"Morris called," Alexis's mother announced during dinner.
"Oh?" Alexis said without making eye contact. She knew her mother would be his first call. She just wasn't sure how much information he'd divulged.
"He told me that he's retiring."
Her father's head jerked up from his plate. "Morris is retiring?"
"That's what he said." Tilly looked at her daughter expectantly, but Alexis stayed mute. "Well, it's probably high time I retire, too. After all, I have grandchildren to enjoy and your father and I have enough to be comfortable."
"Is that your idea of a hint?" Greg asked his wife.
"Don't you think you've earned a break?" she replied. "A permanent one. We live on a beautiful island. We don't have a mortgage. We don't need much." She eyed him anxiously. "Don't you think it's time to enjoy our lives a bit more?" Greg stared into his stew, as though all the answers could be found there.
"There's plenty to do here if you don't want to travel," Alexis pointed out.
"Groups to join. Year-round activities."
"Since when are you the poster child for Mangrove Island?" her father asked with great amusement. "Last time I checked, you hate it here."
"I don't really, Dad." She glanced at her mother. "So what do you think of me taking over Morris's practice?"
"What?" asked Greg with a start.
"I want you to do what's best for you," Tilly said.
"Well, as it happens, I think it would be best for me. That's why I've accepted his kind offer."
Her mother clapped her hands together. "I hoped that was it. He didn't tell me specifically, you know, but I've known him long enough to read between the lines."
"You're going to be the new Morris." Her dad let loose a low whistle.
"We're thrilled, Alexis." Tilly placed a delicate hand on her chest. "My girls are so impressive. Betsy said you're helping her branch out with her own bakery."
"She'll be my first client."
"A salon, a bakery, a law practice," her father mused. "The MacAdams family might actually gain some political clout on this island."
"That is our secret agenda," Alexis said wryly. "I'd get my own place, of course. I wouldn't want to be underfoot, especially now that you'll have more time at home. I saw a place on Juniper for sale that's a good size."
As she mentioned the house on Juniper, a vision of her London flat flashed through her mind. The home she'd shared with Mark. Another family lived there now, filling the flat with their own happy memories while all of her belongings sat in storage, in a holding pattern like her life had been these past eighteen months. Well, no more.