Read Online Santiago Sol by Niki Turner - Free Book Online

Eva St. John is an amazing Christian woman who has spent almost all her life selflessly helping others. Her story is inspiring and encouraging and hopeful.” Tansy scooted to the edge of the chair. “There are so many stories about terrible people and things that happen in the world. It’s not often a writer gets to tell a true story about a woman who has done so much good.”
    She rose and gathered their plates, crumpled napkins, and the box, and carried them all into the kitchenette.
    Sebastian stared at the wall and tried to wrap his mind around the idea of an American grandmother who wasn't a villain, as his mother and maternal grandparents had been portrayed in his family history. He was so focused on his thoughts, he jumped when Tansy returned to the room, curled up in the chair and tucked her legs beneath her.
    “I’ll send you a copy of the manuscript, if you’re interested,” she said.
    “Yes. Certainly,” Sebastian reached for a pen, leaned over and scribbled his e-mail address on a napkin. He pushed it toward Tansy. “I should excuse myself and say goodnight. It’s getting late.”
    She took the napkin, glanced at it, and looked up at him. “Thank you for dinner.”
    Sebastian dipped his head, then looked up as an idea blossomed in his mind. “We missed the worship service at Iglesia Espiritu Santo. Would you like to attend their Sunday morning service instead?”
    Tansy hesitated. “I would, yes.” When he turned to leave, she touched his arm. “I should tell you...I believe the church is part of the ministry that the St. Johns started.”
    He shook his head, offered a wry smile, and grazed her chin with his thumb. “Why am I not surprised? Meet me downstairs at nine, sí?” He let himself out and strode down the corridor toward the elevator, heart pounding and mind churning. Was he about to discover the truth about the dark side of his family history?
     
    ****
     
    Sebastian found himself whistling on the way to his penthouse. His mood had taken a surprising turn. Tansy Chastain was gutsy, he’d give her that. And independent. And charming. And beautiful. And he’d almost kissed her.
    And she was probably lying to him.
    His jaw clenched. Since she was probably hiding something from him, yielding to any kind of attraction to her was foolish at best. For all he knew, Tansy Chastain and Eva St. John had made some kind of deal with Diego and his uncle. After all, it was Diego who had managed to find his way to Sebastian’s grandmother’s home. Had he had help from Eva? Or Tansy?
    Sebastian had been too short-sighted to look beyond his mother’s role in the theft of the walking stick. His uncle had not, and Diego had made it as far as Eva’s home, with Tansy inside. Score one for Team Vargas. The thought made Sebastian’s stomach clench. He knew the kind of violence Diego was capable of.
    The elevator opened into his apartment. Sebastian flicked on the lights, relieved to find his dwelling free of Diego-shaped pests. He headed for his office, sat at his desk, and tapped in the code to open the electronic lock on the top right drawer. Reaching inside, he withdrew Darcy St. John’s diary.
    The leather-bound book had been handcrafted by Sebastian’s grandfather, a gift to Darcy from Sebastian’s father, Fabian, just a few months after they met. The last thirty or forty pages were blank, the final entry made the night Darcy had abandoned her son and left Chile.
    He thought of all the times he’d lain awake in his narrow bed in his grandparents’ house, poring over his mother’s words, willing himself to understand why she had abandoned him. Abueloand abuela didn’t know he had the diary. He had told no one when he found it buried in a box of his baby things. Tansy was the first person to whom he had ever spoken of the journal. He placed the book back into the drawer and closed it, resetting the lock with a new combination, as he did every time he accessed that particular drawer.
    Sebastian