“Hannah Rodriguez. I live a few blocks down.” She crouches down to greet Ding, who sniffs her hands and jumps around her legs, tongue wagging. I laugh when he earns yet another belly rub.
“Seems like he’s making friends quicker than I am.”
She straightens, brushing sand from her knees. “Well, you’ve got me now. And I’ll give you all the local scoop so you don’t have to hear it through the island’s grapevine.”
We chat for a while and then head back inside. After grabbing a few of Ms. Connor’s freshly baked cookies, we sit on the living room couch, the television humming in the background.
I learn she frequently visits the inn and has been helping with its advertising for years.
“Were you and Nathan close?”
“Your brother was the best. He was so nice, a friend to everyone. But personally, nah. He was just too busy and rarely around. It was hard to get to know him on that level. That said, he used to talk about you all the time.”
“He did?”
“Oh yeah. He was so proud of you.” With her napkin, she cleans off some of the dust from the coffee table. “He was alwaysbragging about his smart little sister, the veterinarian, and musician. The whole town knows who you are.”
“Oh Geesh.” The idea of being infamous before meeting anyone alarms me.
“Don’t worry. Everyone’s looking forward to meeting you.”
Hannah and I lose track of time as we gossip about all the juicy things happening in Maverick Key. There’s an instant connection with her. Even though we’ve just met, her fun, open nature is infectious. She’s the pretty brown-eyed, red-headed, sassy bestie I always wanted to have in school.
“You’re going to open a veterinarian practice here on the island?”
“Yeah. I’ve been interning for a few years. The animal clinic will be my first business venture. Something of my own.”
“You’ll crush it.” She straightens and tilts her head, eyes shining. “So, tell me about this musical talent of yours. Didn’t you attend Juilliard?”
“I was accepted for Piano.” I pause, averting my gaze. “My plans had to change because of Mom.”
The corners of her mouth dip. She reaches out and touches my arm, giving me a gentle squeeze. “Another thing he talked about all the time was Carter’s Drop. He was obsessed. He’s our local small-town hero. It was Carter’s Drop that put Maverick Key on the map.” She picks up another cookie. “It’s not surprising someone’s finally picking up where he left off. What’s surprising is that they waited so long.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve heard about the project to explore Carter’s Drop, right?”
“No. What’s going on?”
Hannah leans closer. “They’re calling it An Interdisciplinary Exploration of the Carter’s Drop Blue Hole. Dr. Garrett Harlow—a big-shot marine archaeologist—is leading it. I think he andNathan were colleagues. Now, he’s taking over where your brother left off. He’s hired a cave diver, Scott Rickter, and his dive team to explore and map the caves. They’ve been out there for weeks already, surveying the caverns and looking for—” she shrugs. “I don’t know. Old bones, maybe? Nobody outside of the project knows. Scott hasn’t said much, and Garrett doesn’t talk to anyone unless he has to.”
“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?” My face flushes.
“I’m sorry. They should have. Scott’s a straight shooter. You can ask him anything you want to know.”
I make a mental note to talk to this Scott Rickter. I want to be sure Nathan gets credit for his work and no opportunists are planning to bury his contribution.
Hannah tilts her head with a wry grin. “And then there’s the treasure hunters.”
“Treasure hunters?”
“Oh, that’s right. One high-profile news story isn’t enough for Maverick Key.” She shifts in her seat, drawn into her own story. “Harrold Skipes—one of those eccentric billionaires—hid a treasure cache on the island. At least, that’s the rumor that’s got everyone stirred up. Earlier today, I passed two kids on Sunset Strand arguing over a treasure map so creased it looked like it had been through a washing machine.” She talks with her hands, her fingers slicing through the air in dramatic circles as she speaks.
“Treasure mania has this whole town in a frenzy. It’s so bad that it’s got the Coast Guard in a tizzy, so they’ve pulled in NOAA authorities. Now, everyone diving near the Drop has to have a permit.” Ding jumps on the couch and snuggles in next to her. His eyes close as she strokes his coat.
“Whoa… This is exhausting.”
So much for living a quiet island life.
