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She moved past him. He fell in step behind her. All the while he couldn’t help but wonder how things had spun so far out of control. One moment he was taking care of his aunt’s estate so he could return to San Diego as quickly as possible. In the next moment, he’d bared his soul to Jo, and she was in his arms.
That couldn’t happen again. He wasn’t going to allow himself any attachments to this island or this inn. He couldn’t let emotions get in the way. This was business.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Hadhealmostkissedher?
Yes, he had.
Josie’s heart raced every time she recalled how just moments ago she’d been in Lane’s embrace. The part she couldn’t move past was that she had wanted him to kiss her. And that was so wrong.
She couldn’t let herself fall for the man set on destroying what she’d spent years building. This inn meant the world to her. And she owed it to Sandra to keep it going. It was the whole reason she’d entrusted her with its ownership.
After a trip to the bank that morning, where she’d been promptly turned down for a loan to buy out Lane, she was even more desperate to change his mind about selling the inn. And kissing him wasn’t going to help her cause. She needed him to take her seriously. That couldn’t be accomplished if she was throwing herself at him.
She needed him to respect her as a competent business woman who was more than capable of managing the inn on her own. Once he trusted her, he could return to California confident the inn was secure. And her life would go on just as it had been.
They stood to the side of the inn as the digging commenced along the foundation. A television camera crew was focused on the dig. The time capsule was said to have been stored within a cornerstone of the inn—the first official building on the island.
For months, Josie had anticipated this moment. She and Sandra used to guess at what was in the time capsule, from pictures to diaries. And now that the big moment was here, Josie found herself utterly and completely distracted by Lane. She had a hard time not staring at him.
He might portray himself as a grumpy businessman, but there were so many unexpected layers to him. Beneath his crusty exterior was a tender center that he strove to hide from the world. And now she knew why. He’d had a horrific childhood. Her heart ached for him. It was no wonder he’d built up walls around himself.
But it made no sense to her that Sandra would turn her back on her twin sister as well as her nephew. It just wasn’t who Sandra was—at least not the person she made herself out to be to the people on Bluestar Island. Was it possible there was another side to her dear friend—a not so nice side?
Immediately, Josie dismissed the idea. She had spent year after year with Sandra. No one was that good at hiding things. There had to be another explanation, but with both sisters now gone, how were they ever going to get to the truth?
The thought that Lane would have to carry this painful baggage with him for the rest of his life just wasn’t fair. And yes, she knew life wasn’t fair. But she wanted to fix this for the little boy inside of him who thought no one cared about him. Josie was certain something had gone terribly wrong between the sisters. It was the only explanation.
Cheering and clapping drew Josie from her thoughts. She forced a smile to her lips as she began clapping. When she noticed Lane wasn’t smiling or clapping, her instinct was to gently nudge him, but she resisted. He’d dealt with a lot today. If he didn’t feel like smiling or clapping, so be it. She couldn’t help but feel that his presence at this event was important. She didn’t know how, but she felt as though he were a boat adrift, and he really needed something to anchor him. Maybe there would be something in the time capsule to help him connect with his past.
Mayor Tony Banks was graciously acting as their master of ceremonies for this week’s activities. He was a couple of years older than her. He’d graduated high school with her brother Kent. Although, Tony had always acted older than his age.
He even dressed more maturely with his collection of bow ties and suits. He kept his dark brown curls cut short and was clean-shaven. The man always looked so professional. She always wondered if he’d meet someone special who would show him how to loosen up a bit.
He stepped up to the microphone. His light brown face lifted into a welcoming smile. “This is so exciting. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see what our ancestors thought was important enough for us to find. It’s like a message from the past.”
A loud applause went up in the crowd. Josie was amazed at how many residents had taken time out of their busy day to join them. There were literally hundreds of people lining the inn’s green space and down onto the beach. Everyone was curious.
As her gaze moved over the crowd, she saw her parents. Her mother was all smiles as she stared at the stage, while her father had a serious look—the one he got when he was about to inspect a piece of furniture for any imperfections before placing it on the showroom floor.
Standing a little ways away was Kent. He was talking to someone. Was that Sara he was talking to? They both had serious expressions. She wondered what that was all about. She didn’t know they were friends.
And then she spotted Hannah and Lily. They were across the stage from where she was standing. At that moment, Lily spotted her and waved. Josie waved back. She’d have to catch up with them later. There were too many people crowded close together for her to reach them.
Her gaze moved back to the stage with the mysterious metal box. Josie had wanted to carry on the tradition of a time capsule for a new generation, but Lane had axed the idea. At first, she’d thought he’d done it because he didn’t want anything to get in the way of the sale of the inn, but now she was thinking there was a lot more that had gone into his decision, and none of it had to do with the sale. She couldn’t help but think he wanted to avoid putting down roots—at least none that went too deep. She could imagine that little boy inside of him who was still in fight-or-flight mode. She wanted to show him he could let down his guard on the island. The only reason he’d have to leave is if he chose to. But how did she convey that to him?
“And now I will hand the mic over to Birdie Neill.” The mayor’s voice drew Josie from her thoughts.
Another round of applause filled the air as Birdie made her way across the little stage to the microphone. “I know you all think I’m as old as Moses, but I can honestly say I’m not as old as that time capsule. At my age, there aren’t a lot of things that make me feel young, but that time capsule is definitely one of them.” Some laughter went up in the crowd. “So I’m as curious as the rest of you about what’s inside.”
Birdie moved over to the table where a metal box had been placed. In addition to the news crew, Josie had invited members of Boston’s museum to help with the unveiling. They all wanted to preserve what they could of the contents.
The two historians opened the box. They lifted out a smaller copper-looking box. Josie found herself inching closer to have a better look. She noticed Lane hadn’t moved. At least he hadn’t retreated back to the bungalow.
With white gloves on, the museum’s staff carefully worked to untie the cord wrapped around the inner box. It was surrounded by plate glass. And then the copper box had been soldered shut. It took a number of minutes to open the inner box without damaging anything. The delay only ratcheted up the anticipation as a murmur rolled over the crowd.
At last the items were removed from the box. They were placed under a scanner, allowing the images to play on the large screens set up around the yard. Birdie announced what each item was and tried to give the items some context.
