“It’s for a good cause,” Jane assured him. “Besides, you’re not lying. You’re just... temporarily withholding information.”
Gabe laughed despite himself and pulled Jane close for another kiss. “Have I mentioned lately that I love the way your mind works?”
“Not in the last five minutes,” Jane replied with a grin.
They finished their painting session and packed up their supplies as the sun climbed higher in the sky. The boardwalk was starting to fill with early-morning joggers and dog walkers as the day began in earnest.
Gabe and Jane walked back to the inn together, his arm around her shoulders, her head leaning against him.Despite the deception they were about to engage in, despite the anger still simmering about what his father and Terry had done to Trinity, Gabe felt oddly at peace.
He had Jane by his side. He had a plan. And maybe, just maybe, they would get some answers about what Pamela and Victor were really planning.
Later that morning, Gabe was making his way through the inn’s lobby, heading toward the parking lot where he was supposed to meet Jane, when he nearly collided with his mother.
“Oh, hello, honey,” Holly said, kissing his cheek. She looked distracted, her eyes scanning the lobby as if searching for something. “Have you seen my phone?”
Gabe felt the weight of the device in his jacket pocket and forced his expression to remain neutral. “No, sorry, Mom. I haven’t seen it.”
He quickly changed the subject, gesturing to her outfit. It was a lovely burgundy sweater and dark jeans that made her look younger and happier than he had seen her in years. “You look nice. Going on a date?”
Holly looked at him with a slightly startled expression, as if pulled from deep thought. “What? Oh, no.” She glanced down at her outfit. “No, Charlie and I are just popping into St. Augustine for some shopping.”
“Okay,” Gabe said, nodding. “Have a great time. I’ll help you look for your phone when I’m back if you still haven’t found it.”
“Thanks, honey,” Holly said with a grateful smile. “I think I might have left it in your suite. I stopped by last night to say goodnight to Trinity, and I might have set it down somewhere.”
“You’re welcome to go in and look,” Gabe told her, hoping his voice sounded casual. “The door’s open. Trinity’s probably still in there working on decorations with Maddy.”
“Okay,” Holly said, already turning toward the stairs. She waved him off absentmindedly, still clearly preoccupied with her missing phone.
Gabe watched her go, then let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He patted his jacket pocket where his mother’s phone rested and felt a pang of guilt. He hated lying to her, even by omission. But this was for a good cause, he told himself. If Terry knew anything about what Pamela was planning —anything that could help protect the inn and his family —a little temporary deception was worth it.
Gabe made his way out to the parking lot, scanning the rows of cars for Jane’s.
He spotted her standing next to a pickup truck. It was nearly identical to her father’s, just a slightly different color. Gabe could not help but smile.
“Of course she has a truck,” he murmured to himself, shaking his head with affection. “She’s the perfect woman after all.”
Jane was leaning against the driver’s side door, scrolling through her phone, and she looked up as heapproached. Her face lit up with a smile that made his heart do that ridiculous flip it always did when she looked at him.
“Ready to interrogate your father’s mistress?” Jane asked with mock cheerfulness as she went to help him with the door and his crutches.
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Gabe replied, walking around to the passenger side. “Let’s go see what Terry has to say for herself.”
5
JACK
It was just before ten in the morning, and Jack couldn’t stop grinning as he and Logan drove back from the antique shop just outside St. Augustine. The dresser they’d found was even more beautiful than in the pictures. It was a stunning Victorian piece with ornate rosettes carved into each drawer front, delicate scrollwork framing the beveled mirror, and original brass drawer pulls that gleamed with a patina only time could create. The kind of craftsmanship where you could still see chisel marks from the artisan’s hand, somehow surviving intact through wars, moves, and changing fashions for over a century.
“Holly is going to love restoring this,” Jack said, glancing in the rearview mirror at the carefully secured dresser in the truck bed. “This is exactly the kind of project she gets excited about.”
“It’s going to look great with those two antique chairs you and Holly fixed last week,” Logan agreed. “Room Eight is going to be the showpiece of the inn when we’re done with it.”
Jack felt a surge of pride and hope. Despite everything, like Victor’s threats, Pamela’s manipulation, and the mounting pressure, they were making real progress. The inn was coming back to life, room by room, and guests were booking for the Winter Ball. They were going to make it through this.
His phone rang through his car’s Bluetooth system. Jack was in such a good mood that he answered without checking the caller ID.
“Hello?” Jack said cheerfully into the system’s microphone.
