Chapter 28
28
With nervous fingers Zara opened the envelope. She took a deep breath and began reading the letter inside...
To my very own Princess Zara,
I am no longer with you but hope you are truly happy. My hope is that you have found someone to love and who truly loves you in return. Never give up on love. If you find it, then fight for it like your life depends on it.
One day while painting my beautiful pelicans outside, I stumbled across a whiskey bottle that had been unearthed by a recent storm. Inside was a map. I wasn’t sure if it was authentic or not, and I decided not to share details of it with anyone. Especially not your father. I could see him destroying Pelican Bay in search of buried treasure that probably didn’t really exist.
Instead of destroying the map I’ve left it for you to decide what you want to do with it, since the cottage on Pelican Bay now belongs to you. I figured sooner or later you would find my letter. If I’m still alive, then we can decide together. Otherwise, the decision is yours.
Love always,
Mom
PS As for the whiskey bottle the map was found in, I hid it behind the bookcase.
Zara exhaled and unfolded the map that was attached to study it. All her life she’d honestly thought pirates’ treasure maps were a myth. Obviously not. But then this could very well be a fake.
“Zara. You okay?”
She looked over at Saint, who was watching her with a worried expression. “Yes, I’m fine. The letter is from my mother, and it contains a pirate’s treasure map.”
“A treasure map?”
“Yes.” She handed the letter and map to him. “If it’s authentic I can only assume it’s from LaFitte.”
It didn’t take Saint long to read the letter and study the map. He then looked at her. “Do you think it’s authentic, Saint?” she asked.
He shrugged those broad shoulders she liked clutching whenever they made love. “Not sure, Zara. I guess the X mark denotes where the treasure is supposedly buried. But...”
“But you don’t believe it?”
“I’ll admit it’s pretty far-fetched. But the paper it’s drawn on looks old. Like it could have come from that time period,” he said.
“But if the map is real, then the exact location can be established, right?” she asked.
“Yes. With modern technology, scientists have the ability to pinpoint the exact locale and position of just about anything without digging the first hole.” He studied the map and then added, “The way it was drawn I’d think this X here is a location on Pelican Bay. However, there are two other markings in other locations. Not sure if that means anything.”
Zara studied the paper with him, not sure about anything either. She had a good mind to find the whiskey bottle the map came in, put it back inside and rebury it somewhere or throw it into the ocean. But what if it was authentic?
“I know the final decision of what you want to do is yours, but I suggest you talk it over with Vaughn.”
She had a feeling Saint would suggest that. Of course she didn’t have a problem telling Vaughn about the map, but she felt the decision of what to do about the map was a journey that she and Saint should take together. She wasn’t sure why she felt that way, but she did.
“Fine. We’ll talk it over with Vaughn, but only after we determine if the map is authentic.”
He lifted a brow. “We?”
“Yes. You and I are in this map thing together, Saint. If you hadn’t pulled out that book and opened it, I might not ever have seen that letter.”
“Eventually, you would have.”
“Maybe, but when? I’ve been in this section of the room a lot of times but never thought of reading that book. In fact, I’ve avoided doing so because it was my mother’s favorite. She would often read it to me while I was growing up, and the memories were too much to bear.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know, Zara. I consider that map as yours.”
She lifted a defiant chin. “And I consider it ours. We found it together and it’s a mystery that we should solve together.”
“Need I remind you that you’re leaving next week?”
No, he didn’t have to remind her of that, but she also wanted to believe that nothing happened by chance. Not even their meeting nearly three years ago. What were the odds that just months after her breakup with Maurice such a man as Saint would enter her life the way he had? They’d both acted out of the norm that night by hooking up, thinking they would never see each other again.
Then they had. Two and a half years later when neither had resumed their relationships with their exes or someone else, and when the sexual chemistry between them was just as powerful as before. Now, one month shy of their night in his hotel room hitting the three-year mark, they were in an affair, although that hadn’t been their original plan.
Zara couldn’t help but latch on to her mother’s words in that letter...
“My hope is that you have found someone to love and who truly loves you in return. Never give up on love. If you find it, then fight for it like your life depends on it.”
But how could you fight for love if the person whom you loved didn’t love you in return? She wondered if her mother regretted settling for a loveless marriage. Had there been someone out there she would have preferred marrying other than her father?
