2. Linda
LINDA
Linda’s mind was a complete blur, the echoes of the confrontation still ringing loudly against the high ceiling of the lobby.
Michael stepped to her side, his large frame blocking out the glare of the front windows. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and laced with a tight, protective worry.
Linda offered a brief, mechanical nod, her gaze finally lifting from the empty doorway to look up at her brother. "That was..." She swallowed hard, the rest of the sentence dissolving in her throat as a wave of exhaustion settled behind her ribs and she couldn’t quite find the words.
"Come on, let's go back to the office and get some coffee," Michael advised, gently catching her elbow to guide her away from the open foyer before any of the lingering hotel staff could see the distress on her face.
A few minutes later, Linda was sitting behind her large office desk, staring dazed at the polished wood surface.
The quiet sanctuary of her private office felt completely detached from the explosion that had just occurred in the lobby.
She leaned back against the high leather cushion, her hands resting flat against the desk blotter as she tried to anchor her thoughts.
"I still can't believe he lied to me," Linda stated, her voice flat, carrying the heavy weight of a deep, numbing shock.
Michael paced over to the wide window, running a hand through his dark hair as he stared out at the parking lot.
"I should've done significantly more digging into who D.
Wayne actually was," he admitted, his shoulders tight with a heavy wave of regret.
"I was entirely too focused on everything else going on around us. "
Linda shook her head, offering her brother a small, weary wave of her hand.
"Don't do that to yourself," she comforted him, her voice softening. "You've had a massive amount of responsibility on your mind lately with the hotel rescue mission and Uncle George's condition."
A soft, hesitant knock sounded against the wood frame, and Maggie popped her head into the room. She walked straight over to the desk, her face lined with deep sympathy as she wrapped her arms around Linda in a tight, warm hug.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, leaning back to look at her. "I know how incredibly hard this situation must be for you."
Linda hugged her back, forcing a small, tight smile to her lips as she pulled away.
"It's just a lot to process," she murmured, trying to keep her tone steady. "It was a massive shock."
"I'm sorry," Martin said, appearing at the open doorway while carefully balancing a silver tray containing five steaming porcelain mugs. "I brought the coffees from Rosa." He took a quick, cautious glance down the long, empty hallway before stepping fully into the office.
Linda tracked his movement, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Is she here yet?" she asked quietly.
Martin set the tray on the corner of her desk, distributing the warm mugs.
"She should be here any minute," he told them.
Maggie reached across the desk, placing her hand gently over Linda's cold fingers. "Are you doing okay? It is completely okay not to be alright after a confrontation like that."
"I'm fine," Linda tried to assure them, but her heart felt bruised, and the lingering shock left her fingers completely numb against the porcelain of her cup.
The office door clicked open again, and a tall, beautiful woman stepped into the room.
It took Linda a fraction of a second to process her appearance, as she was dressed in clothes they were completely unaccustomed to seeing her wear.
Instead of her usual immaculate, tailored linen suits, she was wearing a faded cotton T-shirt, a pair of denim cutoff jeans, and old, paint-splattered sneakers.
Her dark hair was scraped back into a simple ponytail, and she had absolutely no makeup on, yet she was still breathlessly beautiful as she closed the office door firmly behind her.
"Sorry I'm late," Penny said, dropping her canvas bag onto a side table as she moved toward the group, her eyes meeting and holding Linda’s, which were filled with worry and compassion. “I’m sorry I missed the showdown. I got caught up waiting for a delivery of materials to my house. That’s why I got here so late.”
Linda offered her a tight, defensive smile. "It's okay. I managed to survive the ordeal."
Penny studied her face closely for a few seconds, her eyes narrowing as if she wasn't entirely convinced by the brave front.
She plopped down into one of the empty leather chairs beside Martin.
Maggie, Michael, Martin, and Penny were now all sitting in a tight semi-circle, facing Linda, who sat behind her large desk.
Once everyone had a warm coffee mug in hand, Penny reached for a thick, unmarked manila folder she had been clutching beneath her arm. She placed it firmly on the desk blotter, opening the plastic clasp to reveal pages of dense, tightly printed real estate documents.
