Holly nodded, stepping further into the room. Logan made a discreet exit, mumbling something about checking on supplies downstairs.
They were alone now, and Jack waited. Waited for Holly to tell him about the meeting. To explain why she had been with Simon. To give him a reason to trust her again.
“So,” Holly said, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. “I wanted to talk to you about dinner tonight.”
Jack’s hope deflated like a punctured balloon. Dinner. She wanted to talk about dinner.
“What about it?” he asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
“I’m really sorry, but I need to cancel our plans,” Holly said, her expression apologetic. “Something came up, and I... I have to take care of it tonight.”
Jack felt something cold settle in his chest. “What came up?”
Holly hesitated, and in that hesitation, Jack saw confirmation of his worst fears. She was not going to tell him. She was going to keep secrets.
“Just... some errands I need to run,” Holly said vaguely. “Christmas shopping and things like that. I should have done it sooner, but with all the work at the inn, I just haven’t had time.”
Christmas shopping. It sounded like a reasonable excuse. But after seeing her with Simon, after watching her walk out of thatcafé looking upset and angry, Jack could not help but wonder if there was more to it.
“Sure,” Jack said, forcing a smile onto his face. “Of course. No problem.”
He saw relief flash across Holly’s face, and it hurt more than he expected.
“Thank you for understanding,” Holly said softly. “Maybe we can reschedule for tomorrow night?”
“Maybe,” Jack said noncommittally. “We’ll see how the work goes.”
They stood there for an awkward moment, the space between them feeling wider than the few feet that actually separated them. Jack wanted to ask her about Simon. But he still hoped she’d tell him instead of him having to make her.
“I should get back to work,” Jack said finally, picking up his paintbrush again.
“Right. Of course,” Holly said quickly. “I’ll see you later, then.”
She turned to leave, and Jack watched her go, his heart heavy. This was not how things were supposed to be between them. They were supposed to be building something real, something honest. But how could they build anything on a foundation of secrets?
Holly stopped at the doorway and turned back. “Jack...”
Jack looked up, hope flickering again. This was it. She was goingto tell him.
But before Holly could continue, Julie’s voice echoed up the stairwell. “Sweetheart, can you please tell your ex that we have mobile phones for a reason. No one likes people who just drop by anymore.” A pause. “In case you didn’t get that… The viper is in your office.”
Jack’s jaw clenched. Pamela. Here again. Uninvited and unwanted, as always.
He turned to Holly, trying to rein in his frustration. “Sorry, what were you saying?”
Holly’s expression had closed off, that guarded look back in her eyes. “It doesn’t matter. It can wait.”
She gave him a tight smile and walked away, leaving Jack standing alone in the unfinished room with more questions than answers.
Jack set down his paintbrush with more force than necessary and headed downstairs to deal with Pamela. But his mind was not on his manipulative ex-wife. It was on Holly, on that tight smile, on the way she had said, “It can wait.”
What had she been going to say? Why had she stopped?
And why in the world had she not told him about meeting with Simon?
By evening, Jack was exhausted but no closer to answers. Pamela’s visit had been mercifully brief. She’d chewed his ears off about how rude Jane had been to her, and that she’d brought her guard dog with her, and then tried to grill him about Gabe. All of which had done nothing to improve Jack’s mood.
He found himself alone in the dining room for dinner, picking at a plate of food he had no appetite for. Logan had gone to the library to work with Charlie on their research. His mother was having dinner with William at his home in town. Jane was out somewhere. Isabella and Christopher had taken Trinity and Maddy out for pizza. He didn’t know where Gabe was. Presumably out with Jane.
