Linda #2
But he had been completely blind to the fact that Penny had purchased a permanent piece of land on this island.
Let alone a historic estate. The Bowers Mansion.
He carefully logged the name into his memory, planning to have Clyde run a thorough compliance check on it the second he returned to his office desk.
"Penny didn't mention she’d bought a property to me before she moved to the hotel," Darius admitted, keeping his tone entirely polite and conversational as he adjusted his pace to match Linda’s steps. "What is the Bowers Mansion?"
Linda adjusted the collar of her jacket against the rising sea breeze.
"It’s a magnificent Mediterranean Revival estate from the early 1920s," Linda explained, her voice dropping into a soft, nostalgic register.
"But it’s been sitting completely abandoned for around eight years now.
The history is incredibly sad. Mr. Bowers and his wife were one of the town's primary benefactors, right alongside the Sullivans and my uncle’s family.
But ten years ago, their twin children, a boy and a girl, were killed in a terrible yacht racing accident during a summer storm off the coast of Fort Myers. "
Darius felt a sudden, heavy pull in his chest as he listened to the details.
"The grief completely fractured their marriage," Linda continued, her eyes fixed on the distant mangroves across the water.
"Mrs. Bowers left the island first, and after she was gone, Mr. Bowers simply lost the will to manage the estate. He packed up his things and abandoned the property entirely, leaving the house to rot in the coastal humidity. Penny told Isabel that the architecture called directly to her soul, and I think she’s right.
That old house is crying out to be filled with sunshine and laughter once again. "
The tragedy of the story touched Darius far deeper than he cared to reveal.
He knew that specific element of human loss would have moved Penny to open her checkbook without a single hesitation.
She had a profound, hidden protective instinct for broken things, a trait that had made her an exceptional asset to his family's firm for over a decade.
He made a silent mental note to drive past the house later in the afternoon to inspect the structural framework himself.
"Where exactly did you say the yachting accident occurred?" Darius asked, his throat feeling slightly dry.
"Right outside the pass near Fort Myers," Linda answered, turning her head to look at him. "They host the regional offshore regattas there every summer."
"Yes, I've seen those races in the past," Darius murmured, his gaze tracking a wave rolling over a sandbar. "It's an exceptionally fast, high-risk sport down here in Florida."
"Have you ever participated in a regatta yourself?" Linda asked curiously.
Darius stopped walking, his shoes sinking an inch into the soft, wet sand. He let out a slow, controlled breath, his fingers tightening inside his pockets as an old, deeply buried memory pressed against his thoughts.
"No," Darius told her, his voice sinking into a quiet register.
"I'm not much of a sea-going person. To be completely honest with you, I'm not the world's strongest swimmer, and I've never cared for sailing.
" He swallowed hard, his jaw setting as he forced the admission out.
"I love the ocean. I don't think I could ever bear to live too far from the sight of the water.
But I have too much respect for its power to ever want to challenge it. I don't go past the surf line."
He held his breath, a sudden wave of vulnerability making his chest tight.
He had never once admitted his fear of the ocean to a single person.
Not even his sister or Penny knew. But here Darius stood on the beach, waiting for her reaction, wondering if his raw honesty would alter her perception of him.
After all, what man was scared of the sea?
Linda
Linda stopped beside him, her heart expanding with a sudden, deep wave of tenderness as she processed his words.
Had Darius just admitted to her he was scared of the sea.
That’s what he must mean by respect and not going past the water line.
Plus she’d seen a small flicker of that fear when he’d glanced out at the sea while he was talking to her about it.
The confession didn't diminish him in her eyes; it pulled away the polished corporate veneer and let her see the real, grounded man beneath the armor. It endeared him to her more than any grand romantic gesture ever could.
"I understand completely," Linda told him, offering a soft, reassuring smile as she caught the brief flicker of relief in his eyes.
She reached out, her fingers resting gently against his forearm to anchor the moment.
"I have a similar secret.” Her voice dropped.
“Nature is magnificent and I love it. But it carries a real danger if you don't respect its boundaries.
I love this coast, but I have my own structural limits. "
"Oh?" Darius asked, his eyes locking onto her face with immediate interest. "What limits are those?"
Linda cleared her throat, a slight flush touching her cheeks as she looked down at the sand.
"I have a terrible fear of dense forests and long, untamed grass," Linda admitted shyly, forcing herself to maintain her honesty.
"My brother calls it dendrophobia and agrostophobia.
Even if I'm walking up a steep ridge or get too high up a hill where the trees canopy over the path, I get this horrible sensation that the ground is slipping out from under my feet.
I feel like I'm going to fall backward and get completely swallowed up by the undergrowth. "
Linda let out a short, self-deprecating snort, shaking her head.
"When I was younger, I couldn't even sit down for a picnic under a tree without experiencing a full panic attack.
My ex-husband used to think it was a ridiculous exaggeration.
He would deliberately set our blankets right beneath the thickest tree lines during our university holidays, almost as if he was trying to taunt me into working through it. "
Darius’s jaw tightened instantly, a dangerous, dark light flaring in his eyes that made Linda’s breath catch in her throat.
"That's an incredibly cruel way to handle someone's trust," Darius said, his voice dropping an octave into a hard, protective register. “You can’t push someone to overcome a fear. It just makes it worse.” He gave her a soft smile that made her breath catch.
“It must be awful being afraid of trees and grass. I can at least go inland to get away from the sea. But there are trees and grass everywhere.”
"I'm significantly better now," Linda assured him quickly, her heart fluttering at the fierce, defensive warmth in his tone.
"I can walk past trees without any trouble, and I don't mind being near the tree line on the beach.
But I still can't sit beneath an overgrown canopy for more than a few minutes without feeling that tightness in my throat. "
"I'm going to remember that," Darius promised her, his expression softening into a look of tender consideration.
"When the time comes for our first proper picnic, I will personally ensure the blankets are laid out in the center of an open park, far away from any hanging branches, on a neatly mowed lawn. "
Linda swallowed hard, the simple, protective promise melting the last of her defenses. She looked at his handsome face, realizing with a sudden, terrifying certainty that she had fallen completely head over heels in love with him., Darius
"That's very sweet of you," Linda whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"But having grandchildren forces you to fight through your limitations.
Over the last few years, I've had to pull Sophia out of branches and rush right through the long marsh grass to grab Jake when he's chasing a ball.
I don't let them see the fear. But I have to admit, every single time they're safe, I have to go lock myself in the nearest bathroom for five minutes to let the panic work its way through my system. "
Darius stopped completely, turning his body to face her directly.
His dark eyes had turned deep and heavy with an intense emotion she couldn't define.
Before she could utter another word, he reached out, his large arms pulling her firmly against his chest as he bent down and crushed his lips against hers.
Darius
The absolute honesty of her words shattered the last of Darius’s stringent restraint.
He listened to her outline the quiet, invisible battles she fought for her family, contrasting her immense courage against the casual cruelty of her ex-husband, and the protective instinct in his chest flared into an unyielding flame.
She was the most remarkable, authentic woman he had ever encountered in his sixty years of life.