by Ellie Hall
At an obscenely early hour the next morning, Claudia emerged from the airport and into a wall of humid Florida air. She smoothed her long dark hair. There was no time to think about how it was likely frizzy or about the few grays she’d found earlier that week. There were just a few. Three to be exact, she reminded herself as she made her way to the car rental desk. Aunt Margot’s voice floated into her head. Age is just a number. Right then, exhausted and worried, she struggled with her aunt’s particularly advanced number and how she’d fallen down and was in the hospital. She didn’t want to think about anything happening to her aunt.
An hour after that, Claudia arrived at the hospital to find her aunt fast asleep. She consulted the nurses who informed her Margot was doing just fine, except she’d fractured her hip.
“The week she’s been here has been the most fun we’ve had on this floor in a long time. She is hysterical,” a nurse in lavender scrubs said.
Another nurse piped up. “She has the best stories.”
Claudia smiled with relief. Margot Von Plata did have the best stories.
“Other than her hip, as far as her overall health goes, she’s in good shape.” The nurse in lavender reviewed a chart. “Our concern is with her finances. As you may know, her insurance didn’t go through and we’ve detected the signs of dementia.” The nurse went on to explain how it was common at that stage of her life and the support available for both her aunt and loved ones.
Claudia’s stomach knotted again.
The nurse gripped her shoulder. “She’s still the aunt you’ve always known and loved, but from our end, there have been occasions when she’s been confused about time, place, and basic things we’d seen her do before.”
“But when I spoke to her on the phone—” Claudia’s throat felt scratchy.
“Most of the time she’s as sharp as a tack if not a bit sleepy, but then there are others when it seems like she’s slipping. Given she had the best insurance money could buy, we imagine she lapsed in payment because her affairs are getting away from her,” the other nurse said delicately. “She’s lucky to have you.”
The first nurse, wearing lavender—Aunt Margot’s favorite color—squeezed Claudia’s shoulder again. “Listen, she’s a special woman. Anyone who spends more than a minute in a room with her knows that. This isn’t unusual at her age. Keep in mind that she’s otherwise healthy. That’s something to be grateful for.”
Tears brimmed in Claudia’s eyes, but she nodded because the nurse was right. She just couldn’t imagine her larger than life aunt being anything less than, well, impeccable in every way. She wouldn’t let herself even think about how they referred to her advanced age and what it meant for the future.
She sat with her aunt while she slept. Even though Margot had moved to Florida where it was much sunnier than her native Montreal, she took great care of her skin. However, the wrinkles were more pronounced than last time they’d been together and she hadn’t been to the hair salon to have her roots touched up in a while, which was extremely unlike her. She was the kind of woman who still dressed as though she were meeting the queen and never had so much as a hair out of place.
Claudia sighed. Perhaps the nurses were right.
Aunt Margot slowly roused then sat upright. “Darling, there you are. I apologize. I must have drifted off while I was waiting for you. What took you so long? It’s only a short drive from home.”
Tears tickled Claudia’s eyes. Aunt Margot’s comment confirmed the nurses’ concerns. “I flew from San Francisco. But I’m sure glad to be out of the rain and with you.”
“You bring the sunshine with you wherever you go with that smile of yours, darling. Come, let’s get out of here.” She suddenly seemed more lucid and able-bodied as she got out of bed. But as she moved to get to her feet, it was as though she forgot she’d injured her hip and Claudia caught her before she slipped.
Aunt Margot had always been slender, but she felt small and frail in Claudia’s arms. She continued to fight back tears.
Together with the nurses, she prepared to bring her aunt home, not sure what she’d find, but hoped it would be the money to pay her aunt’s bills.
The drive to Blue Bay Beach took about forty-five minutes. Aunt Margot chatted for the first few miles then dozed off. Claudia’s mind raced. Logically, she knew her aunt would age, but she’d never imagined the reality of the changes.
As the crescent-shaped bay came into view a sigh escaped. The tension in Claudia’s shoulders relaxed at the sound of the waves rolling in to shore. The late day sun dusted the palmy jungle surrounding the mansion homes on the outskirts of the small town.
Blue Bay Beach was a hidden gem among the many beaches along the Gulf Coast of Florida. Claudia had been there once, but mostly she visited her aunt at her estate in Montreal, especially during the holiday season. Margot insisted Christmas wasn’t the same without snow.
Claudia punched the gate key code. “Aunt Margot, we’re home.”
She stirred and lit up. “Ah, this is a better view than the one in the hospital.”
Three adorable but yappy dogs greeted them as they entered.
“I hope Louis was feeding them.”
At the name, Claudia halted. Perhaps her aunt's memory was worse than she’d thought.
After getting Margot and the dogs settled, they had lunch. Claudia heard all about the last few weeks leading up to Margot’s spill. From the sounds of things, she was as busy as ever with her social calendar and seemed lucid, but didn’t eat too much of her niçoise salad—her favorite.
However, a pile of mail was on the counter and at first glance, many of them were bills and past due notices.
“You’ll stay a while, darling, won’t you? I think you’ll like it here.” Margot smiled.
