Epilogue
Key West, Florida
Six months later
Charli hurried home from the library, stunned at what she had found. One small comment from Art earlier that morning had reignited Charli’s curiosity about Amelia’s story. She had assumed that the mystery was over, that there was nothing else to find, but she had been wrong. So very, very wrong.
Rushing into the house, she dropped off her bag and pulled out the file folder that held the key papers containing what she’d found. Turning, she practically ran across the street to the back compound gate.
Work on Paradise West was mostly completed except for a few minor fixes to the Widow’s Walk in the main house, and the other houses in the compound were receiving a final coat of paint.
The resort was scheduled to reopen in three months, which was well ahead of schedule, and the town was excited about the new addition to the Register of Historic Places.
As Steve had predicted, the ghost tours wanted to make Paradise West a major stop on their itinerary. Amelia’s story was not only painful and real, but her phantom light could still be seen on some nights. It seemed that she would never stop loving or mourning Ian.
Charli firmed her mouth as she sprinted into the main house, looking for Jack. Amelia’s tragic story had just gotten a little more heartbreaking.
“Jack!” she shouted as she ran up the first flight of stairs.
“We’re up here!” he yelled from the third floor.
She scrambled up the next flight, puffing from the exertion.
He hurried down the Widow’s Walk spiral staircase toward her, his brow beetled. “Is everything okay?”
Charli wheezed and waved the manila folder in the air.
He glanced at it. “What is that?”
“Art mentioned something to me this morning at the office,” she panted.
“Okay,” he said. He reached out and smoothed a lock of hair behind her ear. “What’s got you so worked up, baby?”
“Art was talking about a wealthy merchant in Key West during the mid-1870s and 1880s who was a big influence on maritime law in Florida.”
“Yeah, and?” he urged, a slight grin on his face.
Charli took a deep breath and released it. “His name was Ian Kennedy and, according to sources, he arrived in Key West in late 1871.”
Jack’s brows shot up and Charli bobbed her head at his expression. “Yes! Exactly! So I went to the library to do a little research and found this entry in a book on Key West mariner history published in 1905.”
She shook her head. “This was right under our noses from the very beginning. I can’t believe I didn’t research him before.”
“What did it say?” he asked quietly.
Charli pulled the copied pages from the folder and held it up for him to read. “Ian didn’t die in the shipwreck of the Marybeth. He contracted yellow fever before the hurricanes hit and was left by the ship’s captain to convalesce in a convent in Santiago de Cuba.”
Jack’s brow dropped. “So, he didn’t die in the shipwreck like Amelia believed? But the newspaper article listed him as one of the sailors who went down with the ship.”
“There’s no way the newspaper would know that Ian had gotten sick and had been removed from the ship,” Charli insisted. “It went down in the storm just days later with no survivors.”
“My god,” was Jack’s guttural reply. “He was alive the whole time.”
Charli nodded and then continued. “He eventually recovered from the disease, but it was nearly a year from the time that he left Key West until he was able to return. But by that time, Amelia was already gone.”
She ran her finger along part of the passage on the page. “This doesn’t say anything about Amelia or the baby, but Ian named his first ship Amelia and the next one Malcolm. He must have known Malcolm was his son.”
Jack only blinked at her, not saying a thing.
“Because Malcolm was raised by Elizabeth and Timothy as your family history states, it’s clear Ian didn’t claim the baby when he returned—probably to avoid any scandals for the family. And it says here that he never married and died in 1885 of unknown causes.”
“Shit.” Jack rubbed the back of his neck and turned to pace the hallway. “As if this story couldn’t get any more tragic.”
Charli pressed her lips together and sniffed. “Yes, but we know now that Ian didn’t go down with that ship and that he came back for her. He loved her. He really loved her.” She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “And there’s more, Jack.”
He stopped in front of her and stared at her silently, patiently waiting for her to continue.
“There was also a photo of Ian in the book.”
Jack’s eyes bulged. “You’re kidding.”
Charli held out the paper, showing him a posed photograph of a handsome, dark-haired, suited man who looked extremely familiar.
Jack’s jaw dropped as he studied the photo, then his stunned eyes shot back up to her. “This was Ian?” he choked out.
Charli pinched her lips together. “This was taken in 1880. But it’s like you’re looking into a mirror, isn’t it?” She shrugged. “If there was any doubt before about the story, this would end that. You’re nearly the exact image of your great, great, great, great grandfather.”
“Well,” started Gus, who had come down from the Widow’s Walk to sit on the top step of the spiral staircase while he listened to the exchange. “That’s one fucked up story, but I hope it finally brings peace to Amelia and she’ll stop scaring the shit out of me.”
