Free Half Moon Harbor by Donna Kauffman

he would—she had no choice but to arm herself with as much information as she could, right from the start.
    â€œOh. Well. So, you’ve met Brodie then,” Cami responded.
    Did you think I wouldn’t notice he lived there? “We’ve become acquainted,” was all Grace said.
    There was a pause, and perhaps it felt like a pregnant one because Grace was on high alert.
    â€œThe sale went through late yesterday,” Cami said.
    And in record time, Grace wanted to add, but didn’t. She’d assumed they’d pushed it through quickly so the back taxes would get paid and they could dump the property before Grace changed her mind. But that didn’t excuse them not alerting Brodie to the impending purchase. Not that they had a legal obligation to do so, but surely an ethical or moral one. In small towns, those often took precedence.
    When Cami had set up the list of Cove properties for Grace to look at a mere week ago, the boathouse wasn’t even on the printout. In fact, it had seemed almost an afterthought on Cami’s part, like something that came up because they were in the area, but she hadn’t thought to mention as, surely, Grace wasn’t interested in something like that. Cami had talked about the sad condition of the property, adding in the tax issue almost off-handedly. In fact, Grace realized it had been her own idea to stop in and give it a look. Had Cami intended that outcome? Grace really had no way of knowing.
    When she’d decided to buy it and brought up the point that, since it was a tax buyout from the town, Cami wouldn’t earn anything on the sale, the perky blonde had waved it off with a smile. She’d seemed very sincere about being happy she was able to do such a big favor for the community. She’d even mentioned that her husband Ted was head of the town council, and that he would also be thrilled to see even part of the property find renewed life. She’d gone on about how her family had ties to the community going back more than five generations and Ted’s almost as many. Putting the legacy of the Cove above all else was something they tried to do whenever possible.
    Admittedly, at that point Grace had thought Cami sounded a bit disingenuous. It didn’t take a law degree to figure out that if the rundown waterfront property showed signs of regeneration, it would only mean good things for property values in the harbor area and therefore a greater likelihood that Cami would make commissions on other local properties that she did represent. But Cami’s intent hadn’t mattered to Grace at the time.
    â€œYes, I know,” Grace said in response, “and I was really relieved and happy that you were willing to work so quickly to get the paperwork done and processed.” That was true enough, though the chirpy tone that had crept into her voice was a bit wince-worthy. “I was so eager to get started, I went right down to the docks after my early appointment this morning with—”
    â€œSue Clemmons, at the bank, yes. I was in this morning myself and she mentioned it,” Cami added quickly.
    Grace paused a moment then said, “Yes, well, my hope is to get the ball rolling on the boathouse renovation and take advantage of the good weather while we have it. So you can imagine how surprised I was when I went down there this morning and discovered someone living in the boathouse at the other end of the property. Someone whose last name is the same as the one on the side of the largest boathouse. He says he has claim to the entire property.
    â€œNow,” she continued before Cami could speak, “I know the property I purchased is legally mine, but shouldn’t he have been informed of the pending sale? I know it went through quickly, but . . .” She trailed off on purpose, hoping she simply sounded naturally inquisitive and not accusatory.
    â€œBrodie was well aware of the situation regarding the