And knowing it was because of me.
“I found out why she really wanted to come here though, Dad. When she had visited us in Copenhagen, she told me she thought the reason I keep people at arm’s length was because of Mom’s death. I told her she was wrong, but she came here to see if she could find more answers. That’s a little nutty.”
He frowned. “I wouldn’t have hired her if I’d known that. We didn’t need anyone poking into our business—not even Lisbeth.”
“She wanted to help me.”
“I have been concerned about how you go to work and then home. You don’t let people get close to you. That’s no way to live, honey.”
“Why haven’t you ever talked to me about it then?” She couldn’t look at him right now, so she stared out over the waves. “I’m happy just like I am, Dad. I don’t need a boyfriend or a husband to live a full life.”
“It’s not just that you don’t date. You don’t even go out with friends. No one is meant to be alone. That’s why Lisbeth’s death has hit you so hard. She was your one true friend. Your confidant. I’m sorry you lost her.”
The truth slammed into her heart, and her eyes flooded. “I miss her. And it’s even harder now that I know it was my fault. When she got here, she started asking questions about Mom. And someone sent her a message telling her they knew who she was. I think she was killed because she was poking around.”
Her dad squeezed her hand. “It’s not your fault, baby girl. You didn’t know what she was planning.”
She took comfort from the warmth of her dad’s grip. “I would have stopped her if I’d known.”
He rose and leaned against the tree trunk where the branches split off. “You say someone knew why Lisbeth was here? It seems preposterous that someone might have killed her for that. There was no mystery to your mom’s death. It was an accident.”
“You believe it’s all cut-and-dried? There’s no chance of foul play or suicide?”
“No, honey. It was an accident.”
Then why did he look away when he tried to reassure her? Torie pressed her fingers to her forehead. But her mother’s death had been a long time ago. How many people who were there that day still lived on Jekyll Island? It seemed a wild-goose chase to Torie. And what good would it do after all these years?
“I’m sure Lisbeth was murdered, Dad. The ocean terrified her. She wouldn’t have gone in willingly. She nearly drowned when she was five. I remember it. She refused to go on a boat after that. I’ve never seen her put so much as a toe into the water. In all these years, she’s never overcome that terror of the water. Something much worse is going on here.”
He didn’t answer for a long moment. She jumped when the fireworks exploded overhead and flooded the night sky with blooming color, then the embers bled down to the water. The sight stirred something inside, like a memory shrouded in mist. But it still wouldn’t come.
Her mother had died on Independence Day. Was it something about the fireworks? She hadn’t watched them in all these years. Maybe there was a reason.
* * *
The sky exploded with color in the fireworks finale.
Beside a twisted tree thrown onto the sand by the waves, Joe sat on a blanket with Hailey on one side and Genevieve on the other. The older woman had changed into gray slacks with a lavender top, and her flats matched her shirt. He’d never seen her in jeans or capris, only skirts and slacks. He supposed she thought if she didn’t look in control, the hotel might suffer. She lived and breathed corporate protocol.
Hailey jumped and covered her ears as the last, final boom shook the ground. “That was loud!” She leaned against Genevieve, who put her arm around her.
“So what did you think of Anton when you met him?”
Joe lifted a brow. “Impressive guy. Seemed to genuinely care about the people who work here. What’s up? You don’t know the meaning of idle chatter, so you’re asking for a reason.”
The lights in the sky were fading, and people started picking up their blankets to leave. The moonlight showed the older woman’s furrowed brow. “He uses his likability factor well, but don’t let it fool you. There’s a shark hiding behind those smiling teeth.”
“You sound like you don’t like him. He’s your brother-in-law.”
“He might be family, but that doesn’t mean anything. I had to fight him tooth and nail for my job here. He thought I should have just gone home to Florida and left hotel life behind. He’s built his empire, but he didn’t want to share it with Lily’s family. I put my heart and soul into this place, and it meant nothing to him.”
“It must have meant something, or he wouldn’t have agreed to let you stay on.”
She gave him a withering look. “It was only after I told him Lily would have been ashamed of him that he relented. Luckily, I haven’t had to be around him much since he travels to his other hotels so often. I haven’t seen my niece in eighteen years. Who treats family like that?”
He loved Genevieve, but he didn’t know the other side of the story. Anton hadn’t seemed the kind of man to toss family aside, not when Joe had seen him talking to the staff in such concerned tones. But his godmother wouldn’t care to hear his views on that, so he said nothing.
She stood and picked up the picnic basket she’d brought. “I’m going to head back to the hotel.”
He stood and started to embrace her but backed off when she stiffened. “Talk to you soon.”
She’d expected him to trash Anton, which wasn’t in his nature. Let her fight her own battles without drawing him into something that had gone on for decades. The intricacies of a longtime feud were more than he wanted to delve into.
“Aunt Genevieve was mad at you.”
He chucked his daughter under the chin. “You’ve got a lot of perception, Peanut. She’ll get over it. Ready to go home?”
She looked past him and her face lit up. “There’s Alexa. Can I go talk to her?”
“Sure.” He watched his daughter run to talk to a school friend. Her parents waved to him, and he waved back, then turned to look up and down Driftwood Beach. A familiar erect figure walked along the tree line and onto the sand. Torie.
He wasn’t aware he’d moved until he stood two feet in front of her, blocking her path. “You just get here?”
She wore a white shirt tucked into gray slacks and carried her heels in her hand. He gestured to them. “You’re always carrying your shoes. Maybe you should consider getting different clothes for living at the beach. We’re pretty casual around here.”
She glanced at the shoes in her hand. “I do own other clothes, you know. They just aren’t here yet. Tomorrow I should have my other things, and you might see me in jeans.” She patted her white top. “Though I don’t think I have a red, white, and blue shirt.”
He wouldn’t mind seeing her in jeans that hugged those long legs. The more he was around her, the more he felt the pull of her attraction. Not that she was flirting with him or anything like that. She held herself too aloof for him to imagine she found him attractive in any way.
She glanced around. “Where’s Hailey?”