Page 116 of Where I Found You
Noah leaned forward. “Yes, sir. And we realize there’s not a monetary treasure like we’d expected. Which would be fine, except I was counting on having money for the inn. The mold mitigation that’s underway is potentially going to put me under before I can even open for tourist season. And now, I don’t know if you’ve heard…my father came back to town.”
August peered at them over the top of his glasses. “Oh, I heard.” He sniffed in disapproval. “And I’m terribly sorry.”
Elisa always knew she liked August. She started to touch Noah reassuringly on the back, then remembered their fragile status. She kept her hands in her lap, twisting the ring on her finger. “Tell him the rest.”
“Russell is trying to take over the Blue Pirogue while laying low from some guy in California.” A muscle in Noah’s jaw flexed. “That’s his problem. But I can’t let him take the inn.” He quickly explained the situation with the mortgage and how Russell was going to be at the bank to pay off the loan and claim the deed as soon as they opened. “We have less than an hour.”
“Well, we’ll just see about that.” August flipped through the large folder. “Lucky for you, I keep duplicates of client paperwork in my home office. You finished the hunt, so, first of all—congratulations! I was instructed to give you a copy of the letter you’ve already read, just in case, but you didn’t need the cheat. I applaud your efforts.” His gaze drifted to Elisa. “Both of you. Well done.”
“It was harder than I anticipated.” Noah’s jaw tensed again. “The hunt,andreaching the end. Knowing it’s all over now.”
“Losing a loved one is hard.” August’s voice gentled as he leaned forward, his arms braced against the open folder. “I know.” He included Elisa once more in his steady gaze. “Your mother was quite the magnolia blossom, herself, if I do recall.”
Fondness, tinged with grief, rose in Elisa’s chest. She nodded, searching for words. “She was.” Maybe Elisa was going to lose the diner, but that wasn’t the only place her mother’s memory lived on. Her warmth and light and influence lingered right here in Magnolia Bay—in the hearts of the people she’d loved.
Maybe she and her mother never got to open their own restaurant or take culinary classes abroad. But the memories they had shared were ones that would never be sold or demolished. And Elisa could carry them into whatever she did next.
It could be more exciting than sad, if she let it be.
“She would be proud of you, I’m quite sure.” August sat up straight and shuffled through the pages before him. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes.” He held up another sheet of paper. “You were saying it’s all over now. But I’m afraid that’s the one part you got wrong.”
A wave of hope crested over Elisa. “What do you mean?” She looked at Noah, who had grown still.
August pushed his glasses up on his nose. “There’s a check to be written.”
Noah waxed pale. “A check?”
It wasn’t over. Forgetting their unresolved status, Elisa grabbed Noah’s hand and squeezed.
“Absolutely.” August offered a brisk nod. “Quite a substantial one, at that. The check will be written to Noah, but you two are free to split it however you choose. Gilbert didn’t specify who got what—I believe at this stage in the hunt, he trusted you both to do the right thing.”
Tears shone in Noah’s eyes. “I guess there was still a surprise left, after all.” He shook his head. “Well played, Grandpa.”
“He did write in the letter that he never wanted to be predictable.” Elisa tried not to notice how Noah’s fingers threaded through hers and held on. Tried not to let it matter. But oh, it did.
August patted his pocket and retrieved a pen. “Here we are.” He meticulously filled in the check’s various fields. “And here you are.” He handed the check to Noah.
Whose face immediately fell.
* * *
The morning had held so many highs and lows, Noah was starting to feel seasick. He looked down at the slip of paper in his hands, the one that was supposed to fix everything, and fought back the sigh threatening escape.
The amount wasn’t enough for both he and Elisa to have what they needed. In fact, it would barely cover the amount still due on the mortgage. It definitely wouldn’t cover the mold mitigation on top of that.
Or leave anything for Delia.
Noah closed his eyes, his heart hammering in his chest. He had to give the money to Elisa. Delia’s health, the diner…those were valuable to not only Elisa, but the entire town. This money would surely cover Delia’s medical bills and let her keep her livelihood. Let Elisa keep her dream. Her connection to her mother.
It was the right thing to do.
He opened his eyes, folded the check in half, and held out Elisa’s hand. “Here.” He closed her fingers around it. “Do what you need to do.”
“Noah!” She gasped, then immediately started shaking her head. “No. You can’t.”
“I can, and I will. You heard him.” Noah gestured toward August, who watched them quietly with hands folded on the file. “Grandpa trusted us to do the right thing. That’s what this is.”
“I can’t let you lose the Blue Pirogue.” She shoved the check toward him. “This is your grandfather’s money.”