"This is the official information I was given about the second company that is currently trying to acquire the hotel parcel," Penny told them, her voice turning serious. "They are operating under the name South Coast Holdings."
Linda drew in a slow, ragged breath, staring at the corporate logo at the top of the white page.
"How can this even be?" she breathed, a cold knot tightening in her stomach.
"Two major development companies trying to buy up our home at the exact same time.
" She looked up, her eyes meeting her brother's.
"There are plenty of other commercial properties available along the coast. Sanibel is a much larger tourist market, and it's even better suited for a massive resort project than Sweet Blossom Bay.
We don't have nearly as much as that part of the island has to offer. "
Martin took a slow sip of his coffee, his expression thoughtful as he considered the files.
"Developing small, cozy, untouched communities like this is the ultimate premium draw for wealthy corporate buyers right now," he explained, his tone quiet and measured.
"The boutique travel market thrives entirely on total isolation and historic charm, things that Sanibel lost decades ago to commercial overdevelopment.
Investors want a blank canvas that feels exclusive.
" He began to flip through the folder Penny provided, handing individual financial sheets over to Michael as he went, his brow furrowing with a growing worry.
Maggie leaned forward, resting her elbows on the armrests of her chair. "Why haven't they approached us directly with a formal offer then?"
"They were about to initiate contact a few weeks ago," Penny told them, pointing to a stamped date on the timeline. "But they somehow got wind that Hearts Hotel had uncovered something significant in the pool excavation basin."
Linda looked between them, completely confused. "How can that even be possible? We only just uncovered the initial artifacts recently. The state validation process hasn't even been publicized yet."
Michael studied the documents Martin handed him, his face tightening into a hard line.
"And by the look of these internal timelines, they knew about the potential archaeological value long before we even started the renovations on the pool bottom," he pointed out, tapping his thumb against a printed chart.
Penny leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she looked around the circle. "How exactly did the pool bottom crack in the first place?" Her brow furrowed a little tighter. “I’m sure I read in one of the reports on the hotel that the pool had a major maintenance inspection and refresh once a year.”
All eyes in the room instantly turned to Martin, who had lived on the property and managed the daily maintenance contracts for years. Martin frowned, staring down at his coffee mug as he collected his thoughts.
"The pool cleaning company noticed it during their routine weekly inspection," he told them. "I explicitly asked the crew how long the fissure had been there, and they told me it must have just happened, because they would have noticed any structural settling during their previous visits."
Linda rubbed her temples, trying to clear the heavy ache building behind her eyes. "What could cause a crack that significant in a thick concrete basin?"
"A minor shift in the sandy bedrock, or an intentional piece of high-pressure force," Michael shook his head, leaning back against his cushion. "It would have to be something pretty significant to fracture a reinforced commercial foundation like that, wouldn't it?"
“There have been no earthquakes recently that I know of,” Maggie said.
Martin's expression suddenly turned incredibly sharp.
He frowned deeply, his eyes widening as a sudden realization struck him.
"Right before the crack was discovered...
" He stood up abruptly, setting his coffee mug down with a hard click.
"Wait, give me a minute." Without another word of explanation, he disappeared from the room, leaving the door swinging open behind him.
They watched him go in complete silence, their faces filled with confusion. Linda took the quiet opportunity to turn her gaze directly back to Penny.
"Thank you, Penny," Linda said softly, her voice carrying a deep, sincere warmth. "If it wasn't for you coming to us earlier this morning with this initial information..."
"It wasn't just me," Penny said softly, her eyes watching Linda with a clear, lingering worry. "Are you absolutely sure you're doing okay? I know you've just had a massive emotional shock today and had to endure that scene in the lobby."
"To be honest, I haven't had much time to truly process it yet," Linda admitted honestly, her throat tightening as she looked down at her hands.
"But the most important thing for our family right now is to save the hotel and protect Sweet Blossom Bay.
" She gave a tight smile. “I can process and do what I have to do to work through this afterward.”