Darius was also still waiting for his sister to deliver the precise financial layout of the Maritime Heritage Trust. The discovery that his late parents had established a blind endowment fund toquietly finance the town's historic infrastructure had completely reordered his thoughts. He’d spent the night studying the campground maps, forming a brand-new strategy to invest his family’s private capital into the local commerce without altering a single note of the bay’s natural beauty or small-town charm. He wanted to honor Harold and Eleanor’s real intentions, the ones they’d committed to paper before the fatal car accident cut their lives short back when he was twenty-one and Isabel was preparing for her freshman semesters.
Buddy let out a sharp, joyful bark, snapping Darius out of the memories. He raised his head, his chest tightening as he watched Linda walk toward him across the wide stretch of sand. She moved with an easy, unhurried grace, her dark hair catching the silver light of the surf.
Darius lifted his hand, waving to her as a sudden wave of nerves made his fingers shake slightly. He was glad the distance prevented her from seeing the tension in his hands or hearing the fast, heavy thud of his heart that sounded way too loud. He bent back down, using his interaction with the dog to ground his posture as her steps brought her into the circle of dry sand.
Linda
Linda stopped a few feet from him, her cheeks warming as she looked down at the way his fingers moved affectionately behind Buddy’s ears. She’d resolved herself during the walk over to ask him to join the family dinner they were planning for the evening. The historical society had secured the private function room at the hotel to celebrate the preliminary validation of the Calusafindings, and things were moving forward with an incredible momentum.
Anna and Owen had spent the previous afternoon setting up the initial grid coordinates along the edge of the pool excavation, clearing away the modern concrete debris to expose the rich, dark soil layers beneath. The entire family had rallied around the project. Anna was completely in her element, her sharp eyes lighting up as she trained the eager kids and volunteers. Even Maggie, Michael, Martin, and the two newcomers, Penny and Isabel, had spent their free hours learning to document the soil variations, getting their hands dirty without a single word of complaint.
Thinking of Anna sent a sharp pang of guilt through Linda as she thought about her uncle. She and Michael still hadn't told George about the active dig or Anna’s presence on the property. They’d been continuously hedging, using Uncle George’s medical relapse as a convenient shield to delay the difficult conversation. She drew in a slow breath, shaking the worry away. The orthopedic surgeon had confirmed that George's vitals were completely stable this morning, and she and Michael were scheduled to visit Room 412 together right after lunch to lay out the full hotel rescue mission which included having to invite Anna to Sweet Blossom Bay.
Darius rose to his full height, stepping around Buddy’s wagging tail to close the distance between them. The butterflies in Linda’s stomach flared into life as he reached out, his large hands resting steady against her shoulders as he leaned down to press a soft kiss against her cheek. His arms wrapped around her in a brief, familiar hug that had gradually become their natural routine whenever they met on the shore. It was an unhurried, quiet habit that had started right after their first date, and she found herselfleaning into his strength for a brief second before he stepped back.
"How is everything progressing down at the hotel property?" Darius asked, his voice low as they began walking arm in arm toward the point.
"It's going well," Linda told him, keeping her eyes on the water as Buddy ran ahead to chase another gull. "Dr. Caldwell has managed to gather an incredible group of extra volunteer helpers from the town. Even your sister and Penny have spent the last two afternoons learning the basic mapping protocols."
Darius lifted his eyebrows, a look of genuine surprise flashing across his face before his expression relaxed. "Isabel and Penny are digging in the dirt?" Darius asked, a quiet chuckle escaping his chest. "I have to admit, I wouldn't have expected either of them to volunteer for manual labor on an archaeological site.” He gave a soft snort. “But then again, with my sister’s and Penny’s absolute obsession with historical preservation, it makes sense. Neither of them can bear to see anything of value left to ruin. And any restoration project they take on they jump in feet first not one ounce of worry for their expensive manicures. So I shouldn’t be too surprised that they would want to partake in this exciting dig.”
