“She looked and came up empty,” Sebastian said. “It’s like the guy came out of nowhere.”
Alice nodded. “The name Santos seems a mismatch for the early settlers of Jamestown. It sounds Spanish. Could he have been one of the survivors of the Spanish Armada who washed ashore in England? I heard there were quite a few who made it ashore and had to live their lives on the run.”
Sebastian smirked. “The Spanish Armada was wiped out in 1588. You’re a hundred years off, darling.”
“Don’t call her darling,” Jack said.
“No chest-thumping, please,” Alice said, still staring hard at the old tombstone. The Denby family patriarch and his only surviving son both shared the middle name of Reid. Could the Reid Santos who built the Roost have been an illegitimate son of the Denby patriarch? Could that account for a forbidden romance with Helga and why he hid Helga’s name in code? Falling in love with his brother’s wife would certainly be a reason to hide his love for Helga.
“Well?” Sebastian asked. “Do you think you can make anything out of this?”
“I don’t know, but thank you for bringing this to me. The Denby family is new to me, and now I’ve got another lead to follow.”
“Anytime,” Sebastian tossed off. “You look great, Alice.”
“So do you,” she instinctively replied, and Sebastian preened.
“It’s from three months baking under the Mediterranean skies,” he said. “The production company had me in total lockdown at the rehab place. They paid for a fitness coach and an esthetician to get my skin in shape. It’s not easy being this gorgeous.”
“It’s not easy stopping myself from punching you in the throat,” Jack muttered, but Alice waved the comment away.
“I’m serious, Sebastian. Are you okay? Really?”
Sebastian dropped the cocksure grin. “Going through detox was the worst nine days of my life. They kept me there for three months to make sure it stuck. Now it’s up to me to walk the straight and narrow. I’m clean now. I’ve got endless regrets, but what happened to you is at the top of the list. It’s why I hounded Margo to come up with something about your mysterious Helga, but maybe it won’t lead to anything after all. Tell me what you want, Alice. Order me to go fetch you pearls from the east or a bitof moondust from outer space. If it’s within my power, I’ll get it for you.”
Alice had a ready answer. “I want my name back on the movie credits forEmma.”
Sebastian grinned. “Already done.”
“It is?” Hope bloomed inside, triggering a burst of joy so powerful it felt like she could float. Sebastian gave a smug smile.
“I told Graham to get your name added back to the credits or I was going to bail on season two ofThe King’s Redemption.”
“Can you do that? I thought you were under contract.”
Sebastian gave a nonchalant shrug. “It wouldn’t be easy, but the studio would rather keep me happy than hire lawyers to fight over small potatoes. Not that you’re small potatoes!” he rushed to say. “Anyway, your name is back in the movie credits, and I’ll do whatever humanly possible to restore your reputation.”
Jack didn’t seem impressed. “I’d be more impressed if you fired Graham for leaking Alice’s photo to the press.”
Alice drew in a sharp breath. From the moment she’d arrived in England, Graham Garfield had slithered around Sebastian like a shadow—always watching, always pulling strings. She would love nothing more than to see him face consequences for ruining her career. She turned to Sebastian, hope rising.
But he only gave an exaggerated sigh and waved a hand. “Darling, don’t ask me to do that. Sacking Graham would be an absolute nightmare. He’s a bit of a snake, but he gets things done. Finding a new agent now would be such a headache.”
Alice blinked. The words stung, even if they weren’t a surprise. Sebastian's charm had always masked a certain laziness when it came to taking responsibility.
Jack didn’t bother with diplomacy. “The man torched her reputation while you were off snorting coke. And you're still letting him run your career?” His voice was low but fierce. “Grow a spine.”
Sebastian wrinkled his nose as he glanced at her. “Honestly, Alice—what do you see in this guy?”
He sounded genuinely baffled, but Alice locked gazes with Jack. She saw aman. His shirt was filthy from a long day at the worksite and his arms were scarred with years of needle marks from treating his hemophilia, but he never let adversity blot out his dreams. He was a man who worked hard, planned ahead, created jobs, and could laugh at himself as easily as he conquered every obstacle in his path.
“I see a man I’ve been very lucky to meet,” she said, never looking away from Jack’s gaze.
The corners of his eyes crinkled as affection lit a fire in them. “Right back at you, Professor.”
She basked in that affection shining in his eyes. He would be leaving soon, and even as she dreaded losing him, memories of their golden, bittersweet summer would linger forever.
Chapter Twenty-Four
