Page 55 of Unspoken Love

He jogged in, rain dripping from his hair and shoulders. “Sorry I’m late, I didn’t want to text and drive in this stuff,” he said, slightly out of breath. “The countertop guys were late.” He kissed her, keeping his wet clothes away from her dry ones, then he walked over to the counter and took a cookie from behind the counter. “I missed lunch.” He took a bite. “You’re not going to believe what I found,” he added as he held the door open for her as she opened her umbrella.

She raised an eyebrow. “What? Don’t tell me you found a hidden tunnel in your place?”

“I wish.” He grinned and waited as she stepped out of the door. He held the umbrella over her. “But I did find another hidden tunnel.”

She blinked at him. “Really?”

They ran through the rain, dodging puddles, and then he helped her into the truck. Faye shivered slightly, brushing water from her arms as Nate climbed in behind the wheel and turned the heat up a notch.

“I had a dream last night,” he said as he pulled out of the parking lot, “of a woman standing at the base of the stairs. She pointed to the wall near the bottom of the stairs and said, “My heart.” Well, that ate at me all day, so I went back over there during lunch, and it wasn’t just a dream, Faye. There’s another hidden entrance to a different tunnel there.”

She sat up straighter. “You’re serious?”

He nodded, turning onto the main road. “It opened when I pressed the wood molding, like the latch in Max’s office. There’s a different passage behind it—narrow, dark, definitely older than the others. I went in, just a bit. The door closes behind you automatically.”

“That’s not terrifying at all,” she muttered, crossing her arms and visibly shivering again. “Maybe we should both agree not to go tunnel exploring alone?”

“Agreed.” He glanced at her. “But I think this one shoots off to other tunnels.”

Faye’s mind raced. “And you just went inside?”

“Only a little. To the base of another staircase. This one was made of stone. I used my phone as a flashlight so I knew I could call someone if I got lost. But the more that I looked, the more I noticed how twisted the tunnels were. From just a few feet in from the base of the stairs, I could see multiple turns and branches. It’d be really easy to get lost down there.”

“Okay, seriously. No solo exploring,” she warned.

“Yeah, maybe we should tie a string to the top so we can find our way back.”

He pulled up to the Golden Oar to grab some takeout for dinner. He had called in the order for their burgers and sweet potato fries before he’d left his place. The rain was coming down harder now, and thunder rolled in the distance as he hurried in to grab the food.

“This is supposed to clear up by tomorrow for the Fourth celebration,” he assured her when he got back in with their food.

“Good, I’d hate to miss the paddle boarding event,” she said dryly, making him chuckle.

By the time they reached the house, the sky was dark and the storm had fully settled in. Lightning flashed over the ocean along with the light from the lighthouse, both illuminating the jagged coastline for moments before darkness fell again.

Once again, they raced through the rain, and she fumbled with the door lock while he held the umbrella and the food.

Inside, the place felt warmer, cozier. Safe.

“Come on,” Nate said, setting the take-out bags down on the coffee table and flipping on a few lights as he went. “I’ll show you the tunnel, but we’re not going in tonight. Not with the storm going on and it being high tide.”

He led her to the wall by the stairs and showed her where to press. She gasped softly when the panel clicked and the wall slid open just enough to reveal the deep black space beyond.

“Do you really think that the Ocean’s Heart could be down there?” she practically whispered. A gust of wind rattled the window behind them.

“I hope. Let’s close that until the weather cooperates.” Nate gently pressed the wall closed. The hidden seam disappeared into the wood paneling as if it had never been there.

Back in the living room, they curled up on the sofa, food balanced on their laps, with the sound of rain drumming steadily outside the windows and the crack of thunder echoing in the distance. Faye leaned into Nate’s side, warm and full from dinner, grateful that he was staying with her. She doubted she’d want to be alone on a night like this, knowing about the secret tunnels and his dream about a ghost showing him where the diamond was.

She glanced up at him. “Do you really think the tunnels all connect?”

“I’d bet on it. It’s like a web. And if those old letters my sister and Max found were clues, maybe one of them leads to that diamond.”

She rested her head on his shoulder. “Then maybe, when the weather clears, we can explore it and look for it.”

Nate nodded, wrapping his arm around her. “Together. But not tomorrow. We have our first official date. Remember?”

She chuckled. “How could I forget?”