"Speaking of restoring old properties," Linda said, turning her head to look at him as a sudden thought struck her. "I am so happy that Penny decided to buy the old Bowers Mansion on the far side of the bay near the lighthouse. After learning about how she loves to flip old houses, it’s the perfect project for her."
She watched his profile closely, noticing a brief, sharp flicker of shock move through his eyes before his features turned completely still. She frowned slightly, wondering if Penny hadneglected to mention the massive real estate transaction to him or if she’d just spilled a secret.
Darius
Darius maintained his steady stride, but internally, his mind scrambled to file away the information from Linda. He wasn't surprised to learn that Isabel and Penny were participating in the archaeological evaluation at the pool site. His sister had really admired and had a deep respect for the town's historical bones, and it made perfect sense that she would find a natural connection within Anna’s research circle.
But he had been completely blind to the fact that Penny had purchased a permanent piece of land on this island. Let alone a historic estate. TheBowers Mansion.He carefully logged the name into his memory, planning to have Clyde run a thorough compliance check on it the second he returned to his office desk.
"Penny didn't mention she’d bought a property to me before she moved to the hotel," Darius admitted, keeping his tone entirely polite and conversational as he adjusted his pace to match Linda’s steps. "What is the Bowers Mansion?"
Linda adjusted the collar of her jacket against the rising sea breeze.
"It’s a magnificent Mediterranean Revival estate from the early 1920s," Linda explained, her voice dropping into a soft, nostalgic register. "But it’s been sitting completely abandoned for around eight years now. The history is incredibly sad. Mr. Bowers and his wife were one of the town's primary benefactors, rightalongside the Sullivans and my uncle’s family. But ten years ago, their twin children, a boy and a girl, were killed in a terrible yacht racing accident during a summer storm off the coast of Fort Myers."
Darius felt a sudden, heavy pull in his chest as he listened to the details.
"The grief completely fractured their marriage," Linda continued, her eyes fixed on the distant mangroves across the water. "Mrs. Bowers left the island first, and after she was gone, Mr. Bowers simply lost the will to manage the estate. He packed up his things and abandoned the property entirely, leaving the house to rot in the coastal humidity. Penny told Isabel that the architecture called directly to her soul, and I think she’s right. That old house is crying out to be filled with sunshine and laughter once again."
The tragedy of the story touched Darius far deeper than he cared to reveal. He knew that specific element of human loss would have moved Penny to open her checkbook without a single hesitation. She had a profound, hidden protective instinct for broken things, a trait that had made her an exceptional asset to his family's firm for over a decade. He made a silent mental note to drive past the house later in the afternoon to inspect the structural framework himself.
"Where exactly did you say the yachting accident occurred?" Darius asked, his throat feeling slightly dry.
"Right outside the pass near Fort Myers," Linda answered, turning her head to look at him. "They host the regional offshore regattas there every summer."
"Yes, I've seen those races in the past," Darius murmured, his gaze tracking a wave rolling over a sandbar. "It's an exceptionally fast, high-risk sport down here in Florida."
"Have you ever participated in a regatta yourself?" Linda asked curiously.
Darius stopped walking, his shoes sinking an inch into the soft, wet sand. He let out a slow, controlled breath, his fingers tightening inside his pockets as an old, deeply buried memory pressed against his thoughts.
"No," Darius told her, his voice sinking into a quiet register. "I'm not much of a sea-going person. To be completely honest with you, I'm not the world's strongest swimmer, and I've never cared for sailing." He swallowed hard, his jaw setting as he forced the admission out. "I love the ocean. I don't think I could ever bear to live too far from the sight of the water. But I have too much respect for its power to ever want to challenge it. I don't go past the surf line."
He held his breath, a sudden wave of vulnerability making his chest tight. He had never once admitted his fear of the ocean to a single person. Not even his sister or Penny knew. But here Darius stood on the beach, waiting for her reaction, wondering if his raw honesty would alter her perception of him. After all, what man was scared of the sea?
Linda
