“Yeah,” Gabe agreed. “Let’s do that.”
As they drove out of the marina parking lot, a strange breeze picked up despite the stillness of the day. It swept into the truck, gentle and warm, carrying with it a sense of peace and approval.
Gabe and Jane both paused, feeling it wash over them. Neither spoke, but they didn’t need to. They both understood what it meant. Abi and Darren were watching over them and giving their blessing to this new beginning.
Gabe reached over and took Jane’s hand again, holding tight as they drove toward their future together.
8
CHARLIE
Charlie sat at the desk in the library, staring into her open purse at the engagement ring nestled inside. The diamond caught the afternoon light streaming through the windows, sending tiny rainbows dancing across the leather interior. She smiled, her heart swelling with a happiness she hadn’t expected to find at this stage of her life.
All she wanted to do was slip that ring onto her finger and tell everyone she was getting married to the man who had stolen her heart. Logan Miller! He was kind, intelligent, and patient. He made her laugh, challenged her mind, and looked at her like she was the most important person in his world.
But they’d agreed to wait until the Winter Ball to announce it. To give the family a moment of pure joy amidst all the stress and uncertainty surrounding the inn.
A knock at the library door had Charlie quickly shoving the ring back into her purse and closing the desk drawer.
“Yes?” she called, composing her expression into something more professional.
The door opened, and Jane and Gabe walked in together, closing it firmly behind them. Charlie immediately noticed their linked hands, the way they stood close together, and the serious expressions on both their faces.
“Charlie, we need to talk,” Gabe said, and they moved to sit in the chairs across from her desk.
Charlie set her pen down and gave them her full attention. “What’s going on? You both look like you’ve just come from something serious.”
“We have,” Gabe confirmed. He glanced at Jane, who nodded encouragingly, then turned back to Charlie. “We just got back from meeting Terry.”
Charlie’s eyebrows shot up. “Terry? As in Simon’s Terry? You’re mother’s ex-best friend that betrayed her in the worst possible way, Terry?”
“The same,” Gabe said. “I found messages from her on my mother’s phone this morning. She’s been trying to get Mom to meet with her, to ‘clear the air’ as she put it.”
“And you decided to go in Holly’s place?” Charlie asked, understanding dawning.
“We pretended to be Mom and set up a meeting at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina,” Gabe admitted. “I wanted to confront Terry myself. To tell her to leave Mom alone and to make sure Dad finally signs those divorce papers.”
“Which he did,” Charlie said. “This morning. Holly and I met him at the Corner Café, and he signed everything. I’m filing the paperwork this afternoon.”
Relief flooded Gabe’s face. “Good. That’s really good.”
“Your mother is going to be furious with you for taking matters into your own hands,” Charlie warned gently. “Going to meet Terry while pretending to be her? That’s a serious breach of trust, Gabe.”
“I know,” Gabe said, but he didn’t look particularly concerned. “I did what I had to do. Mom can be mad at me if she wants, but Terry needed to hear that she can’t keep harassing her.”
Charlie had to admire his determination, even if she didn’t entirely approve of his methods.
“But there’s more,” Jane added. “Terry told us some things. Things we think you need to know.”
Charlie leaned forward, her legal mind already cataloging possibilities. “What kind of things?”
Gabe recounted the conversation. About Terry’s guilt about forcing Trinity to keep the affair secret, her apology for betraying Holly, and her admission that she and Simon were engaged. But it was the information about the inn that made Charlie situp straighter.
“Terry said someone’s been paying off the inn’s debt,” Gabe explained. “Slowly, in small increments. She said it’s being done carefully, in amounts small enough that they don’t trigger any banking alerts or draw immediate attention, but consistently enough that it’s keeping the bank from being able to foreclose.”
Charlie’s pen moved quickly across her notepad as she took notes. “Did she say how long this has been going on?”
“She didn’t give specifics,” Jane said. “But she implied it’s been happening for at least a few months. Long enough that it’s become a problem for Victor Martin.”
