Elisa chewed on her bottom lip. “There’s so much I need to tell you. My father and I talked last night—he’s sorry for a lot of things, too.” She pointed to the letter. “But first things first.”
I let you think it was Isaac Bergeron, and that was wrong. I know you must be surprised, and it’s all right if you’re mad at me. (I probably won’t know if you are, which helps.) I saw how close you and Elisa were getting, and I panicked. I didn’t want to confront you directly, because I also knew how much you valued my opinion. Frankly, I was scared that would change if I shared it.
So instead, I went behind your back like a coward and betrayed your trust. And I regret it deeply. Maybe I’m still being a coward, only telling you this in a letter. But Noah, you were and are forever one of the best things I was ever granted in this life. I needed to go into the next one knowing that we were okay.
Tears pressed hard into his throat. Noah looked up at the ceiling, trying to swallow around the knot. He couldn’t stay mad—not when he’d have probably done the same thing. When the emotion passed, he coughed and looked back on the page.
I hope all the time you and Elisa spent together solving the clues restored what I broke. (I realize I didn’t go easy on you with this hunt, but rest assured, August was instructed to give you this letter, even if you failed.)
“Bless it.” Elisa pressed her lips to her fingers. “We’d have gotten it anyway.”
If you did find this letter the way I intended, make sure to tell August. This is probably not at all what you expected to find when I sent you on a treasure hunt, but here’s what’s important to remember, my boy.
The greatest treasures in life are as follows: Faith. Family. Forgiveness. (Also love, but that threw off my alliteration.) Hold these close, my boy. Never let them go.
Matthew 6:21, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
With all my love,
Grandpa Gilbert
Noah slowly lowered the letter as a heady silence pulsed through the loft. At some point, Sadie had slipped downstairs, giving them further privacy.
“Wow.” Elisa handed him back the book. “Just wow.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t know what to think first. Apologies. Betrayal. Mysteries solved. He didn’t expect to be this sad. But this was the last thing he’d ever receive from his grandfather. There would be no more surprises. As frustrating as the clues had been, they were over now.
It all felt so final.
He met Elisa’s worried gaze, speaking what she clearly wasn’t saying. “I know.” Both of them had expected a monetary reward.
But one thing didn’t make sense. “If there’s no physical treasure, why would he throw that surprise timeline on us to finish in a week?” Noah asked.
“He said he liked to be unpredictable.” Elisa offered a shrug. “Maybe it was just a tactic to keep us working together?”
Maybe. He might never know now, unless August could fill in those blanks. A sudden weight pressed on his chest. As much as he appreciated his grandfather’s words, as much as he would treasure them—he couldn’t help the rush of disappointment.
He was going to lose the inn.
twenty-seven
Elisa pressed the doorbell on August Bowman’s ranch-style brick house and stepped back. The morning breeze tickled her hair, and she wished she’d brought the denim jacket still tucked under the counter at the Blossom. It’d only been a little over an hour since she left the diner to meet Noah at Chug a Mug, and she felt like she’d lived two lifetimes since then.
Noah shifted his weight on the step beside her. “Remind me again why we’re bothering this man so early in the morning?”
“Because you said the banks open at nine. We need to makesurethat we didn’t miss something.” Elisa leaned sideways to look inside the front window. “After what you told me on the way here about Russell’s plans, I’m not letting the Blue Pirogue go down without a fight.”
He dipped his head toward her. “Or the Magnolia Blossom.”
Elisa’s stomach twisted. “I think that ship has already sunk. Delia’s pretty set on selling, and now there’s no money for me to convince her otherwise.” She drew a deep breath. “But August is a lawyer. Maybe he’ll know something we can do to stop Russell from moving forward. There has to be another loophole.”
The door opened, revealing a slightly disheveled August wearing a bathrobe and slippers. He peered at them before pulling his glasses from his robe pocket. “Noah? Elisa? What are you two doing here?” He checked his wrist, then must have realized he wasn’t wearing a watch. “Did I miss an appointment?”
“No, sir.” Noah stepped forward. “We came to tell you we finished the hunt—and to discuss a bit of an emergency.”
“Oh, dear. Come in, come in.” August ushered them inside the wood-paneled front room. “Have a seat, anywhere. I’ll let my wife know you’re here and put on the coffee.”
Several minutes later, Noah and Elisa sat on the floral-printed sofa while August, now changed into his typical work attire of a dress shirt and suit jacket, perched on the armchair near the fireplace. A thick folder lay in his lap. “So…you read the letter.”
