Chapter 19 Jane
JANE
Jane stood behind the reception desk, grateful for a few moments of quiet after the chaos of the past two days.
She was taking a break from the ballroom, which was finally coming along nicely.
The decorations were nearly complete, the lighting was perfect, and the space was transforming into something magical for the Winter Ball.
Tonight, the inn felt peaceful. Her grandmother had gone out with William to a Christmas concert in town.
Her father and Holly were taking Trinity night shopping in St. Augustine, something about finding the perfect dress for the ball.
Charlie and Logan were cooped up in the library, supposedly working on legal documents for the inn’s finances.
Jane grinned to herself. She was pretty sure they were actually deciding when to come clean to everyone about their relationship. As if everyone didn’t already know. The way those two looked at each other made it perfectly obvious what was happening between them.
Christopher would be going to Isabella’s for dinner again tonight.
It had become a nightly routine over the past two days, and Jane found herself smiling at the thought.
Who would have imagined that the serious military man would be so completely smitten with the single mother who’d stumbled into his life a few days ago?
Her smile widened as she thought about how close she and Isabella had become since the incident with the girls.
They hadn’t spoken about their differences, hadn’t addressed the awkwardness from high school or Jane’s initial coolness toward her.
Instead, they’d simply slipped into a sort of understanding, a new start to what was becoming a real friendship.
Jane had forgiven Isabella for her queen-bee attitude in high school. Not aloud and not to Isabella directly. But in her heart, she’d let it go. And that felt good enough for now.
Her musings were interrupted by the sound of footsteps and voices from the dining room. Isabella, Maddy, and Christopher emerged, clearly heading out for the evening. Isabella had her purse over her shoulder, and Maddy was chattering excitedly about something.
“Jane!” Maddy bounded over to the desk with the infectious energy that Jane had come to adore over the past week. “Christopher is coming for dinner and we’re going to watch Miracle on 34th Street! It’s one of my favorite Christmas movies!”
“That’s so awesome,” Jane said genuinely. “I love that movie too. You guys enjoy your evening.”
“We will!” Maddy grabbed her mother’s hand and practically dragged her toward the door. “Come on, Mom! We need to get the cookies in the oven before the movie starts!”
Isabella laughed and let herself be pulled along, pausing only to wave at Jane. Christopher followed behind them with an amused expression, and Jane watched them disappear through the front entrance.
As the door closed behind them, Jane’s mind shifted to the one other person who was going to be at the inn tonight. Gabe.
Her heart did an involuntary flip at the thought of him.
Her hand went automatically to the bump and bruise on her temple that was still healing from where Todd had hit her. The physical pain had faded to a dull ache, but the memory of that afternoon on the beach remained sharp and clear.
Before she could ponder that thought too deeply, Christopher suddenly rushed back in like something was chasing him.
“Forgot something?” Jane asked, startled by his urgency.
“Your father’s keys for his pickup,” Christopher said quickly, stopping at the reception desk.
“He said I could borrow it.” He paused, and Jane saw something in his eyes that made her straighten.
“Listen, Jane...” His eyes were wide and filled with an emotion she couldn’t quite decipher.
There was urgency in his voice that set her nerves on edge.
“Two people have just arrived, and it looks like they’re going to try to check in.
I don’t have time to explain. But please tell them the inn is full and whatever you do, please don’t give them rooms.”
“What? Why—” Jane started.
But footsteps and voices were already approaching from outside. Christopher ducked into the office behind the reception desk, saying again with even more urgency: “Don’t give them rooms.”
Very curious now and slightly alarmed, Jane turned toward the entrance just as a very well and expensively dressed woman, probably in her early fifties, walked in. A man about her father’s age followed, also impeccably dressed. Both were wheeling expensive-looking suitcases.
“Hello,” the man greeted her with a charming smile that, for some reason, made Jane want to hurl.
She didn’t know if it was because of Christopher’s warning or her own intuition, but this man made her skin crawl.
“Evening,” Jane greeted back, plastering on her best false smile. “How can I help you?”
“My fiancée and I would like two rooms for a few nights, please,” the man said with the kind of confidence that suggested he was used to getting whatever he wanted. That confidence just made Jane’s hackles rise further.
“I’m sorry, but we’re fully booked,” Jane told him, and she felt a surge of satisfaction when she saw surprise register on his face. What kind of person just assumed there would be rooms available without calling ahead? She thoroughly enjoyed wiping that confidence from his expression.
“Oh?” He said in clear disbelief. “Really?” He glanced around the lobby pointedly, as if trying to catch her in a lie.
“Yes, really,” Jane said firmly, nodding. “I can recommend you try one of the hotels in St. Augustine.” She glanced at the woman, who was looking around the inn with an expression that bordered on disdain.
“Are you sure, dear?” the woman said, her tone dripping with condescension. “This place doesn’t look...” She glanced around pointedly. “Full.”
“That’s because all of our guests are out for the evening enjoying the many Christmas activities in St. Augustine,” Jane told her, secretly enjoying the annoyance that flashed in the woman’s eyes.
She was one of those people used to getting her own way, Jane realized immediately. What a witch. She wondered again who these people were and why Christopher had been so insistent that she not give them rooms.
“You can try one of the bigger hotels in St. Augustine or just outside of town,” Jane continued. “We get pretty booked up in this area at this time of year.”
“Yes, we understand,” the man said, though his smile had become noticeably cooler. “Thank you for your suggestions. Come, love, let’s go find another place.”
“But we need to be here,” the woman said beneath her breath, but loud enough that Jane heard it clearly.
Jane frowned. What did she mean by that?
“Well, we’re not getting in here tonight,” the man answered, starting to pull the woman toward the door.
Just then, footsteps echoed from the staircase. Jane heard Christopher, who she could see peeking through the office door, hiss a quiet “Uh oh.”
She turned to see Holly helping Gabe down the stairs, with Trinity on his other side. Her heart did that involuntary flip again at the sight of Gabe. He was still moving carefully with the newly reset leg, and Holly was being overly cautious about making sure he didn’t put too much weight on it.
They were just reaching the bottom step when the man by the door suddenly spoke.
“Holly?”
Holly, Gabe, and Trinity froze mid-step and turned toward the newcomers.
“Simon?” Holly said, her voice filled with shock. Her eyes moved to the woman. “Terry?”
“Granddad?” Trinity said at the same time, confusion written across her young face.
“Holly,” the woman said, equal shock in her voice.
And Gabe hissed through his teeth, his entire body going rigid: “What are you doing here, Father?”
Jane’s mind raced. Simon. Gabe’s father. Holly’s ex-husband. The man who’d had an affair. Her eyes went to the woman standing beside him. This had to be Terry. The woman Simon had left Holly for.
“We’re here on behalf of our client who is looking to acquire this place,” Terry blurted out, as if she couldn’t help herself.
The silence that crashed over the lobby was deafening.
Jane watched Holly’s face drain of all color.
She watched Gabe’s expression go cold and deadly in a way that reminded her of the day Trinity had been kidnapped.
And watched Trinity’s confusion morph into understanding, then hurt, as she realized who these people were.
And Jane realized with a sinking feeling that Todd hadn’t been the only threat to the people she cared about. That maybe a bigger danger had just walked through their door. And this time, it wasn’t targeting just one person.
It was targeting all of them. The inn. The Christmas family. Everything they’d built and everything they were trying to save.
The magic of Christmas suddenly felt very far away.
END OF BOOK TWO