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Cade had never understood, given Douglas’s keen business sense, why his father had held on to the island all these years. He’d seen the tax bills. Why keep shelling out money for a place they hadn’t visited for years? When they needed a getaway, they took advantage of their ownership in a luxury time-share.
He’d make sure Bert had a generous retirement package and close this particular chapter of Halloway history for good.
Selling the island was the logical solution.
Meghan couldn’t believe Cade wanted to sell the island.
Everywhere she turned she saw evidence that the house and the surrounding grounds had been, at one time, someone’s pride and joy.
A fountain, complete with a mermaid perched regally on a pearl inside an algae-stained oyster shell, created the centerpiece of the courtyard. Layers of decaying leaves filled the bowl instead of water and the rusty spout looked as if it hadn’t been used in years, but the fountain hadn’t lost its charm.
And even though grass had pushed its way through gaps in the stone footpaths and weeds vied with overgrown beds of perennials for sun and soil, when Meghan looked closely she could still see the outline of the garden’s original design.
And an honest-to-goodness carousel stood in the shade of a sugar maple. She still couldn’t get over that.
Meghan unearthed a green penny from the bottom of the fountain and scraped off a thin layer of slime with her thumbnail.
“Did you find something?” Bert asked.
Meghan held out the penny. “Someone forgot their wish.”
Bert’s smile was pensive as she took the coin from Meghan’s hand. “I’m afraid there are a lot of those in there.”
“It’s such a shame—” Meghan bit back the rest of the sentence. She liked Bert and didn’t want the woman to think she was being critical. It would have been impossible for one person to keep up with the maintenance required for a piece of property the size of Blue Key Island.
“Things are in such disrepair?” Bert finished the sentence for her.
“I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t worry. I know you didn’t,” Bert interrupted. “Repairs to the house are the only ones I’m able to authorize. To tell you the truth, I’m more like a well-paid, permanent houseguest than a caretaker.” There was no undercurrent of bitterness in Bert’s tone, only a quiet resignation that wrenched Meghan’s heart.
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