Chapter 4 Gabe
GABE
The early morning sun spilled across the horizon like melted butter, painting the sky in layers of flamingo pink, tangerine, and molten gold as Gabe sat on the boardwalk, his easel set up before him.
The Atlantic stretched endlessly before them, a rippling tapestry of indigo and azure, waves rolling in with their eternal rhythm and leaving lacy white foam in their wake.
Beside him, Jane worked on her own canvas, her slender fingers gripping her brush with the kind of quiet, intense focus that made the tiny crease appear between her eyebrows.
A detail he found both endearing and inspiring.
His skyline was coming along nicely, even if he said so himself.
The silhouette of Anastasia Beach against the dawn sky was taking shape.
The jagged palms, the gentle curve of shoreline, the distant lighthouse, with colors blending and bleeding into one another in ways that surprised him.
The cerulean blue deepened to cobalt where sky met water, and the whisper of lavender clouds still lingered from the night.
He had never considered himself particularly artistic, but these morning painting sessions with Jane had awakened something dormant within him: a desire to capture beauty in all its ephemeral glory, to create something lasting from these precious, fleeting moments they shared.
“That’s really good,” Jane said, leaning over to look at his work. “The way you’ve captured the light on the water is beautiful.”
Gabe felt warmth spread through his chest at her compliment. “Thanks, though it’s not in the same class as yours.”
He gestured to Jane’s canvas, where a stunning seascape was emerging.
The way she’d captured the exact moment a wave crested, suspended in time, with foam that seemed to sparkle with actual sunlight.
Her brushstrokes layered translucent cerulean over deep navy, creating a depth that made the ocean seem to breathe on the canvas.
Delicate wisps of pink-gold light danced across the water’s surface, reflecting the dawn sky with such precision that Gabe could almost feel the cool morning breeze coming off her painting.
His own work looked childish by comparison.
Jane had real talent. The kind that transformed ordinary pigment into emotion, that came from years of practice, and the sort of artistic eye that saw beauty others missed.
“Don’t sell yourself short,” Jane said, nudging him gently with her shoulder. “You’ve only been doing this for a couple of weeks. I’ve been painting for a lot longer.”
Gabe set down his brush and turned to her, unable to resist pulling her close. “I think I’m just motivated by the company.”
Jane smiled up at him, and Gabe leaned down to kiss her.
The morning was quiet except for the sound of waves and seabirds, and for a moment, everything else faded away.
The stress about his career, the worry about the inn, the complicated family dynamics.
There was just this: Jane in his arms, the sunrise painting the world in gold, and the promise of a future he had not dared to imagine just weeks ago.
His phone buzzed in his jacket pocket, breaking the moment. Gabe pulled back with a sigh and reached for it, but when he pulled the device out, he frowned.
“Oh, it’s this one,” he said, looking at the pink bedazzled phone case.
Jane’s eyes widened with recognition. “That’s your mom’s phone. Trinity told me she bedazzled that case for her grandmother’s birthday this year.”
“Right,” Gabe said, nodding sheepishly. “Mom left it in my suite last night when she stopped by. I was hoping to run into her before she went jogging with Jack this morning so that I could give it back, but she didn’t show up.”
“That’s because my father and Uncle Logan went to fetch an antique dresser early this morning,” Jane informed him.
Gabe nodded. “Ahh, that’s why.”
The screen lit up with a new message notification, and Gabe’s eyes caught the preview before he could look away. His jaw clenched as he read the words from Terry.
“Please, Holly, get back to me. I would like to talk and clear the air. It’s Christmas. Remember how much we enjoyed our Christmas traditions together?”
“Wow,” Jane said, reading over his shoulder. Her voice filled with anger. “After what she did to your mother, that woman has got a lot of nerve.”
“I know, right?” Gabe agreed, feeling anger simmer in his chest. “I have a good mind to message her back and give her a piece of my mind.”
He was about to do just that, but Jane moved suddenly.
“No,” Jane said, putting her hand over his before he could start typing. “Wait. Think about this.”
Gabe looked at her, seeing the wheels turning in her mind. “What are you thinking?”
“We could pretend to be your mom,” Jane said, a grin spreading across her face. “Set up a meeting with Terry and then press her for information.”
Gabe’s eyebrows rose. “You want to catfish my father’s new fiancée?”
“Why not?” Jane asked. “From what I saw the day she and your father arrived at the inn looking for rooms, she’s the weakest link in that chain. She was uncomfortable, apologetic. Not like your father, who was all arrogance and entitlement.”
Jane’s expression grew more serious. “And maybe Terry knows what Pamela’s up to. Charlie suspects Pamela has switched tactics now that we know Victor is behind the takeover attempt. If Terry knows anything, we should find out.”
Gabe considered this, his mind working through the possibilities. “What if she doesn’t crack? Terry was shocked when she saw my mom that day. It had been the first time they’d seen each other since the day Mom caught them together.”
“How about this for an incentive, then?” Jane said, her voice dropping lower. “Trinity is going to be so angry at me for telling you this?”
“Why?” Gabe’s brow furrowed with concern. “What does Trinity have to do with this?”
“She knew about the affair for months,” Jane told him, her voice tight with anger on Trinity’s behalf. “She caught them kissing, and they forced her to stay quiet about it.”
Gabe exploded. “What?”
Fury boiled through him, hot and immediate.
Of all the terrible things his father had done, the lies, the betrayal, the manipulation, this was the worst. Trinity was just a child.
She should never have been put in that position, never been forced to carry that secret, never been made complicit in her grandmother’s heartbreak.
“Of all the low-down, dirty things my father has ever done,” Gabe said, his voice shaking with rage, “this is the lowest of them all.”
“So...” Jane encouraged, looking pointedly at the phone in his hand. “Do you want to go interrogate her?”
“I absolutely do,” Gabe said. He pulled up the phone and frowned at the lock screen. “I just need to get past Mom’s passcode.”
He tried the obvious combinations—Trinity’s birthday, his birthday, and the combination of the two—and the phone unlocked. Gabe shook his head with a sigh. “Oh, Mom. How many times have I told you to change your passcode to something more secure?”
Jane laughed. “My dad, Gran, and Uncle Logan are the same. I know all their codes. They use the same four digits for everything.”
Gabe sighed again. “Parents.” His eyes caught hers, and he felt some of his anger ease at the warmth in her gaze. “So what do I say?”
“Give.” Jane held out her hand, and Gabe placed the phone in it.
She typed quickly, her fingers flying across the screen with confidence. When she turned the phone back to show him, Gabe read the message.
“Terry, meet me at the St. Augustine Municipal Marina today at 10 a.m.”
“Huh,” Gabe said, impressed. “Simple, elegant, and to the point. I like it.”
Jane sent the message, and didn’t have to wait long for a reply. They watched as the three dots appeared on the screen, indicating Terry was typing a response. A moment later, her reply came through.
“I’ll be there. Thank you for giving me this chance, Holly.”
“There you go,” Jane said, handing the phone back to Gabe. “Now you’ll have to keep your mother’s phone until after we’ve met Terry.”
“Good thinking,” Gabe told her, feeling proud of her scheming mind. “Though I’m going to feel guilty lying to Mom about not finding her phone.”
“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 he approached. 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.”