Meeting Saint’s gaze, she said, “I have no problem extending my time here if I need to. However, the first thing we should do is to see if the map is authentic and then go from there. In the meantime, we need to agree that the map will be our secret, and we won’t tell anyone else about it.”
He hesitated a moment before saying, “Okay, it will be our secret.”
Levi gazed across the table at Margie. She had called him that morning saying she had good news to tell him, so he had invited her to breakfast. Over the past weeks they had been spending time together, either by inviting each other to dinner or lunch. She liked Chip. His dog, who usually wasn’t all that friendly to strangers, immediately liked her. Levi knew why. Margie was a likable person.
She had arrived early that morning to help him cook breakfast. It wasn’t the first time she’d been in his kitchen, but it was the first time she’d felt comfortable enough to move around in it like it was hers. He had talked to his best friend, Preston Crane, about his budding romance with Margie, and Preston was happy for him and encouraging.
Preston had said what Levi had always known. Lydia would not have wanted him to live his life alone. She would have wanted him to meet someone and share a good life with that person. Could Margie be the one? He liked her a lot, and he appreciated her company. If he was honest with himself, he would admit to feeling more for Margie than just friendship. However, he was patiently waiting for her to want the same thing.
“So, what is this good news you want to tell me, Margie?”
She was beaming and he thought now what he always did. She was beautiful. “It’s about Bellamy.”
“What about your daughter?”
“She’s decided to move to Catalina Cove.”
Levi couldn’t help but smile. He knew how worried Margie had been about her daughter since her cheating husband had asked for a divorce. “That’s good news.”
“I think so, too. She’s discovering it’s too uncomfortable for her to remain living in Syracuse. She and Sam have the same friends and those mutual friends are beginning to bicker among themselves over who their allegiance should be with. Of course, the women are siding with Bellamy because of what Sam did. However, the husbands, who are mostly Sam’s frat brothers, feel their wives shouldn’t take sides and should accept the new woman in Sam’s life since she’s his choice.”
Margie paused. “I know it’s disheartening for Bellamy because when she married Sam his frat brothers considered her as their sister. I know she is hurting in knowing they would easily accept Sam’s treatment of her for the sake of brotherhood.”
After taking a sip of coffee, Margie added, “Bellamy feels she needs a fresh start, and Catalina Cove would be ideal. She’s contacted the hospital here and has an interview next week. It just so happens they have an opening in their cardiology department.”
“Well, I am happy for her and looking forward to meeting her.”
Margie smiled over at him. “And I’m looking forward to you meeting her as well.”
Saint leaned back in the chair at his office desk, thinking of everything that had transpired after he and Zara had found that map and then retrieved the whiskey bottle. However, from the markings it had, it was actually a rum bottle. Over coffee they had used her laptop to research who they could seek out for authentication. Luckily, he had recalled the name of the person Vaughn had used at the Historical Society to verify the authenticity of their great-great-great-grandmother’s marriage license that had been found last year. He recalled Vaughn saying that Stuart Bauer had been the epitome of discreetness. Nothing would be revealed until he and Zara wanted it to.
He still found it hard to believe that Zara thought the map belonged to the both of them, when it was rightfully hers. Whether she knew it or not, to include him showed the degree of trust she had in him. If that map proved to be authentic, she knew he would not take advantage of her in any way. He doubted she knew just how much he appreciated that trust.
He glanced at his watch. He would be meeting Zara for lunch to give her an update about the meeting he’d had with Bauer first thing that morning. The man couldn’t be definite, but he suspected the map was authentic due to the paper it was written on. Of course, he would have to do a thorough investigation to verify the handwriting to see if it was indeed LaFitte’s. Another reason Bauer was excited about the finding was due to the rum bottle, one known to have been produced in the early eighteen hundreds, in and around the coastal region near Galveston Island and the Caribbean. If authentic, that find alone was worth millions.
Saint’s thoughts were interrupted by the buzzer on his desk. Clicking on, he said, “Yes, Mrs. Dorsett?”
“Jade and Kia have arrived for their meeting with you.”
“Please send them in.”
He had met with the Lacroix twins a few weeks ago. At least that was who he thought of them as, although their last names weren’t Lacroix. However, there was no doubt they were Reid’s granddaughters. They favored their father, Julius, who’d been Reid’s son, and since Julius favored Reid, you could see a strong family resemblance. But then, he would admit on some days he thought they looked a lot like their biological mother, Vashti Alcindor Grisham, as well.
