Chapter 7 Gabe
GABE
The St. Augustine Municipal Marina was busy for a weekday morning. Boats bobbed gently in their slips, their lines creaking with the movement of the water. Seagulls wheeled overhead, calling to each other, and the smell of salt air mixed with diesel fuel from the nearby fishing vessels.
Gabe stood beside Jane near the marina’s entrance, his mother’s phone heavy in his jacket pocket.
He felt the familiar weight of his injured leg, the dull ache that reminded him his SEAL days were behind him.
But right now, he had a different kind of mission.
Confronting the woman who had helped destroy his mother’s marriage.
“There she is,” Jane said quietly, nodding toward a figure walking down the dock.
Terry looked different than how Gabe remembered from that awkward encounter at the inn. She was dressed casually today in jeans and a sweater. Her face was anxious as she scanned the marina, clearly looking for Holly.
When her eyes landed on Gabe instead, she stopped short, her expression shifting from hope to confusion to something like dread.
“Gabe?” Terry said, her voice uncertain. “Where’s Holly?”
“She’s not coming,” Gabe said flatly, moving toward her with Jane at his side. “I’m the one who messaged you.”
Terry’s face paled. “You... you pretended to be Holly?”
“I did,” Gabe confirmed, no apology in his voice. “We need to talk, Terry. And I figured you wouldn’t agree to meet me if you knew it was me asking.”
Terry looked like she wanted to run, but she stood her ground. “Gabe, I don’t know what you want from me—”
“Answers,” Gabe interrupted. “And some honesty for once in your life.”
Jane stepped closer, her presence a steady comfort at Gabe’s side. Terry’s eyes moved between them, clearly trying to figure out the dynamic.
“This is Jane Evans,” Gabe said. “Jack Christmas’s daughter. I think you met her briefly when you and my father showed up at the inn uninvited.”
“I remember,” Terry said quietly, her eyes dropping to the ground.
“Good,” Gabe said. “Then you know we both have a stake in what you and my father have been doing.”
Terry wrapped her arms around herself, looking miserable. “Gabe, I’m so sorry. About everything. About Holly, about…”
“About forcing my daughter to keep your affair a secret?” Gabe’s voice came out harder than he intended, anger flooding through him. “About making Trinity carry that burden for months while you and my father lied to everyone?”
Terry’s face crumpled. “I know. I know it was wrong. It’s worried me and eaten away at me ever since. Trinity was so scared, so confused, and we—” Her voice broke. “We made her promise not to tell. We told her it would hurt Holly more if she found out from Trinity instead of from us.”
Jane scoffed. “But not enough to call it off with your best friend’s husband and do the decent thing by coming clean to Holly yourselves.”
Terry’s eyes filled with tears. “I was weak and stupid. I ruined a lifelong friendship. Holly and I grew up together. We were like sisters. And I threw it all away.”
“For what?” Gabe demanded. “For my father? A man who was married to your best friend?”
“I’m in love with Simon,” Terry admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I always have been. Since we were teenagers. But he chose Holly, and I thought I could just be his friend and push those feelings down. But I couldn’t.
And when he started paying attention to me, when he said he had feelings for me too.
..” She shook her head. “I let myself believe it was meant to be.”
“Wow,” Jane said, her voice dripping with disdain. “With friends like you, Holly didn’t need any enemies.”
“I know,” Terry said, tears streaming down her face now. “I was weak and stupid and I ruined a lifelong friendship. I deserve Holly’s hatred. I deserve all of it.”
“Oh, boo hoo,” Gabe said coldly. “You lied to my mother for years. You made her feel crazy when she suspected something was wrong. And then you made my daughter keep your sordid secret without a single care for what you were doing to either of them.”
“I’m so, so sorry, Gabe,” Terry said, her voice breaking. “But please, don’t punish your father because of this. You’ve kept him out of one of the most amazing things to happen in six years.”
She glanced at Jane, then back at Gabe. “You came back from the army for Christmas without telling him. You’re clearly in a serious relationship. And he’s finding out through photos Trinity sent him instead of from you.”
“Navy SEALs,” Jane corrected sharply. “Not army. Navy SEALs.”
“Yes, that’s what I meant,” Terry said quickly, turning back to Gabe. “Please, Gabe. Include him in your life. He’s your father. He loves you, even if he didn’t always show it the way you needed.”
“Why?” Gabe scoffed. “The moment I said I wanted to join the Navy and become a SEAL, my father instantly lost interest in me because I wasn’t becoming an attorney like him and his father and his grandfather.”
