Linda
Buddy stopped his pursuit of the gulls, his entire body freezing as his nose lifted to catch the scent of the breeze.
He let out a low, excited yip, his gaze locking onto a tall, solitary figure walking toward them from the direction of the shaded pine ridge.
Even from a distance, the broad shoulders and deliberate, unhurried stride were unmistakable.
Darius was wearing a dark pullover and rolled-up trousers as he walked in her direction.
Darius stopped walking as Buddy reached him.
He leaned down, so he could catch the dog in a wide embrace.
His deep, clear laughter drifted across the open beach, the sound grounding the quiet morning with a comforting reality.
He patted the dog’s wet flanks, letting Buddy press a damp nose right against his jawline.
Darius looked up, his eyes searching the distance until they locked onto her. He lifted his right hand, waving to her with an easy, welcoming motion.
Linda hurried her steps slightly, convincing herself that she was merely moving to rescue him from the dog’s sloppy greetings.
It would be rude to leave him stranded down there while Buddy covered his clothes in salt water, foam, and wet dog hair.
She ignored the teasing, critical voice that flared up in the back of her mind.
The one pointing out that she was using the dog as a very thin excuse to reach him faster.
She didn't care. The two-day gap had felt entirely too long, and seeing him standing there under the expanding gold light chased away every single lingering worry of the week.
Darius
Darius kept his palms pressed against Buddy’s thick fur, his fingers digging into the wet coat as he tried to control the urge to walk faster down the tide line.
He’d spent the last forty-eight hours actively avoiding the beach walks, burying himself in Clyde’s background dockets and financial records because the weight of the corporate secrets was beginning to fracture his focus.
He was a man thoroughly accustomed to executive evasion, to protecting proprietary interest through carefully managed silence, but he discovered he had zero talent for outright lying to people he genuinely cared about.
Linda was different. Every single time she looked at him with those clear, discerning eyes, his corporate mask felt heavy and restrictive.
She’d asked him about the home construction before their brief separation, and he’d hedged, telling her the regional crews were setting up the equipment.
The guilt of that omission had sat like a cold stone in his stomach.
To make the excuse look legitimate on paper, he’d spent the previous afternoon coordinating with Penny and Isabel, asking them to utilize their real estate contacts to get actual structural contractors out to the beach house immediately.
He knew the clock was ticking viciously against him. Isabel and Penny had delivered an absolute ultimatum at the café, promising to reveal his identity to the Heart family themselves if he didn't handle the disclosure before the week ended. At least they pushed it from just a day.
Darius intended to tell Linda the truth about who he really was when he invited her to dinner.
His mind reeled thinking about what he was about to do.
His heart was heavy and his gut burned as his instincts screamed to find another way.
But he wasn’t sure there was one without having to involve her and possibly her family in his scheme.
He wasn’t too sure he could do that. So for now he had to play the part of the aggressive developer for appearances, finding subtle ways to shield the Heart’s properties, the owners and their family from the predatory investment alignments inside his company that were running behind his back.
Darius was also still waiting for his sister to deliver the precise financial layout of the Maritime Heritage Trust. The discovery that his late parents had established a blind endowment fund to quietly finance the town's historic infrastructure had completely reordered his thoughts. He’d spent the night studying the campground maps, forming a brand-new strategy to invest his family’s private capital into the local commerce without altering a single note of the bay’s natural beauty or small-town charm.
He wanted to honor Harold and Eleanor’s real intentions, the ones they’d committed to paper before the fatal car accident cut their lives short back when he was twenty-one and Isabel was preparing for her freshman semesters.
Buddy let out a sharp, joyful bark, snapping Darius out of the memories. He raised his head, his chest tightening as he watched Linda walk toward him across the wide stretch of sand. She moved with an easy, unhurried grace, her dark hair catching the silver light of the surf.
Darius lifted his hand, waving to her as a sudden wave of nerves made his fingers shake slightly.
