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Olivia began to sniffle. “Thanks for coming to find her. I don’t have to tell you how thrilled she is to have you back in her world.”
“If it had taken me one hundred years, I would have found her,” Mac said with a smile in Callie’s direction.
Jax looked back and forth between Olivia and Callie and Mac. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. He cleared his throat. “Mac is your brother?”
Callie let out an annoyed sigh. Beautiful emerald eyes swung his way. “Yes, Jax. Mac is my brother.”
He felt as if his head might explode. How was Callie explaining this so calmly? And how was Mac her brother?
Callie shook her head. “See, Jax? Daddy sent you over here with only a portion of the story. You don’t know half as much you think you do about him or what he’s capable of doing. And you certainly have no idea of what drove me from this house.”
Callie spun around and headed toward her car, trailed by Mac and Olivia. He wanted to call out after her, to pepper her with questions about her move from the Duvall mansion and her ties to Mac Donahue. Instead of doing so he stood in the yard and watched as she drove away with Olivia seated next to her in the passenger seat. Mac followed behind them in his rental car.
Frustration speared through him. One way or another he was going to get to the bottom of this strange turn of events.
**
“You really need to be nicer to Jax,” Olivia said with a shake of her head. The top was down on Callie’s convertible and the wind was whipping through their hair. It felt nice, Callie realized. Sweet, blessed freedom.
Callie rolled her eyes. “Seriously? He came by the house to pry into my business. One guess who sent him.”
“Something tells me he came of his own accord. Jax always has this intense look on his face when he’s in your orbit. He’s into you, Callie.” Callie could feel Olivia studying her from the passenger seat.
Callie let out a laugh. “No, he’s not, Olivia. Jax is always intense. And it has nothing to do with me. He likes to poke at me and stick his nose into my business. Plus he’s on the Duvall payroll.”
“Whatever you say. Remind me later to say I told you so.” Olivia rubbed her hands together. “I’m so excited to see Miss Hattie. It’s been such a long time.”
“I know. She’s been a bit of a recluse lately,” Callie said in a fretful tone. “And Savannah House is a shadow of what it used to be back when we worked there.”
Olivia nodded. “Daddy said that she’s had some offers for the place but she keeps turning them down.”
“Of course she does. That place is the only home she’s ever known.” Callie cast a quick glance at her friend. “Did you know she was born there?”
“I think that I remember hearing that somewhere. That’s pretty amazing.”
“Well, I’m going to be seeing a lot of her. It was mighty generous of her to offer me the cottage.”
“You’re so lucky to be living right by the ocean. That’s going to be really peaceful at night with the roaring sounds of the sea and the gentle breeze wafting in your direction.”
“I’m blessed. And since I find myself with some free time on my hands I’m going to offer to help her get the place in tip-top shape.”
“That’s a sweet idea, Callie,” Olivia said. “She always did have a soft spot for you.”
“Not just me,” Callie protested. “All of us I think. She used to say we reminded her of when she was young and all the possibilities that had been stretched out before her.”
Olivia let out a sigh. “Sad that she never got married.”
“I know,” Callie said. “Her whole life could have been different. Now she’s all alone on that huge property.”
Just as Callie uttered those words a huge sign welcomed them to Tybee Island. After checking to make sure Mac was still behind her in his truck, she put her blinker on and turned off on to the road that would lead them to Savannah House.
Tybee Island, located twenty minutes east of Savannah, was a slice of paradise. Sun, sand and endless miles of the Atlantic Ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see. It had always been one of Callie’s most favorite places on earth. A haven from the rest of the world.
As they drove alongside the picturesque shores of Savannah Beach, Callie couldn’t help but take a deep sniff of the scent of the ocean as it drifted on the wind. It heralded the new life she was going to be building for herself. Hope hung in the air.
The historic Bed and Breakfast had been built by Miss Hattie’s father back in 1915. Tuck Alexander had been a self-made millionaire, rising from the depths of poverty to the highest levels of the business world. After meeting and falling in love with Hattie’s mother, Patricia, Tuck moved to her hometown of Savannah and built Savannah House. It quickly became one of the most desirable Bed & Breakfasts in the country. People traveled from all over the country—even the world—to stay at the resort that was mere footsteps away from the sandy shores and ocean. The resort had even managed to stick it out through the great depression that lasted from the late 1920’s through the thirties. Somehow, even in tough economic times, all sorts of clientele had always flocked to the place.
That had all ended about five years ago, when Miss Hattie had abruptly closed her establishment and become something of a shut-in. Callie had never cut off communication with her and had continued to check in on her regularly. That contact had recently led to the invitation to come live in her guest cottage for as long as she liked.