A sharp gust of wind shot down from the Widow’s Walk, and Charli screeched as it shook the house.
“Shit!” yelled Gus, who crossed himself three times as he scampered down the stairs. “That’s it, Jack. You’re finishing the boards up there. I’m fucking done with this house.”
Jack chuckled. “Scared of a little ghost, Gus?”
“Fuck yeah, I am!” he shouted as he hurried down the stairs. “I’m heading to The Spent Pickle for a drink. I’ll see you two love birds later.”
Jack pulled Charli into his chest and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I think Amelia approves,” he murmured as his arms tightened around her. His head jerked back suddenly, and he gasped as his hand flew to his cheek.
Alarmed, Charli stepped back. “What?” She turned in a circle, looking for the threat. “What is it?”
His wide eyes darted around the hallway, then up to the Widow’s Walk. “I’d swear she just touched—” He froze, his eyes bulging even more.
Charli followed his gaze and gasped at the smiling apparition at the top of the staircase. She blinked and suddenly it was gone. Shaking her head, Charli turned to Jack, pointing toward the landing. “Did I just see...?”
His eyes dropped to hers, the shock still on his face. He nodded. “Yeah, I saw her, too. I felt her touch me.” His voice quavered. “My god.”
Charli sniffed and held a hand over her heart, a feeling of peace inexplicably settling over her. “We did it, Jack. We really did it. Aunt Dottie didn’t need us to bring Paradise West back. She just wanted us to find the journals so we could reveal Amelia’s true story.”
She stepped toward Jack and snuggled her head on his chest, sniffing. “Amelia’s at peace—I can feel it in my heart now.”
His arms dropped around her waist and he rested his cheek on the top of her head. After a moment, he leaned back and kissed her lightly on the lips before he pivoted toward the stairs, pulling her along with him.
“So how was work, baby?” he asked, effectively changing the subject.
Charli released a ragged breath and chuckled.
“It was great, babe. I swear Art is gonna retire on me any day. He has me handling all the firm’s cases now.
” She smiled. “I think he’s giving me a trial period and then he’s planning to take off.
He said something today about getting memberships to all the golf courses in the keys and playing a different one each day. ”
Jack chuckled. “That sounds like something he’d do.” As they reached the bottom floor, he stopped and wrapped his arms around her, smoothing his hands down her back until they rested on her lower back. “I’m sure it’s nothing you can’t handle.”
Charli glanced over her shoulder at the massive mahogany desk, then turned back to him. She pursed her lips. “You know, we’ll be celebrating the Paradise West’s grand re-opening before we know it. If I’m running a law firm, who’s gonna manage the bed and breakfast?”
Jack gave her a huge, playful grin. “I think I may know someone who’d be interested in the job. Besides, we kind of promised it was hers if she wanted it.” He pulled out his phone. “Let’s give her a call, shall we?”
Charli stood back and watched him dial the number, smiling. At that moment, she thought her heart would burst. She couldn’t ever remember loving someone so much.
Jack pushed speakerphone and met Charli’s gaze, his eyes full of mischief.
“Hey Jack!” piped Annette, her voice eager with excitement. “Please tell me you have some good news for me.”
Charli smirked but stayed silent.
“Paradise West opens in a few months and we need a general manager to run the place. Are you ready to move to Key West yet?” Jack asked, his eyes twinkling.
“Fuck yeah, I am!” Annette nearly shouted.
“Great,” Jack answered. “When can you be here?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?”
Jack chuckled. “Probably for you, considering you’ll be relocating permanently. How about two weeks from next Monday?”
“That sounds perfect!”
“It’s a deal then,” Jack answered. He looped an arm around Charli’s shoulders. “Keep an eye on your inbox. I’ll be sending you a one-way first-class ticket.”
Charli giggled when Annette squealed on the other line. “Oh my god, Jack. I love you! Tell Charli I can’t wait to see her.”
“You just did,” he replied. “She’s standing right next to me.”
“I’ll pick you up at the airport,” Charli added. “Can’t wait to see you, girl.”
“Oh, yay! I’m so excited,” Annette rushed. “Now if you’ll both excuse me, I need to put in my resignation letter. These guys can kiss my sassy ass!”
Charli laughed. “See you soon. Now go pack.”
“Okay! Bye!”
The call ended.
Jack chuckled and pocketed his phone. He flexed his arms like a bodybuilder and wriggled his brows. “Well, that problem is solved. What else do you have for me?”
Charli smiled and leaned into him. “I’m sure I’ll think of something else for my hero to fix.”
His head tilted and his gaze softened. “Hero?”
Charli nodded, pursing her lips. “Yeah, Jack. You’re definitely hero material. Now come here and give me a kiss.”
Jack grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”