He was glad the distance prevented her from seeing the tension in his hands or hearing the fast, heavy thud of his heart that sounded way too loud.
He bent back down, using his interaction with the dog to ground his posture as her steps brought her into the circle of dry sand.
Linda
Linda stopped a few feet from him, her cheeks warming as she looked down at the way his fingers moved affectionately behind Buddy’s ears.
She’d resolved herself during the walk over to ask him to join the family dinner they were planning for the evening.
The historical society had secured the private function room at the hotel to celebrate the preliminary validation of the Calusa findings, and things were moving forward with an incredible momentum.
Anna and Owen had spent the previous afternoon setting up the initial grid coordinates along the edge of the pool excavation, clearing away the modern concrete debris to expose the rich, dark soil layers beneath.
The entire family had rallied around the project.
Anna was completely in her element, her sharp eyes lighting up as she trained the eager kids and volunteers.
Even Maggie, Michael, Martin, and the two newcomers, Penny and Isabel, had spent their free hours learning to document the soil variations, getting their hands dirty without a single word of complaint.
Thinking of Anna sent a sharp pang of guilt through Linda as she thought about her uncle.
She and Michael still hadn't told George about the active dig or Anna’s presence on the property.
They’d been continuously hedging, using Uncle George’s medical relapse as a convenient shield to delay the difficult conversation.
She drew in a slow breath, shaking the worry away.
The orthopedic surgeon had confirmed that George's vitals were completely stable this morning, and she and Michael were scheduled to visit Room 412 together right after lunch to lay out the full hotel rescue mission which included having to invite Anna to Sweet Blossom Bay.
Darius rose to his full height, stepping around Buddy’s wagging tail to close the distance between them.
The butterflies in Linda’s stomach flared into life as he reached out, his large hands resting steady against her shoulders as he leaned down to press a soft kiss against her cheek.
His arms wrapped around her in a brief, familiar hug that had gradually become their natural routine whenever they met on the shore.
It was an unhurried, quiet habit that had started right after their first date, and she found herself leaning into his strength for a brief second before he stepped back.
"How is everything progressing down at the hotel property?" Darius asked, his voice low as they began walking arm in arm toward the point.
"It's going well," Linda told him, keeping her eyes on the water as Buddy ran ahead to chase another gull.
"Dr. Caldwell has managed to gather an incredible group of extra volunteer helpers from the town.
Even your sister and Penny have spent the last two afternoons learning the basic mapping protocols. "
Darius lifted his eyebrows, a look of genuine surprise flashing across his face before his expression relaxed.
"Isabel and Penny are digging in the dirt?" Darius asked, a quiet chuckle escaping his chest. "I have to admit, I wouldn't have expected either of them to volunteer for manual labor on an archaeological site.” He gave a soft snort. “But then again, with my sister’s and Penny’s absolute obsession with historical preservation, it makes sense. Neither of them can bear to see anything of value left to ruin. And any restoration project they take on they jump in feet first not one ounce of worry for their expensive manicures. So I shouldn’t be too surprised that they would want to partake in this exciting dig.”
"Speaking of restoring old properties," Linda said, turning her head to look at him as a sudden thought struck her.
"I am so happy that Penny decided to buy the old Bowers Mansion on the far side of the bay near the lighthouse. After learning about how she loves to flip old houses, it’s the perfect project for her. "
She watched his profile closely, noticing a brief, sharp flicker of shock move through his eyes before his features turned completely still. She frowned slightly, wondering if Penny had neglected to mention the massive real estate transaction to him or if she’d just spilled a secret.
Darius
Darius maintained his steady stride, but internally, his mind scrambled to file away the information from Linda.
He wasn't surprised to learn that Isabel and Penny were participating in the archaeological evaluation at the pool site.
His sister had really admired and had a deep respect for the town's historical bones, and it made perfect sense that she would find a natural connection within Anna’s research circle.