Chapter 8 Charlie
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 sit up 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.”
“Terry also said that Simon’s been tasked with finding out who it is,” Gabe continued. “Victor is furious that someone’s interfering with his plans. He’s threatened that if Simon and Terry don’t identify the benefactor and stop the payments, they’ll both lose their jobs.”
Charlie tapped her pen against her notepad, thinking.
This was valuable information. It confirmed what Holly had told her earlier as they drove back from the meeting with Simon.
Someone was anonymously helping the Christmas family.
But it also revealed that Victor was actively seeking the benefactor and saw this person as a genuine threat to his plans.
“Did Terry give any indication of how close they are to finding out who it is?” Charlie asked.
“No,” Gabe said. “But she warned us that Victor is ruthless. That he always gets what he wants, and if the Christmas family keeps fighting, they’ll end up with nothing.”
“She suggested we convince my dad to take the offer that’s coming,” Jane added, her voice tight with anger. “As if we’d just give up our family’s legacy.”
“Not a chance,” Charlie said firmly. “We’re not giving up the inn without a fight.”
After Gabe and Jane left, promising to let Holly know about their unauthorized meeting with Terry and give her phone back, Charlie sat at her desk, her mind working through the implications of what they’d told her.
Someone with significant financial resources was quietly paying off the inn’s debt. Someone who wanted to remain anonymous. Someone who cared enough about the Christmas family to help them but didn’t want recognition for it.
Her mind immediately went to William.
William Moore owned Moore’s Treasures and Treats, the beloved downtown St. Augustine shop locals called The Magic Candy Shop.
But more than that, William came from old St. Augustine money.
His mother’s family had founded the shop generations ago, but his father’s side had been involved in shipping.
In a very lucrative shipping business that had made the Moore family quite wealthy.
And William was clearly in love with Julie Christmas. If anyone had both the means and the motivation to save the inn, it was William Moore.
Charlie made a decision. She would go to the shop and talk to William directly. Or if William wasn’t there, perhaps she could learn something from the store’s staff.
She grabbed her coat and purse, locked the library behind her, and headed out to her rental car.
The drive into downtown St. Augustine took about twenty minutes. Charlie found parking near the historic district and walked the few blocks to Moore’s Treasures and Treats.
The shop was exactly as she remembered from her brief visit with Logan a few days ago.
Charming, eclectic, and absolutely magical.
The large windows were decorated with twinkling lights and vintage Christmas ornaments.
Inside, she could see shelves packed with treasures from around the world, jars of colorful candy, and a towering Christmas tree covered in wish cards.
A bell chimed softly as Charlie pushed open the door. The shop smelled of peppermint and cinnamon, with underlying notes of chocolate and an indefinable sweetness. Christmas music played softly in the background, and every available surface was covered with toys, trinkets, and treasures.
An older woman stood behind the counter, wrapping a purchase for a customer. She was perhaps in her seventies, with silver hair pulled back in an elegant bun and kind eyes that crinkled when she smiled.
Charlie waited until the customer left before approaching the counter.
“Hello,” the woman said warmly. “Welcome to Moore’s Treasures and Treats. I’m Gloria Bright. How can I help you today?”
“Hi, Gloria. I’m Charlotte Burke. Most people call me Charlie,” Charlie said, extending her hand. “I’m a friend of the Christmas family. I was actually hoping to speak with William Moore if he’s available?”
“Oh, I’m afraid William’s out at the moment,” Gloria said. “Can I get him to contact you when he’s available?”
Charlie glanced around the shop, noting the wishing tree and the fascinating array of items on display. “Actually, I wonder if I could ask you a few questions? About William and the Christmas family?”
Gloria’s expression grew curious but not suspicious. “I suppose that depends on the questions. But I’ve known William his whole life, and I’ve known the Christmas family just as long. What would you like to know?”
“How long has William been friends with the Christmas family?” Charlie asked. “I know he and Julie are close, but I’m curious about the history there.”
Gloria smiled, settling herself more comfortably behind the counter as if preparing for a story. “Well, the Moore family and the Christmas family go way back. Both families were born and raised here in St. Augustine. Their roots run deep in this town and Anastasia Island.”
“So William and Jack’s father were friends?” Charlie prompted.
“Actually, no,” Gloria said. “It wasn’t William who was James Christmas’s best friend. That was William’s twin brother, Harrold. Harrold Moore and James Christmas were inseparable from the time they were boys. Best friends all through school and into adulthood.”
Charlie’s pen stilled on her notepad. “William has a twin brother?”
“Had,” Gloria corrected gently. “Harrold died about fifteen years ago in a plane crash. It was a terrible tragedy.”
“I’m so sorry,” Charlie said sincerely. “That must have been devastating for the family.”
“It was,” Gloria agreed. “Especially for William. You see, Harrold was older than William by a couple of hours. He was the one who took over the family shipping business, Moore Shipping Lines. William had gone off to West Palm Beach to make his own way. He became an attorney, quite successful, too. William opened a law firm and landed one of the biggest companies in Florida as his firm’s main client. A big tech company.”