Chapter 18 Jack
JACK
It was just after two in the afternoon, and the Christmas Inn was buzzing with activity. Guests had started arriving, and everyone was pitching in to make sure check-in went smoothly.
Logan and Christopher had been taking luggage up to the rooms for the past hour.
Jane and Holly were working the front desk, checking guests in with warm smiles despite their exhaustion.
Marco was outside with one of the young waiters, directing traffic and ensuring cars were parked properly in the lot.
Maddy and Trinity had been tasked with keeping Duke and Brandy under control in the Christmas family’s private residence. The dogs were excited by all the new people and activity, and it was taking both girls’ full attention to keep them from escaping to greet every arriving guest.
Jack moved through the inn like a conductor orchestrating a symphony.
He checked in with the kitchen staff to make sure dinner preparations were on track.
He verified that Room Seven had the extra pillows a guest had requested.
He made sure the heating system on the second floor was working properly.
Every small detail that needed handling, Jack was there to handle it.
They were all exhausted. No one had slept the night before, working frantically to get the last three rooms finished for the inspection. And they still had hours to go before they could rest.
The lamp decorating event had been moved forward to four o’clock instead of seven, with an early dinner to follow. So far, none of the guests had minded the change. In fact, most seemed charmed by the idea of an afternoon craft activity followed by a cozy early meal.
Jack couldn’t believe how well everything was going. After months of crisis after crisis, things were finally falling into place.
But a nagging worry gnawed at the back of his mind. He hadn’t heard from his mother since she’d left that morning to go into town. He was sure it was nothing, but he’d tried to call her a few times and she wasn’t answering.
Holly kept glancing at the door, clearly worried about where Charlie was. Even Logan was starting to look concerned. Neither Julie nor Charlie were answering their phones.
Jack had even tried calling William, but there was no answer there either.
His gut clenched with familiar anxiety, but he forced himself to push it aside. No. He wasn’t going to let another bad thought in. Not today.
Yes, the inn wasn’t completely out of the woods yet. They still had a lot of money to raise. They still needed to figure out who the mysterious benefactor paying off their bills was. And they still had to deal with whatever Victor and Pamela’s next move would be.
But he wasn’t going to think about any of that right now.
If they didn’t manage to keep the inn in the end, at least it wouldn’t be because Victor and Pamela had played dirty and gotten away with it. At least it wouldn’t be for lack of trying. They would go down fighting if they had to go down at all.
And regardless of what happened, this would be one of the best Christmases ever.
“Why don’t you go check on the girls?” Jane suggested to Holly during a lull in guest arrivals. “It’s quiet now. I can handle the desk for a bit.”
“Are you sure?” Holly asked, her face lighting up with gratitude.
“Absolutely,” Jane assured her. “Just send Isabella back with one of her lattes when you get a chance.”
“Sure,” Holly said.
Jane said with a smile, “Ask her to make it her peppermint Christmas tree one.”
“Needing a sugar rush, love?” Jack asked, walking over to them with a grin.
“Yup,” Jane said unapologetically.
“I’ll walk with you,” Jack said to Holly, wanting some time alone with her. They’d barely had a moment to themselves all day.
As they stepped into the passage that connected the inn to the family’s private residence, Jack pulled Holly into his arms and kissed her.
“I just realized it’s been hours and hours since I told you how much I love you,” Jack murmured against her lips.
“It has been,” Holly smiled, her eyes soft with affection.
They kissed again, and a loud crash from inside the house drew them apart.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Holly said.
“Nope. With Duke around, it never is,” Jack laughed, grabbing her hand as they hurried inside.
They found Maddy and Trinity desperately trying to pick up pieces of a broken vase that had crashed to the floor. Duke and Brandy sat nearby, looking suspiciously innocent.
“I’m sorry, it was me,” Trinity said quickly, clearly lying to protect the dogs. “I’m so clumsy. I was showing Maddy this one ballet move, and I knocked it over with my arm.”
