It made sense. It was logical. But Holly’s stomach was still churning with anxiety.
Tomorrow at noon. Corner Café. With Charlie as witness and protection.
Holly told herself she could handle this. She could face Simon with her sister by her side. She could get the answers they needed.
But what about Jack? Should she tell him? Would it make things worse if she did not?
Holly decided not to mention it yet. She would tell him after, once she knew what Simon really wanted. She did not want to worry him unnecessarily.
She thanked Charlie, tucked her phone back in her pocket, and headed toward the dining room, wondering if Jack would actually be waiting for her. Holly stopped just outside the library door and took a few deep breaths, pushing her phone into her pocket. “Keep calm. Push your uncertainty away. I will find out what Simon’s client is up to for Jack.”
With that she moved toward the dining room.
7
JACK
Jack watched Holly disappear through the doorway, and something inside him twisted painfully. She had barely said goodbye when she left, her mind clearly somewhere else after that message on her phone. And he hadn’t even confirmed if they were all still going ice skating tonight at the ice rink that had been constructed along the beachfront on Anastasia Island.
He wanted to call after her, to ask her to wait, but something stopped him. Some wall he had built around himself that he could not seem to break through. Jack let her go, feeling the rift that had sprung up between them since Simon arrived two nights ago widen into something that felt like a chasm.
He knew it was mostly his fault. He was the suspicious one. The one who couldn’t wrap his head around it being a little too coincidental that Holly would find a pamphlet in Simon’s desk and come here. How quickly she and her family had gotten involved with his and the inn’s problems.
Jack had read this script before. Hell, he had been the main actor in the movie where he thought he was getting something good, only to have it blow up in his face and destroy everything he had built.
Like his business.
The memory still stung, even after ten years. The big contract that was supposed to be the crowning achievement of his already impressive architectural restoration business had turned out to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. A historic district restoration in Charleston—the kind of project architects dreamed about. Pamela had been so supportive, so helpful with the paperwork and contracts. He should have known something was wrong when she took such an interest in his work.
The contracts had been meticulously crafted to look legitimate, but they were riddled with clauses that put all the liability on Jack’s firm. When the project’s financing fell through—financing that Victor Martin had secretly controlled—Jack was left holding millions in debt. Suppliers went unpaid. Subcontractors sued. His reputation was destroyed overnight.
And Pamela’s new husband, Victor Martin, had swooped in like a vulture, buying up Jack’s contracts and assets with the precision of a surgeon dismantling a body. Everything Jack had spent fifteen years building was gone in six months.
Since then, Jack had been wary of anything that seemed too good to be true—because it usually was.
Like Holly and her family being here at just the right time. He couldn’t help but think now that maybe they were not getting the inn into order for him. Maybe they were doing it like fattening a cow before it was put up for auction, making it more valuable for Simon and Terry’s mysterious developer client.
Stop it,Jack.He berated himself for the terrible thoughts. Holly and her family had been nothing but helpful.
He thought of how Holly, Trinity, and Charlie had come into their lives and brightened everything. They had helped his family, too. Isabella, whom he had come to think of as another daughter, was so happy now. And it was ultimately Holly being here that brought Christopher, who was here right when Isabella and Maddy needed someone the most.
Jack remembered the laugh he had heard from his daughter’s lips yesterday morning. The look on Jane’s face whenever she was around Gabe or Trinity. They had breathed life back into Jane after three years of just existing. Again, that was linked to Holly making that reservation on an impulse and bringing her family here.
His smile grew as he thought of how happy his longtime friend, who was more like a brother to him, Logan, had opened up his heart after all these years of being alone since losing his wife, Betty. Again, that was thanks to Holly making that reservation.
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, realizing what an idiot he had been. Letting his past insecurities and mistrust ruin something special that was developing between him and Holly.Unraveling all the good she had brought into his and his family’s lives. They might even be the ones to help him save his family’s legacy—the Christmas Inn.
With his heart in his throat, Jack dashed out of the room and rushed downstairs to find Holly.
He caught her coming out of the library just as Logan was walking in, balancing a tray for himself and Charlie.
“Holly,” Jack called, his voice coming out more urgent than he intended.
Her head shot up, her eyes widening with surprise.
“Hi,” Holly said, walking over to him. “Is everything okay?” She looked at him worriedly. “You look a little freaked out.”
“What?” Jack frowned, trying to catch his breath. “No.” He shook his head. “I just wanted to know if we’re still taking the family ice skating tonight.”
