Chapter 9 #2
“I... uh...” Pamela fumbled, her usual poise completely gone. She glanced toward the front door, then back at Holly. “No... nothing. I was just...”
She swallowed hard, looking genuinely flustered. “Oh dear. I’m... I’m early.” Pamela glanced at the door again. “I should... I’ll just wait outside until after...”
“What are you talking about?” Holly demanded, moving closer. “After what?”
“Nothing,” Pamela said quickly. Too quickly. “Oh, this is really awkward.” She looked at Holly with what might have been pity or might have been calculation. Holly couldn’t tell. “I’ll just go.”
“I think that’s a very good idea,” Holly said coldly, her eyes drawn to the beautiful red rose in Pamela’s hand. The same kind of rose that Jack kept in his office.
Pamela turned and rushed toward the door, and as she did, the note in her hand fluttered to the floor. It looked almost intentional, but Holly couldn’t be sure.
Holly stalked after her, her heels clicking sharply on the hardwood floor. “You dropped this,” she called out, but Pamela was already out the door.
Holly bent to pick up the note, and her breath caught when she recognized Jack’s distinctive handwriting. He’d written Pamela a note and given her a red rose?
With trembling fingers, Holly opened the note.
Sorry, I’m running late. Have to deal with something quickly. It shouldn’t take long to fix the problem, and then we’ll have the entire night together. I’ve missed you so much. Jack.
Holly’s heart thudded once, hard, and then seemed to drop into her stomach. She froze where she stood, feeling a myriad of emotions crash over her all at once.
Jack had written this note. For Pamela. The rose was for Pamela. She didn’t understand. Why would he tell her to dress up if he was waiting for Pamela? Her mind reeled.
And Holly had been... what? A fool? A placeholder? A way to pass the time until Jack got back together with his ex-wife?
No. No, that couldn’t be right. Jack had kissed her this morning. Had looked at her with such affection in his eyes.
The front door burst open, and Jack rushed in, slightly out of breath. His eyes landed on Holly and widened.
“Holly?” he said, and Holly heard what she interpreted as shock in his voice. Shock at seeing her still there. Shock that his plan had been discovered.
“Who were you expecting?” Holly asked, her voice coming out colder than she’d intended.
“I don’t understand,” Jack said, genuine confusion crossing his face. “We were meeting here for dinner. I’m sorry I’m late, I had to—”
“What?” Holly couldn’t stop the words from pouring out before she could think them through. “Because you had to run after your ex-wife and tell her she jumped the gun and came here too early?”
“What on earth are you talking about, Holly?” Jack asked, taking a step closer.
“You had to deal with me?” Holly sneered, hating herself for how she sounded but unable to stop. “Is that what I am to you? A problem that needs fixing?”
Jack moved closer, his expression shifting from confusion to concern. “Holly, what—”
Holly slammed the note against his chest, her hand shaking. “Your ex-wife dropped this on her way out after getting here a little too early, and I caught her. I guess she wanted to witness the show where you ‘let me down gently.’“
Jack caught the note as it fell, his eyes scanning it quickly. “Ex? What ex...” His eyes widened with understanding. “Do you mean Pamela?” He looked toward the door, his expression darkening with anger. “She was here? Tonight?”
“Yes, I’m afraid she left,” Holly said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “But I’m sure if you hurry, you can catch her.”
She turned to walk away, needing to escape before the tears threatening to spill actually fell. But Jack caught her wrist gently, stopping her.
“This is just like her,” Jack said, and Holly heard real anger in his voice now. “I have no idea what she said to you, but whatever it was, it’s a lie.”
“Oh, really?” Holly whirled toward him, glaring and pulling against his grip. “The red rose and that note say otherwise.”
Jack sighed heavily. “I’m going to let you go, but please stay here. Please.”
Holly looked at him, saw the plea in his eyes, and nodded stiffly. Jack released her wrist and walked around the desk. He bent down and retrieved something from the waste basket behind the reception desk. It was a crumpled envelope.
“Here is the envelope for this note,” Jack said, handing it to Holly. His voice was quiet but steady. “And the note was about having to go get Duke. Again. He went to Detective Bruce’s house to see Brandy.”
Holly looked down at the envelope in her hand. Her name was written on it in Jack’s handwriting, on the same cream-colored stationery as the note.
Reality crashed over her like a wave. The note had been for her. About Duke. About their dinner being delayed.
And she had just accused Jack of planning to break up with her to be with his ex-wife, like some jealous teenager.
“I...” Holly swallowed hard, shame flooding through her. “Oh goodness, Jack. I...”
Jack stood there for a moment, just looking at her. Then he nodded slowly. “It’s okay. I didn’t act much better when I saw you at the café with Simon.”