“I’ll stay as long as you need me.” Claudia’s breath caught in her chest because there was no denying the once strong and independent hero in her life required help. Maybe she’d stay even longer.
The bell rang and the housekeeper entered, her face drawn in an expression of worry and concern. “I’m so glad to see you home, Miss Margot.”
“I’m as fit as a fiddle.”
Claudia smiled and introduced herself. “Are you Miss Louis?”
The woman’s brow creased. “No, my name is Esmerelda.”
“She’s the best around. In fact, she helped me when I fell and looked after Bella, Bear, and Lulu.”
“Thank you, Esmerelda,” Claudia said.
Something flashed across the housekeeper’s face, but she quickly pasted on a smile. “Of course.” She excused herself to her chores, leaving Claudia and Margot to their lunch.
The rest of the time spent at the table consisted of stories—some of Claudia’s favorites that she didn’t mind hearing again and a new one about a date Margot once had with a duke—there had been a gaggle of geese involved and a lost shoe. Another story was about a famous rock star—Margot wouldn’t say who. Claudia had heard the story at dinners with guests from the music industry and gleaned that the mystery man was none other than a certain hunka-hunka burning love.
As her laughter faded, Claudia steeled her nerves. “Aunt Margot, have you heard from Louis?” Despite, her aunt’s lapse in memory, the stories she’d heard were all true and her aunt was as lucid as ever, at least in that moment. Perhaps her comment earlier was a slip. She hoped so.
“Who?” Margot asked as she finished her raspberry ice tea.
A ragged breath escaped Claudia that was part worry and part relief. She decided to ignore it for the time being.
Later, Margot said she’d retire early after the ordeal at the hospital and the excitement of returning home.
After saying goodnight to her aunt, Claudia was restless. Even though her aunt didn’t seem to recall Louis, she’d mentioned his name and they certainly knew him and knew him well.
Claudia wandered down the hall and past framed photos of her aunt with famous celebrities, mostly musicians—including Elvis Presley, a
few of the Beatles, and Aretha Franklin.
Margot was a self-made woman and believed anyone could create the life of their dreams by working hard. She’d made several timely real estate investments, earned millions in the tech boom, and had invested it wisely. She went from being a music club promoter in the sixties to a publicist in the seventies, to an agent in the eighties, and eventually became a consultant in the industry for everything. She was the financial backer for a few websites and blam. Millions more in the bank. Margot was used to fame and divas but didn't take any sass. She certainly didn't grovel, and in an industry where that was often expected, it turned out that her attitude was respected. She was a lady of class and an entrepreneur as well as Claudia’s idol.
Although Claudia grew up around the popular music of her time, she preferred the structure and order of the classical music world and threw herself headfirst into it—even though some of her courses took her back into pop and rock, even country on occasion. Margot may have been able to deal with the many personalities of that subset of the music industry, but Claudia had experienced enough chaos in her life and didn’t want much to do with it.
From somewhere in the house, one of the dogs yapped a few times then went silent. Claudia entered her aunt’s office. Ordinarily, she’d never do so without Margot’s permission, but things had changed and since her aunt was behind on payments—something she had always been on top of—Claudia felt the need to investigate.
As she went through the mail, Claudia’s stomach clenched. Nothing had been paid in at least three months. She logged onto the computer to find some of her aunt’s passwords saved. The bank account was overdrawn. Further investigation proved that her aunt’s financial situation was in a dire state.
Claudia traced through her memory. She’d missed her last visit during spring break because she was busy with work and school, but had last seen her aunt at Christmastime. They spoke weekly on the phone, usually Sunday after church, but the calls had become sporadic. Claudia didn’t think much of it because she was so busy and figured, true to form, Margot was too.
“What happened? Where’s all the money?” she whispered.
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Keep Reading!
Also by Ellie Hall
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All I Want for Christmas Novella (Book .5)
Only a Kiss with a Billionaire (Book 1)
Only a Night with a Billionaire (Book 2)
Only Forever with a Billionaire (Book 3)
Only Love with a Billionaire (Book 4)
Only a Date with a Billionaire (Bonus Book)
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The Rich & Rugged, the Hawkins Brothers Clean Romance Series
Second Chance with a Firefighter (Book 1)
Wedding Day with a Rancher (Book 2)
Resort Getaway with a Bodyguard (Book 3)
Falling in love with a Police Officer (Book 4)
Christmas with a Mountain Man (Book 5)
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The Blue Bay Beach Reads Romance Series
Summer with a Marine (Book 1)
Summer with a Rock Star (Book 2)
Summer with a Billionaire (Book 3)
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Acknowledgments
Each time I have the privilege to write a book, I find myself awash with profound gratitude to God, who is my guiding light, my family (who tolerates me, okay, fine, they love me!), my friends (who are the best), and you, readers (who pick up these pages, read, review, reply, reach out, share, and mostly find the joy in these stories).
Thank you!
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About the Author
Ellie Hall loves puppies, books, and the ocean. She writes sweet romance with lots of firsts and fizzy feels. Oh, and she loves tea in the morning and pizza for dinner. She believes in dreaming big, working hard, and lazy Sunday afternoons spent with her family and dog in gratitude for God's grace.
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