“Wow.”

“According to Dad, all eight crewmen were killed, along with two passengers.”

When Ivy was nine, she was swimming in the surf and was blindsided by a large wave. She’d tumbled over and over, her shoulder and back scraping against the sand as salt water filled her mouth. She struggled to regain her bearings and in the process swallowed water. She thought she was going to die. And just like that, a hand reached in and pulled her out of the surf. She looked up to see Ruth staring down at her, her expression a blend of fury and fear. The moment had left her with a healthy respect for the ocean. She imagined those ten people and their terror as the Atlantic sucked them under its surface.

“Does he know any more about the people who died?” Ivy asked.

“I don’t remember all the details. You’ll have to ask him. But be warned, if you do ask him about the Liberty T. Mitchell, he’ll bend your ear for hours. He even remembers the name of the ship’s Irish wolfhound. Boris.”

Ivy stared at the arched, blackened wood. “An Irish wolfhound? I saw a dog like that on the dunes early this morning. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have found Mama Dog.”

“Mama Dog?”

“Until I can come up with a name.”

Dani waved Ivy’s words away. “Don’t give her a name. I know you. You’re a soft touch, and you won’t be able to let her go.”

“I’m not a soft touch.” She’d upended her life and professionally thrived in New York’s tough culinary scene for a dozen years, and now she’d overturned her life again. That took stones.

Dani laughed. “If you say so. But a dog means roots, responsibility beyond the job and this old house, which will soon be sold.”

Hearing Dani speak about the dog so bluntly was a reminder that Ivy’s disappearing act twelve years ago wasn’t forgotten. “What else can you tell me about the Liberty T. Mitchell?”

Her eyes twinkled. “While the ship is exposed to the sunlight, it’s said the lost souls roam these shores and stir up trouble for the living.”

“Seriously? You really believe that?”

“Well, the wolfhound did lead you to Mama Dog, and now you’re responsible for four dogs. That’s trouble.”

“I’m not responsible for anyone but myself.”

Dani laughed. “I’m calling bullshit on that one. I mean, two months ago, did you imagine this moment?”

“I was here before the wreck.”

“Dad says bits of it appeared after the hurricane that took the Seaside Resort.” She shrugged. “The spirits were being stirred, and now that a chunk of the wreck has appeared, who knows what they’ll do.”

Ivy shook her head. “Unless that wolfhound leads me to another pregnant dog, then I should be fine. I’ve made good progress today, and it’s a matter of time before this place is cleaned out, sold, and I’m on to greener pastures.” It was a simple plan, even if it was tangled with regret and sadness.