“Uh-huh,” Jack said with a knowing smile. “I think we all need a walk along the beach and some fresh air. And then you can show us all your ballet moves properly.”
“Really?” Trinity asked, her face brightening.
“Yup,” Jack said, his heart swelling. He remembered her calling him “Granddad” earlier, and the warmth of that moment filled him again.
He hadn’t realized how much he’d longed to be called that.
“Come on, let’s get us all out of this house.
And I heard Mrs. Patterson has set up her homemade ice cream van outside the inn. ”
“Seriously?” Maddy and Trinity said in unison, their eyes going wide with excitement.
Jack grabbed the dogs’ leashes, and the four of them headed out the back door of the house toward the beach.
The December air was crisp and cool, perfect for a walk. Duke and Brandy bounded ahead, their leashes pulled taut as they sniffed everything in sight. Trinity and Maddy chatted about the lamp-decorating event.
They stopped at Mrs. Patterson’s vintage ice cream van. Despite the winter weather, she was doing a brisk business with inn guests and locals who’d stopped by.
“Four, please,” Jack said. “What flavors do you have today?”
“Peppermint stick, gingerbread, eggnog, and my special Christmas cookie dough,” Mrs. Patterson said with a smile.
They each chose a flavor, and Jack paid for them all.
They walked along the beach for forty minutes, eating their ice cream and watching the dogs play in the surf. Duke would charge into the waves, then retreat when they rolled back in. Brandy was more cautious, staying at the water’s edge.
“You won’t believe how intelligent Brandy is,” the girls gushed as they walked back toward the house. “She sits on command. Duke barely listens to anything.”
“That’s because Detective Bruce had her trained,” Jack explained.
“Can we train Duke?” Trinity asked hopefully.
“We can try,” Jack said with a laugh. “But Duke’s pretty set in his ways.”
They arrived back at the house, and they’d no sooner taken off their coats when Julie appeared in the living room. She greeted the girls and dogs fondly, then told them there were treats waiting in the kitchen.
“Treats?” Holly said with mock horror. “Julie, we just had ice cream.”
“It’s Christmas,” Julie said with a smile. “Rules don’t apply.”
The girls whooped and ran toward the kitchen, the dogs bounding after them.
Julie’s expression grew more serious as she turned to Jack and Holly. “Jack, Holly, Charlie wants to see you both in the library. Now.”
Jack’s heart sank. He didn’t like the look on his mother’s face. Something was wrong.
“Oh no, what’s happened?” Holly asked before Jack could.
“Just keep an open mind when you go in there. Both of you!” Julie told them, her eyes moving between them. “Promise me.”
“Mom, what’s going on?” Jack’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. Was this the other shoe dropping already?
“Promise me,” Julie repeated firmly.
“Okay,” Jack said slowly. “I promise.”
“And you, too, Holly!” Julie’s brows shot up as she stared at Holly.
Holly looked between them, worry evident on her face. “Okay, I promise.”
“Now go. I’ll look after the girls.” Julie waved them off. “Remember… keep an open mind.”
Jack and Holly left the girls and dogs with Julie and made their way back through the passage to the inn. Jack’s mind raced with possibilities. Had something happened with the inspection after all? Had Victor filed a new legal challenge? Was there another crisis?
They reached the library, and Jack pushed open the door.
He and Holly froze in the doorway.
Seated in the chairs in front of Charlie’s desk were two people Jack had never expected to see in his inn. Charlie sat behind the desk, her expression carefully neutral. William stood on one side of the desk, and Logan on the other. Both men looked tense.
“What are they doing here?” Jack said through clenched teeth, his eyes fixed on the unwelcome visitors.
The man, who was a head shorter than Jack, stood up and walked toward him. “Hello, Jack. I know I’m the last person you wanted to see.”
He glanced back at the woman seated nervously in the chair. She looked like she wanted to disappear into the upholstery.
“You’re right,” Jack said coldly. “What are you and Terry doing here, Victor?”