“No, he didn’t,” Terry said, defending Simon with more passion than Gabe expected. “Yes, it was a shock. He comes from a long line of attorneys. He had expectations and dreams for you. But he never stopped loving you.”
“Look, I’m not here to talk about my father’s feelings,” Gabe said, reining in his anger. “Well, I am, but not the way you think.” He pulled his mother’s phone from his pocket. “You’ve been messaging my mother. Repeatedly. Trying to meet with her, trying to ‘clear the air’ as you put it. Why?”
Terry looked down at her hands. “Because I miss her. Because I want to apologize properly. Because it’s Christmas, and I remember all the years we spent Christmas together, and I...” She trailed off. “I know it’s selfish. I know I don’t deserve her forgiveness. But I needed to try.”
“Well, stop trying,” Gabe said firmly. “My mother is finally happy. She’s moved on. She’s building a new life here, and she doesn’t need you dragging her back into the past.”
“I just want to apologize—” Terry started.
“Then apologize now,” Jane interrupted. “Tell us what you’d say to Holly, and we’ll consider whether it’s worth passing along.”
Terry looked at Jane, then at Gabe, clearly torn. Finally, she drew a shaky breath.
“I’d tell her that I’m sorry,” Terry said.
“That I was selfish and cruel, and I betrayed her in the worst possible way. That she deserved so much better from me, from Simon, from everyone. That I destroyed something precious, and I can never get it back.” She wiped at her eyes.
“I’d tell her that I hope she finds happiness.
Real happiness, with someone who treats her the way she deserves to be treated.
And I’d tell her that I understand if she never forgives me. ”
Gabe studied Terry’s face, looking for signs of manipulation or insincerity. But all he saw was genuine remorse and regret.
“Fine,” Gabe said. “I’ll tell her you apologized. Whether she accepts it or not is up to her.”
“Thank you,” Terry said quietly.
“But there’s something else,” Gabe continued. “My father needs to sign the divorce papers. Now. No more delays, no more using them as leverage. My mother deserves to be free of this marriage.”
“He’s signing them today,” Terry said quickly. “He’s said he was meeting Holly and Charlie today. That’s why I was surprised when you messaged me, and I thought it was Holly, to meet here instead.”
Gabe’s eyebrows rose. His mother hadn’t mentioned meeting Simon today.
“Good,” Gabe said. “Make sure he actually signs them. No more games.”
“I will,” Terry promised. “Simon’s ready. He wants to move forward, too. We’re...” She hesitated. “We’re engaged. We’re getting married next summer.”
“Congratulations,” Jane said flatly, making it clear she thought no such thing.
“Thank you,” Terry said, missing or ignoring Jane’s tone. “Gabe, I know you probably won’t believe this, but I am happy your mother has found happiness. Holly deserves that. And I hope... I hope someday she can forgive me, even if we can never be friends again.”
“She’s the happiest I’ve ever seen her,” Gabe said, wanting Terry to understand what she’d lost. “And I won’t let you or my father ruin that for her. You’ve both done enough damage.”
“I understand,” Terry said.
“There’s one more thing,” Jane said, stepping forward. “You and Simon are working for Victor Martin, trying to help him take the Christmas Inn. How can you justify that? How can you live with yourself knowing you’re trying to destroy another family?”
Terry’s face flushed with shame. “I don’t choose my clients. Simon’s firm assigned him to the case, and I’m the realtor on record because I specialize in historic properties.”
“Everyone has a choice,” Jane said coldly. “You chose to have an affair with your best friend’s husband. You chose to lie for years. And now you’re choosing to help a man destroy my family’s legacy. Those are all choices, Terry. And they’re all terrible ones.”
Terry flinched as if Jane had struck her. “You’re right. You’re absolutely right. But Jane, there’s something you should know. Something that might help your family.”
Gabe and Jane exchanged glances.
“What?” Gabe asked warily.
Terry looked around nervously, as if worried someone might overhear. “Someone’s been paying off the inn’s debt. Slowly, in increments small enough not to trigger any alarms, but consistently. It’s the only reason the bank hasn’t foreclosed yet.”
“What?” Jane said. “Who?”
“We don’t know either,” Terry admitted. “But Simon’s been tasked with finding out.
Victor Martin is furious that someone’s interfering with his plans.
He’s told Simon that if we don’t identify this benefactor and stop the payments, we’ll both lose our jobs and our reputations. Victor has that kind of power.”
“Is that a threat?” Gabe asked, his voice dangerous.
“No,” Terry said quickly. “It’s a warning. Victor Martin is not someone you want as an enemy. He’s ruthless, and he doesn’t give up. If he wants the inn, he’ll get it, no matter what it takes.”