Free Kingdom by the Sea (Romantic Suspense) by Jill Winters

Portia.”
    “I
didn't realize you had another sister.”
    “Portia
left Chatham when she was
twenty-four, so...we don't see her too often.”  With a wan smile, Ginger
abruptly excused herself and headed back downstairs.
    Lost
at sea?   It seemed like a natural—albeit ominous—transition to Nicole's
work.  She pulled out a chair and reached for the first folder on the stack. 
    It
didn't take long to see that her aunt had only just begun on this project. 
There were notes made in Nina's distinctive handwriting—the looping, chaotic
scrawl of an artist—but the notes only went as far as the first few pages. 
    In a
short amount of time, Nicole learned a lot.  Chatham 's first
lighthouse had actually been two—twin towers built in 1808—along with a
“keeper's dwelling” that amounted to little more than a tiny shack.  After
thirty years of erosion, the wooden towers were replaced by brick.  The
infamous storm of 1870 would be their undoing, causing irreparable damage and
setting in motion their rapid decline.  It wasn't until 1877 that a much more modern
tower was constructed.  The Chatham Lighthouse was dubbed simply “Chatham
Light.”
    When
she turned the flap to the next section of the binder, Nicole came upon a thick
stack of pages clipped together.  The cover sheet read:  DIARY OF JOSIAH
HARDY II
    Josiah
Hardy II was the keeper of Chatham Light during the late 1800s.  The book
appeared to be a daily log of his time manning the lighthouse.  The first diary
entry was dated November 10, 1872 .  Out of curiosity, Nicole turned to the
last page.  November 10, 1900 .  Wow, twenty-eight years at the same job. 
    She
recalled then a quotation she had read earlier in one of these folders about
how light keepers were more than the men behind the beacons—they were also the
eyes of the town.  At the time, Nicole had dismissed the snippet as
folksy-historian blather.  Yet, if there was truth to it, it was interesting to
consider that the whole time Josiah Hardy had been “the eyes” of Chatham , he had also
been keeping a diary.   
    ***
    She
had just stepped onto Main Street when she heard: “Hey, Nicole—wait up!” 
    The
red-haired woman from the Squire—the one with the effervescent smile and
low-cut top—was scurrying toward her, balancing a bag of groceries in her arm. 
    “Vickie,”
the woman said on a breath, once she halted on the sidewalk.  “We met
yesterday. 
    “Right,
of course, hi.”
    “I
was sorry we didn't get to chat longer yesterday.  My friend was in a hurry.” 
    As
Nicole remembered, he had carted Vickie off in what looked like a jealous
snit.  That guy was only a friend? 
    “You
know what?  We should do dinner!” Vickie enthused, as a grapefruit toppled over
the edge of her grocery bag and rolled into the street.  “Oh shit.”  She darted
out to fetch it, calling back, “But we should get to know each other better! 
This time of year, this town is deader than a doorstop.”  Suddenly a car honked
for Vickie to get out of the way.  “Oh get over it—stupid asshole!” she called
out as she stepped back onto the sidewalk.  Then she beamed a smile at Nicole
and belted out a laugh.  “You've gotta show people who's boss.  So what do you
think?  Dinner?”
    “Um...”
    “But
it would have to be at your place,” Vickie continued.  “Because my place is an
inn.  Not exactly private, for entertaining friends, you know.”
    “That's
right, you mentioned your inn yesterday,” Nicole said.
    “It's
a big old pile of shingles, but it's cozy.  But I wouldn't subject you to
dinner there.  Let's do it at your house.  I'll bring some wine and
eats, and you provide the atmosphere.  How does that sound?”
    Pushy , Nicole
thought.  When had she agreed to dinner?  Smiling, she said, “Well, maybe some
time—definitely—but the place is kind of a mess right now.”  Not quite true but
close enough, and plausible given the