Signed Mrs. Sterling Chapter 07
Harrison was efficient. Any problem that could be solved with money was never delayed.
The confirmation for the thirty-million-dollar wire transfer and the deed for the Montauk beach house arrived by courier the very next day.
In October, the summer crowds in Montauk had vanished, leaving behind only the deep blue of the Atlantic and fields of golden reeds. It was a sanctuary for New Yorkers, and for me, it was a place of rebirth.
That afternoon, I was wrapped in a cashmere cardigan, sitting on a beach chair with a cup of coffee, enjoying a peace I hadn’t felt in years.
The waves crashed against the shore with a rhythmic roar.
The riptide here was strong. Locals knew not to go in the water at this time of year.
Suddenly, a little boy in a red sweatshirt caught my eye.
He looked to be about four or five, standing alone near the water’s edge with a small shovel, digging in the sand.
There were no adults around.
Instinctively, I put down my coffee, took off my sunglasses, and scanned the beach.
“Hey! Is anyone watching this child?” I shouted. The wind was strong, and no one answered.
Just as a large, white-crested wave was about to crash ashore, the little boy was still focused on his sand hole, completely unaware of the danger.
“Look out!”
I threw my sunglasses aside and sprinted toward him.
Just before the icy water could sweep him away, I grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt and pulled him tightly into my arms. We both tumbled onto the wet sand.
The cold seawater instantly soaked through my pants.
“Are you okay? Sweetheart, why are you out here all alone?”
I patted his back, feeling his small body trembling violently in my arms.
The little boy looked up, revealing a pair of big, sapphire-blue eyes. They were red-rimmed, and he was biting his lip, clearly terrified but stubbornly refusing to cry.
But one of his hands was gripping the collar of my windbreaker so tightly his knuckles were white.
“Leo! Oh my God! Leo!”
A frantic, familiar male voice came from behind me, accompanied by the sound of pounding footsteps.
Before I could even turn around, a man sprinted up to us, dropping to his knees on the sand.
“Oh, thank God! Thank you so, so much. I just turned my back for a second to take an urgent work call…”
The man looked up, and his handsome, slightly roguish face froze when he saw me.
“Julianne?”
Sebastian’s eyes went wide, as if he’d just seen a ghost. “What the hell are you doing here?”