Chapter 6 - Sanctuary by the Sea
The house in Maine was a white-shingled structure sitting on a rocky cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Waves crashed against the granite shore below, sending up a fine salt spray that filled the air with a crisp, clean scent.
Three months had passed since we fled the Connecticut mansion.
Marcus and Mason were transformed. The sickly pallor had vanished, replaced by rosy cheeks and sun-freckled noses. They spent their mornings running along the beach under the watchful eye of two plainclothes guards, collecting drift wood and chasing seagulls, their laughter carrying over the roar of the surf.
I sat on the wide wrap-around porch, editing a list of educational materials for the upcoming spring term. Nathan walked out through the double doors, wearing a simple grey sweater and jeans—a stark contrast to the tailored suits he had worn in Connecticut. He carried two plates of fresh blueberry scones.
"Gerald made these," Nathan said, setting a plate down on the small wooden table beside my chair. "He claims the sea air improves his baking."
"Gerald is a man of many hidden talents," I replied, taking a scone. "How are the financial transfers going?"
"Victor’s assets have been liquidated," Nathan said, taking a seat opposite me. "The board accepted my restructuring plan without a single dissenting vote. Coleman Enterprises is now ninety percent private. No more outside shareholders. No more corporate vultures looking for leverage."
"And the medical board?"
"Ashford’s license was permanently revoked before he vanished," Nathan said smoothly. He didn't elaborate on the word vanished, and I didn't ask. In Nathan’s world, certain answers were better left unsaid.
"The boys are sleeping through the night now," I said, changing the subject. "Mason hasn't had a nightmare in three weeks. Marcus asked me yesterday if he could learn how to sail."
Nathan looked out toward the horizon where the blue water met the pale winter sky. "I haven't been on a sailboat since I was twenty. My father used to take me out off the coast of Rhode Island."
"Then you should teach them," I said softly. "They need their father, Nathan. Not just a guardian who sits in an office."
Nathan turned his head, his dark eyes fixing on mine with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. "I've spent twenty years building an armor around myself, Sarah. I thought if I made enough money, bought enough security, held enough power, nothing could touch the people I loved."
"And now?"
"Now I realize the armor just built a wall between me and the only things that mattered," he said, reaching across the small table to lay his hand over mine. His palm was warm, rough with calluses despite his wealth. "You broke down that wall, Sarah. In three days, you did what no amount of money could accomplish."
May you like
I looked down at our joined hands, feeling a strange, unfamiliar heat rising in my chest. "I was just doing my job, Nathan."
"No," he whispered, his fingers tightening gently around mine. "You saved my family. And you became a part of it."
