North Carolina’s Outer Banks is the breathtaking backdrop for second chances, unexpected romance, and a thrilling quest in this heart-racing tale by the internationally bestselling author of the Miramar Bay novels.

It’s a promise of better things to come . . .

With its colorful history and miles of sand, tide, and windswept oaks, North Carolina’s Outer Banks is a paradise for locals and tourists alike. Now former native Curtis Gage is returning after twelve years. His boss, mentor, and beloved friend Amiya has made him director of operations for a new 5-star, ocean-front resort. The hope is that he can ease brewing tensions with longtime residents unhappy about the project. But it’s also a chance for the grieving widower to start a new life—and come to terms with an old one . . .

But he never imagined the risks—or rewards . . .

This coastal haven is in attorney Rae Alden’s blood, and the resort’s expansion is encroaching on precious Fortunate Harbor. For Rae and the families she represents, their generations-old heritage is not for sale. Who’d have guessed that the ordeal would tie Rae to Curtis, a childhood sweetheart—now part of a corporate landgrab. Their reunion is further complicated by the discovery that the property is more valuable than even Rae believed. The proof is in a secret deed and a long-lost map.

Yet, as Curtis and Rae are forced to work together, navigating pirate legends, real-life adventures, and a thickening trail of corruption, a bond of friendship evolves, supportive and eye-opening in ways neither could have anticipated. And as they move forward in their separate personal journeys, that alone is a fortune worth fighting for.