Her mind reeling, Holly pulled her phone from her pocket, her fingers trembling. She knew what they had to do and they needed to get started right now. She called Vince.
“Where are you?” he said, his voice low.
“Doesn’t matter.” She sniffed. “We’re changing the angle on the Sterling profile. It’s not a human-interest piece anymore. We’re doing an investigation.”
“What? What happened? You sound?—”
“I’m fine,” she lied, the tears stinging her eyes. “My focus was skewed. I’m heading to the office for some deep research.” Deep and overdue. She wanted to read that ninety-nine-year lease for herself. “We can talk tomorrow.”
“I’ll bring your things over.”
“Tomorrow is soon enough,” she said. She wasn’t fit company for anyone right now. “Thanks.” She hung up before he could ask anything else.
She’d take some time on the beach, let the sound and salt air clear her mind. And then she’d dig in at the office until she had enough information to ask the right questions. She had a story to get right, and she couldn’t let her heart get in the way of the headlines.
She took her responsibility to this community seriously. Transparency was necessary and the only healthy option. And Sebastian Sterling was about to find out exactly what happened when the Brookwell Bugle decided to shine a light into the dark.
CHAPTER 10
Holly worked for hours at the Brookwell Bugle office, using her researcher’s access to scour the wealth of old records that had been digitized. Though the task was as lonely as ever, it was far more comfortable than pulling hard copy files and sorting through them gingerly in the back room of the library.
It also allowed for easy access to caffeine when she needed it. The aroma of hot coffee was a thousand times better than the dust and musty odors of old boxes.
Still, she wasn’t having her usual fun. She was conflicted over what she wanted to find. Something to catch Seb in a lie, or something to clear him?
“Neither,” she muttered to the quiet office. She was after the facts. Her feelings about what she found or any consequences that followed were secondary.
With careful deliberation, she studied every available document on the Marion estate. Eyes burning, she didn’t stop until she understood the history of the ownership from the first purchase date to the present.
Naturally, everything available on the sale from the Marion estate to Sterling Holdings was in order. And both parties had tobe happy with the sale price, based on the appraisal of the home property. Seb could live wherever he pleased. The fate of the lighthouse was her primary concern.
Continuing to work backward, her fingers trembled as she read a document dated 1974: A lease agreement between the Marion family and Brookwell Island. “I knew it.” Her voice echoed in the empty room.
Senator Marion had been true to his political platform and his commitment to history and the island. The Marion family had owned that parcel of land for years, and members of the family had served as keepers of the light in the early twentieth century. According to the document, the lighthouse and the surrounding three acres were leased to the town of Brookwell for a period of ninety-nine years, at a cost of one dollar per year. It was a perpetual easement, ensuring the public always had access to the historical site.
But there was a clause—one her father would have recognized in a heartbeat.In the event of a transfer of primary estate ownership to a non-familial entity, the lease may be reviewed for fair market valuation or terminated upon ninety days notice.
There it was, Seb’s secret agenda. She’d been fooled. Again.
His purchase had triggered the review, whether he stayed the owner of record or moved it as an asset to another one of his holdings. Her stomach dropped. He didn’t just own the land; he had the legal right to evict the town from its own history.
She made notes, sending them to Vince so he could take over in the morning.
And based on what she’d overheard, developers were already involved. Nico would have plenty of support, but would it be enough?
Emotionally spent and defeated, she curled up on the office couch and let her eyes close. Just for a bit. Then she could decide what to do next.
The rattle of the office door startled her awake. She’d told Vince to give her time and space when she’d sent him her findings. “Go away.”
This time the visitor pounded on the door and called her name. “Holly! Open up.”
Crap. Seb had found her. “Go away!” she repeated. She was weary and miserable and in no shape to have any conversation with this man.
“I’ll break it down,” Seb warned.
Resigned, her temper climbing, Holly shoved at her hair and yanked open the door. Seb filled the doorway, silhouetted by the morning light. Wearing another Metallica concert shirt and wrinkled sweatpants, he looked as exhausted as she felt. “What?”
His dark eyes gave her a frantic once-over before he stepped inside. “Holly,” he said, his voice thick with relief. “I’ve been looking for you for hours. You disappeared from the Pelican without a word. I’ve been calling?—”
