"Well, then," Isabel stated, choosing not to press the eavesdropping issue since she was in far too good a mood to scold her. "It's settled. We'll have to start looking for a house."
"What about the beach house?" Emma asked. "Won't Uncle Darius let us live there?"
"I don't know what he plans to do with it, sweetheart," Isabel admitted, keeping her tone casual. "But we'll see. There is still plenty of time."
The elevator let out a soft electronic ding, the door sliding open to reveal the second-floor hall. Emma threw her arms around Isabel’s waist in a sudden, tight hug before they stepped out onto the carpet.
"Oh, and guess what?" Isabel said, looking down at her granddaughter as they walked arm in arm toward their suite.
"What?" Emma asked, looking up wide-eyed.
"I have a job managing the Bay Café as of tomorrow afternoon," Isabel told her.
"No way!" Emma breathed, her voice dropping into an awed whisper. "Gran, that's awesome. You always wanted a coffee shop."
Isabel leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against her granddaughter's head, delighted that the young girl had remembered her old dream so clearly.
"Well, this is just managing one," Isabel told her.
"Still, it's what you've dreamed of," Emma told her, reaching out to push the suite door open. "Just you won't own it. You'll run it."
Isabel looked at her granddaughter for a few seconds, pursing her lips and nodding. Yes, she liked the sound of that. Her heart skipped a few beats, and excitement churned in her stomach asshe felt they were walking through a new door into a brighter chapter of their lives. For the first time in many years, the dark, gloomy clouds of despair that had hung over her head were parting to let in the sun to warm their future.
LINDA
The morning sun crept over the horizon line of Sweet Blossom Bay, painting the sky in long streaks of pale pink and low gold. The tide was low, leaving the sand dark and packed hard beneath Linda’s canvas sneakers. Cool air drifted off the Gulf, providing a temporary shield against the heavy humidity that would bake the coastline later in the afternoon.
Linda walked steadily near the water’s edge, holding a plastic retrieval toy in her hand. Beside her, Buddy trotted with his tail curved upward, his ears twitching as he watched a flock of gulls gather near a cluster of exposed coquina shells. His leash was stuffed safely into Linda’s jacket pocket, giving the golden retriever complete freedom to sprint through the shallow foam. He splashed into the gentle waves, barking once at the birds before turning his dark eyes back to her for approval.
Linda offered a soft whistle, encouraging him forward, but her mind remained anchored to the texts sitting in her phone. She hadn't seen Darius in two days. The absence had left a quiet, persistent ache in her chest that she didn’t care to analyze too closely. He’d sent her a long message the previous evening,expressing his regrets and explaining that the initial phases of the home renovations along with some pressing Miami corporate business had kept him bound to his desk. He’d explicitly asked to meet her on the shoreline this morning, and she’d spent the last hour wondering if his voice would carry that same warm, easy cadence she’d grown used to during their walks.
Buddy stopped his pursuit of the gulls, his entire body freezing as his nose lifted to catch the scent of the breeze. He let out a low, excited yip, his gaze locking onto a tall, solitary figure walking toward them from the direction of the shaded pine ridge. Even from a distance, the broad shoulders and deliberate, unhurried stride were unmistakable.
Darius was wearing a dark pullover and rolled-up trousers as he walked in her direction.
The dog didn't wait for a command. Buddy went charging down the beach, his paws kicking up wet chunks of sand as his tail wagged with a frantic, joyful energy. Linda’s heart skipped a beat against her ribs, a sudden rush of warmth moving through her veins the moment she recognized his silhouette. She took a step forward, her instincts telling her to quicken her pace to match the dog’s sprint, but she forced her feet to remain steady against the wet ground.
Linda physically checked her own movements, slowing her stride into a casual, measured walk. It wouldn't do to look like she was running down the shoreline like an eager teenager.
Darius stopped walking as Buddy reached him. He leaned down, so he could catch the dog in a wide embrace. His deep, clear laughter drifted across the open beach, the sound grounding thequiet morning with a comforting reality. He patted the dog’s wet flanks, letting Buddy press a damp nose right against his jawline.
Darius looked up, his eyes searching the distance until they locked onto her. He lifted his right hand, waving to her with an easy, welcoming motion.
Linda hurried her steps slightly, convincing herself that she was merely moving to rescue him from the dog’s sloppy greetings. It would be rude to leave him stranded down there while Buddy covered his clothes in salt water, foam, and wet dog hair. She ignored the teasing, critical voice that flared up in the back of her mind. The one pointing out that she was using the dog as a very thin excuse to reach him faster. She didn't care. The two-day gap had felt entirely too long, and seeing him standing there under the expanding gold light chased away every single lingering worry of the week.
Darius
Darius kept his palms pressed against Buddy’s thick fur, his fingers digging into the wet coat as he tried to control the urge to walk faster down the tide line. He’d spent the last forty-eight hours actively avoiding the beach walks, burying himself in Clyde’s background dockets and financial records because the weight of the corporate secrets was beginning to fracture his focus. He was a man thoroughly accustomed to executive evasion, to protecting proprietary interest through carefully managed silence, but he discovered he had zero talent for outright lying to people he genuinely cared about.
Linda was different. Every single time she looked at him with those clear, discerning eyes, his corporate mask felt heavy and restrictive.
She’d asked him about the home construction before their brief separation, and he’d hedged, telling her the regional crews were setting up the equipment. The guilt of that omission had sat like a cold stone in his stomach. To make the excuse look legitimate on paper, he’d spent the previous afternoon coordinating with Penny and Isabel, asking them to utilize their real estate contacts to get actual structural contractors out to the beach house immediately.
He knew the clock was ticking viciously against him. Isabel and Penny had delivered an absolute ultimatum at the café, promising to reveal his identity to the Heart family themselves if he didn't handle the disclosure before the week ended. At least they pushed it from just a day.
Darius intended to tell Linda the truth about who he really was when he invited her to dinner.
His mind reeled thinking about what he was about to do. His heart was heavy and his gut burned as his instincts screamed to find another way. But he wasn’t sure there was one without having to involve her and possibly her family in his scheme. He wasn’t too sure he could do that. So for now he had to play the part of the aggressive developer for appearances, finding subtle ways to shield the Heart’s properties, the owners and their family from the predatory investment alignments inside his company that were running behind his back.