Holly suddenly remembered. “Oh. I’ve been trying to tell you something the entire day…”
Jack put a finger gently over her lips, stopping her words.
“Can we not do this now?” he suggested softly.
“If it has anything to do with your ex or my ex or the inn and all its problems, can we just... leave it for tonight? Can we just be Jack and Holly, two people going to have a romantic dinner?”
Holly felt tears prick her eyes, but this time they were tears of relief and gratitude. She nodded.
“Come,” Jack said, offering her his arm with a smile that made her heart skip.
Holly took his arm, and he led her toward the ballroom. When he opened the doors, Holly gasped.
The ballroom was finished. Completely, beautifully finished.
The decorations that Jane, Gabe, Trinity, and Maddy had been working on for weeks were all in place.
Evergreen garlands draped along the walls, twinkling lights strung from the ceiling, the painted seashells arranged in elegant patterns. It looked magical.
And off to one side of the room, a table had been set for two. Candles flickered in the center, and soft music played from speakers Holly couldn’t see.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Jack said. “I thought we could test out our children’s hard work. See if the ballroom is really ready for the Winter Ball.”
“I love it,” Holly admitted, her voice thick with emotion. “Jack, this is beautiful.”
The music shifted to a new song, and Jack’s face lit up. “Oh, I love this song. Would you dance with me?”
Holly nodded, and Jack led her onto the dance floor. He pulled her close, one hand on her waist and the other holding hers, and they began to move.
Jack was a fantastic dancer. He led with confidence but gentleness, spinning her smoothly across the polished floor. Holly felt like she was floating, all the stress and worry and doubt melting away until there was only this. The music, the movement, and Jack’s arms around her.
As the song ended, Jack pulled her even closer. His eyes met hers, dark and intense, and then he was kissing her. It was a toe-curling, breathtaking kiss that made Holly’s knees weak and her heart race.
When they finally pulled apart, both breathing hard, Jack rested his forehead against hers.
“I love you, Holly Bennett,” Jack said, his voice rough with emotion.
“I think I have from the moment you arrived at my inn like a miracle I didn’t know I needed.
You walked into my life when everything was falling apart, and somehow you made me believe that things could be okay again.
That I could be happy again. You’re strong and talented and beautiful, and you make me want to be a better man.
I love you, and I don’t want to spend another day without telling you that. ”
Holly felt tears streaming down her face, but they were happy tears this time.
“I love you too, Jack. I love your dedication to your family, your integrity, and the way you see beauty in old things that other people would throw away. You’ve shown me that it’s possible to start over, to build something new from broken pieces. I love you so much it scares me.”
They kissed again, slower this time, savoring the moment.
Eventually, they made their way to the table Jack had prepared. Someone, probably his mother or Isabella, had left covered dishes warming in chafers, and Jack served Holly with a flourish that made her laugh.
As they ate, Holly finally told him what she’d been trying to say all day. “Simon signed the divorce papers this morning. Charlie and I met him at the café, and he signed everything. It’s over. Really, truly over.”
Jack’s face split into a huge smile. “That’s wonderful news, Holly. The best news.” He reached across the table and took her hand, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Because I was a bit wary about falling in love with a married woman.”
Holly laughed through her tears and leaned across the table to kiss him again.
They finished dinner slowly, talking, laughing, and stealing kisses between courses. It was perfect. Everything Holly had dreamed about but hadn’t dared to hope for.
Outside the ballroom windows, hidden in the garden’s shadows, Pamela watched the couple inside. Her beautiful face was twisted with fury, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
Her plan hadn’t worked. Holly and Jack were together, laughing and kissing like lovesick teenagers. All her careful manipulation, all her scheming, and they’d figured it out anyway.
A shadow appeared behind Pamela, reflected in the window. Julie Christmas stepped out of the darkness, her expression serene but her eyes sharp.
“What’s wrong, Pamela?” Julie asked, her voice chiding. “Did true love thwart your nefarious plans again?”
Pamela whirled to face her former mother-in-law. “I will get this inn,” she hissed. “And this time, you won’t stop me. If you try, I will tell your son the truth about what happened thirty years ago.”
“You mean when you were cheating on my son and then abandoning your child?” Julie countered calmly.
“When you threatened me,” Pamela seethed. “When you said that if I came near Jane again, you’d…”
“I did what any mother or grandmother would do to protect her family,” Julie interrupted, her voice steel beneath the gentle tone. “Besides, I merely dangled the carrot, Pamela. You didn’t have to take it. That was your choice and that’s on you, not me.”
Pamela’s face flushed with rage. “I will get this inn!” she seethed before stomping off into the darkness from where she came.