrantly colored Hawaiian shirt he was wearing, along with a yellow and pink lei.
“Sure,” she said, picking up her first bite of chicken casserole. It was surprisingly good.
“How’s dinner going so far?”
“I don’t think they like me very much.”
He chuckled under his breath. “Well, to be fair, they’ve got some abandonment issues.”
“How did the other nurses fare here?”
