Page 70 of Seabreeze Library

Her husband was right, too. With or without a financial windfall, Summer Beach had to support its services.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Andrew. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry it took me so long to check in with you.” Andrew sighed deeply. “I wanted to wait until I had good news to report.”

Ivy clutched the phone, listening. However, a little voice in her mind had already told her all she needed to know.

Once again, she would have to start over.

25

Pre-dawn pearl-gray moonlight shone through the new gauzy bedroom curtains when Ivy’s phone erupted. Startled awake and disoriented, her heart raced.

Has something happened to Misty or Sunny?

Beside her, Bennett stirred, instinctively reaching for his phone in the half-light. “What time is it?” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep.

Ivy fumbled for her phone, squinting at the screen. “It’s Andrew,” she said, suddenly fully alert.

She tapped the phone with trembling fingers, putting the call on speaker at Bennett’s gesture.

“Sorry for the early call, but I’m at the bank in Switzerland.” Andrew’s voice crackled a little on the line. “I’m here with Lea and her husband. Everything is proceeding, but we’ve hit a complication. We hope you can help.”

Bennett sat up beside her, running a hand through his sleep-tousled hair.

“What kind of complication?” Ivy tried to keep the anxiety from her voice.

“There’s a password on the account. The bank is requesting it before they’ll release access. Do you have any idea what it might be? Maybe a word or phrase written on another piece of paper, or even on the plans.”

Oddly, Ivy had a weird dream last night about this, probably from some research article she’d read. She closed her eyes, trying to put herself in Amelia’s place. Or would it have been her father? She breathed out. No, he would use a password his daughter would remember.

What might Amelia use?

“It might be Gustav…”

“No, that’s not it,” Andrew said quickly.

Her eyes still closed, she pictured Amelia here.Walking on the beach….Words materialized in her half-awake consciousness. “Try Summer Beach.”

There was a pause and a murmured conversation on the other end, then Andrew’s voice returned. “I’m sorry, no luck.”

She closed her eyes again, visualizing a beach scene.Amelia turns toward her house, her heart full of love. She whispers…

In a flash, she knew. “It’s Las Brisas del Mar.”

More voices floated through the phone line. Andrew came back on. “That’s it.” He lowered his voice. “How did you know?”

“That was the home’s original name, before it became the Seabreeze Inn.” Relief washed through her.

“We’ve cleared another hurdle. I’ll call later with another progress report.”

After they disconnected, Ivy rubbed her face, processing what happened.

“That was a good guess,” Bennett said, taking her in his arms. “And from a dead sleep. I’m impressed.”

“It wasn’t a guess. It just came to me, as if I heard it.” Ivy was slightly awed over the experience, too.

“Maybe you did,” Bennett said, burying his face in her hair. “Come on, we won’t get back to sleep now. Might as well start the coffee, unless you have another good idea.” His eyes twinkled, teasing her.

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