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“Was there so you wanted?”

He took a step inside the room There were boxes everywhere, separated into sections, and one open on the floor in front of her feet “I’d like to start prepping the kitchen in a day or two, but that ht you’d want to do that yourself so you’d knohere things are and can find what you need to eat or whatever”

“Good idea,” she replied, collecting the photos on her lap into a neat pile

“What’ve you got there?” he asked, leaning forward curiously

He saw her hesitate Things hadn’t been as aard as they ht have been after their kiss, but they hadn’t exactly been comfortable, either Especially since all he could think about was doing it again

“Can I trust you?” She perched on the edge of the stool and looked up at hi-family-secret kind of stuff Major skeletons in the closet The kind of thing that would rock the small world of Jewell Cove”

He chuckled a little “That sounds pretty big Butas you think Our town’s been the subject of lots of scandal over the years Did you know that one of my ancestors onthe coast pillaging and stealing”

She s that up”

“God’s truth Then he beca the Civil War Made a treone now But there are ru Island, out past Fiddler’s Rock”

She held out the picture, but as he put his fingers on it she hesitated “Swear to me you won’t tell a soul”

“I swear” She let it go and he looked down at the picture It was a group of people—servants—in the great hall downstairs “What a at?”

“The chauffeur in the back”

Tall, blond, upright bearing, nice livery “What about him?”

Abby’s voice lowered “He’s the spitting ie of my father The hair, the eyes, the shape of the cheekbones, and angle of the jaw are the same I’reat-grandfather”

Toaze “The letter you read, the one in the box It was dated February of ’43 If this is really the Kristian fro it is—the dates don’t add up”