The surrealness of the hour, the day, the week intensified.

“What?” Annie asked, because one of them needed to.

“The bone is Native American. It is very old—probably nineteenth century—but not Wampanoag. Most important, it was not buried on your land; the archeologist determined it had come in from the water, possibly from a drowning, and had become tightly wrapped in the seaweed, which, when combined with the salt in the ocean, helped preserve the bone once it lodged in the rocks.”

Annie didn’t mention that Lucy had suggested that in the beginning. Such a smart girl, with such a bright future.

“Of course, no one can tell for certain how long ago that happened,” Winnie was continuing. “But our tribal council will arrange a proper burial. Most likely in the sacred ground overlooking Cape Poge Bay.”

Annie let the news sink in for a few seconds, then she signaled to John. He joined them, as did Lucy.

With Annie’s hands pressing her cheeks, she said, “It’s over. The Inn is ours.”

Winnie repeated the details.

“But he’s one of ours, right?” Lucy asked.

It took a moment to recall that Lucy’s DNA had showed that she was a sliver of Native American.

“He’s not Wampanoag, but, yes, indigenous,” Winnie said. “The tribe will treat him gently and with reverence. And the council won’t stop the Inn from opening. They felt no need to pursue it after I explained your promise to help the island, by doing your small part.”

“Well, okay then,” Lucy said, and added, “I’m not surprised the thing is old on account of the water and the seaweed, but I had kind of hoped it was that lady from the City of Columbus.”

Kevin and Earl exchanged eye rolls; Annie simply grinned, focusing instead on how pleased Donna would be that it looked as if her children now had a chance for a stable future.

* * *

The days that followed accelerated, as Earl and Kevin hurried to finish the rooms for the year-round tenants first.

“Once they’re settled,” Earl said, “we’ll do our best to get the tourists comfortable. If we miss the first part of the season, so be it. The islanders are more important, right?”

Kevin and Annie agreed.

Jonas joined their efforts; Taylor did not. Maybe after things had quieted down, Annie would ask Kevin if he knew why.

They’d also managed to come up with much-needed money. Though Donna’s cash coffers were depleted, Kevin secured a quick loan from the bank against the sale of her apartment. And Annie was able to get one against the advance for her new book, thanks to Mark and his outrageous debts. Who knew she’d ever say those words? But it turned out that having cleared up his debts had earned her a terrific credit score. Together, Annie and Kevin raised enough to settle up with the suppliers, to pay for the remaining materials, and to arrange to ship the rest of the furniture.