Linda #3
The moment his lips met hers, the absolute certainty of his feelings locked into place.
Darius had told Isabel and Penny at the café that he was falling for Linda, but holding her here in the golden morning light made the reality undeniable.
He loved her enough to risk everything to protect her family’s estate.
Darius knew that by continuing to play the part of the aggressive corporate predator to draw the Carolina Group out into the open, he was likely going to break his own heart and lose her trust. He just prayed that when the dust settled and Clyde exposed the internal leaks, Linda would find it in her heart to grant him a second chance.
Darius pulled back slowly, his hands remaining steady on her waist as he rested his forehead against hers. Her lips were soft and slightly swollen from the intensity of the kiss, her eyes shining up at him with a beautiful, undisguised vulnerability.
The persistent, nagging voice at the back of his mind flared up again, but for the first time all week, he didn't command it to shut up as it whispered inside his head: There is a real solution to this problem, the voice whispered.
You don't have to carry the weight alone.
Just tell Linda about the Carolina Group and let her in on the strategy.
He carefully logged the thought into his mental notebook as the idea took hold.
But before he could think more on it, Linda broke the silence, her fingers resting against the front of his pullover.
"Darius, our family is hosting a small celebration dinner in the hotel’s private function room tonight.
We’re celebrating the preliminary state validation of the Calusa findings and welcoming all the town volunteers who’ve joined the effort.
I know you aren't part of the active project, but Isabel, Penny, and Emma are going to be there.
It feels only right to ask you to join us. "
“I wouldn’t be an outsider?” Darius looked at her questioningly. “Especially not being part of the dig.”
"You could easily join the volunteer rotation if your schedule permits," Linda offered, her eyes bright with hope as she tightened her arms around him.
"Dr. Caldwell loves training anyone who displays real enthusiasm for history, and we desperately require as many extra pairs of hands we can get to manage the grid clearing.
If you aren't too busy with your home renovations, you could join the crew. "
The unexpected invitation made his pulse quicken against his ribs.
He looked down at her beautiful face, and before his executive caution could intervene, the words left his mouth.
"I would love to attend the dinner tonight.” He couldn’t stop the huge smile spreading across his lips.
“And I may just be interested in looking into the volunteer schedule for the dig site. "
As they stood wrapped together on the open shoreline, the morning sun fully breaking through the clouds to turn the bay into a sheet of brilliant gold, Darius realized his decision was already finalized.
He was going to confess everything to Linda.
Today. He couldn't walk into that hotel function room carrying this lie.
He had to lay out the full scope of his identity and what was going on with the Sweet Blossom Bay project before the dinner began.
"But I have one strict condition," Darius told her, his voice turning serious.
"Alright," Linda said, a curious smile touching her lips. "What's the condition?"
"Have lunch with me at the beach house today," Darius invited, his eyes locking onto hers. "Just the two of us. The construction contractors are sending their quotes through this morning, so the crews won't be on the property. It will be completely quiet."
"It's a deal," Linda laughed, gently sliding out of his embrace as she checked her wristwatch.
"Oh, good grief, look at the time. I have to run.
" He could see the hesitance. The reluctance to break the moment which matched his own.
"I have a high-priority tracking meeting with Anna and Owen in twenty minutes, and then I need to get straight over to the regional medical center to visit my uncle. "
"How is your uncle doing?" Darius asked, his tone genuinely concerned.
"He's stable," Linda sighed, whistled once for Buddy, and turned her head back to look at him. "But he's incredibly annoyed that the orthopedic team is delaying his discharge date by another week."
"I don't blame him for being restless," Darius replied, offering a supportive nod.
"I'll see you at..." Linda trailed off, looking at him expectantly.
"Twelve o'clock?" Darius suggested, thinking the sooner she arrived at his house to talk, the better.
A part of him wanted to grab her hand right now and blurt out everything right here on the beach. But Darius needed time to go over what he would say and to Penny and Isabel regarding the shift in plan.
"Twelve is perfect," Linda said. She stepped closer, leaning in to press a quick, warm kiss against his lips before turning on her heel. “I’ll see you for lunch.”
She hurried down the beach, her voice calling out for Buddy as the dog came racing back to join her stride.
Darius shoved his hands deep into his pockets, standing motionless on the sand as he watched her figure move toward the Heart property.
His mind was spinning with an intense momentum, wondering which way his entire world would tip once the noon clock struck and he handed her the truth.