Since his last meeting with them they’d made the rounds, cross-training on various positions within the company. From the feedback he’d received, both young ladies had great personalities and were eager to learn and had caught on quickly. The meeting today would be a recap of what they thought of the company that one day would be theirs.
He stood when the door opened and they entered.
An hour later Saint was entering the Oyster Shell Fish Camp. The restaurant had opened its doors a few weeks ago and already it was giving LaFitte’s Seafood House some strong competition. Carter Purcelli had been another one who’d taken up Reid’s offer of a low-interest loan.
After graduating from college, instead of returning to the cove to live after his mother passed away, Carter had moved to Toronto and worked for years in that city’s management. Now he was back home and, like Sierra was doing with her soup café, Carter was using recipes that had been in his family for generations.
Saint scanned the room and saw Zara. She was having a conversation with one of the waitresses as if they were the best of friends. Her friendliness was just one of the things that drew him to her and had captured his heart. And damn, she was holding it tight.
He was glad she was extending her time in the cove to discover the outcome of the map. He would take any reason to delay the inevitable. When the waitress walked off, as if Zara felt his presence, she looked his way and smiled. It was so radiant that he almost missed a step as he walked toward her.
Today she looked stunning in a pretty yellow sundress. His favorite color. No matter what color she wore, she would wear it well. However, while holding her gaze he couldn’t help recalling how she’d looked this morning when they’d awakened beside each other wearing nothing at all.
When he reached her table, he brushed a kiss across her lips, not caring that the restaurant was pretty busy with the lunchtime crowd. “Hello, beautiful,” he said. Then he took his seat.
“Hello to you, too, handsome.”
He grinned. He didn’t think he was handsome, but if she thought so, he would take the compliment in stride. “Have you looked at the menu yet?” he asked.
“Yes, and I’ve already placed our orders with instructions to not start cooking anything until you get here.”
“I appreciate that.”
That was another thing that amazed him about her. She had a penchant for detail and the memory of an elephant. They’d eaten here twice before, attending the grand opening and again one evening for dinner. The first time, he’d ordered the fried red snapper that was cooked with Carter’s grandfather’s special seasonings. The second time they’d dined there, she suggested he try something else on the menu. He replied that he didn’t have to—he was stuck on the fried red snapper and that was that.
“What did Stuart Bauer say?” Zara asked anxiously.
It didn’t take long to cover everything with her since they hadn’t been interrupted by their waitress. Nor had Zara cut in to ask any questions. When he’d finished his spiel, she said, “Over a million dollars for that old bottle?”
“Yes,” he said. “I guess it’s good to know it’s worth all that, considering the time and effort it took for us to get it from behind that bookcase.”
“You mean the time and effort it took for you to get it from behind that bookcase,” she said with a mischievous grin. “I was savoring the view of your tush every time you got on your knees to try another way to retrieve it.”
He couldn’t help throwing his head back and laughing. He hadn’t been aware she’d been watching him recover the rum bottle. All he knew was that when he’d finally gotten it and stood up in triumph, he’d found her naked and ready to tumble him back to the floor. “Have you told Vaughn you might be extending your time in Catalina Cove?”
“Yes, I told him when we talked this morning.”
“Did he ask you why?”
“Vaughn doesn’t ask anything about any plans I make or change. I think he’s just glad I’ll be hanging around awhile longer. That’s why I haven’t told him that I’ve purchased that building yet. I don’t want him to get any ideas. If it were up to him, I would be moving to Catalina Cove permanently.”
Knowing that would never happen, he was glad when the waitress returned with their food. Over lunch, she told him about her new designs that would be coming out next spring. She also told him that her attorney had made offers to the landlords of each of her boutiques to buy them like he’d suggested. He admired her skills and savvy as a businesswoman and her willingness to take sound advice. He could see why her shops were so successful.
Saint no longer counted the days he had left with her. He’d been given a reprieve for now and appreciated it. As far as he was concerned, she might be anxious to hear from Bauer but he wasn’t. He would take each day, one at a time, and look forward to spending them with her.
“My parents are looking forward to you joining them for the cookout on the Fourth.”
She tilted her head and smiled at him. “And I’m looking forward to joining them as well.”