Chapter 4 Jane
JANE
Jane finished breakfast with Gabe, feeling lighter than she had in years.
Their conversation had been easy and comfortable, filled with the kind of companionship that did not require constant words.
Sometimes they had just sat in peaceful silence, eating and watching the morning light filter through the dining room windows.
As they left the dining room together, Gabe paused in the hallway. “I’ll go get Trinity and meet you in the ballroom. We can work on sorting through that last box of ornaments you mentioned yesterday.”
Jane felt a flutter of concern. “Are you sure? Your leg...”
“I promise to sit,” Gabe assured her with a smile that made her chest feel warm. “Trinity and I will finish sorting through the leftover ornaments, rooting out the broken ones, the ugly ones, and setting aside what can be used. Nothing strenuous, I promise.”
Jane could not help but smile back. “I am pleased that you and Trinity will be there today. It makes the work go faster, and Trinity has such good ideas for the decorations.”
“She’s excited about helping,” Gabe said. “I think she feels like she is part of something important.”
“She is,” Jane said softly. “You both are.”
They said their goodbyes, and Jane headed through the inn toward the family house. Her heart felt lighter than it had in years, almost buoyant with something she barely recognized anymore. Hope, maybe. Or just the simple pleasure of looking forward to the day ahead.
As Jane walked through the living room, a gust of wind suddenly blew a window open, making the curtains billow inward. The soft breeze engulfed her, wrapping around her like an embrace, and Jane froze in place.
The air carried a warmth that should not have been there in December, and Jane could have sworn she heard a voice in that breeze. Darren’s voice, as clear as if he were standing beside her.
“It’s about time, love.”
The breeze disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, and the window banged shut with enough force to make Jane jump. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, but not from fear. From excitement. From acceptance. From something that felt almost like permission.
Jane stood rooted to the spot, her eyes closed, breathing in the lingering scent of salt air and something indefinably sweet. A smile spread across her face, unbidden and genuine.
“I miss you both so much,” Jane whispered to the empty room.
The house was silent, but Jane felt a warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with the brief breeze. She opened her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling steadier than she had in years.
Jane headed to her room to change and get ready for another day of decorating the ballroom.
As she pulled on comfortable work clothes and tied her hair back, she found herself humming softly.
When was the last time she had hummed? When was the last time she had felt this sense of anticipation for a day ahead?
An hour later, Jane was up on a ladder in the ballroom, carefully installing a new bulb in one of the ornate chandeliers. The replacement had just arrived that morning, and Jane wanted to get it in place before they continued with the other decorations.
“Good morning,” Gabe’s voice called from the doorway.
Jane turned on the ladder, her greeting warmer than it might have been even yesterday. “Good morning. I’m just finishing up here.”
Gabe entered the ballroom, managing his crutches with practiced ease. “Trinity and Maddy have gone to get seashells for some of those decorations you needed. The ones for the coastal-themed garlands.”
“Oh, right,” Jane said, then a feeling of panic suddenly hit her. The beach. The girls were on the beach. Alone. After what had happened with Todd Berkley kidnapping them, after everything...
Jane turned too quickly on the ladder, wanting to ask who was with them, needing to know they were safe. “Wait, who is with them—”
The question never got finished. The ladder wobbled from her sudden movement, and Jane felt herself falling backward. Her stomach lurched, her hands grasped at empty air, and time seemed to slow as she realized she was about to hit the floor hard—on her already fragile back.
Then strong arms caught her.
Even with a broken leg, Gabe was there in a flash. He had somehow crossed the distance between them and caught her before she could hit the ground. Jane found herself cradled against his chest, his arms solid and steady around her.
Her heart was hammering for multiple reasons. Fear from almost certain injury. Panic about the girls being alone on the beach. The sudden, overwhelming awareness of being held so close to Gabe. And then, cutting through everything else, concern for him.
“Gabe, your leg,” Jane gasped, her eyes widening as realization hit.
“Don’t worry,” Gabe assured her, his voice surprisingly calm. “I’m on one leg.”
“Really?” Jane’s eyes widened further, and she turned her head to look. His crutches were lying on the floor several feet away, and Gabe was indeed balancing like a flamingo on one leg with her full weight in his arms.
The absurdity of it almost made her laugh, but she was too aware of how close they were. How could she feel the steady beat of his heart? How his arms felt around her. How his face was inches from hers.
“Really,” Gabe said, and she could hear the strain in his voice now. “But I’m going to have to put you down soon because I don’t know how long I can balance like this.”
Jane felt heat flood her cheeks. “Oh. Yes. Of course.”
Gabe carefully set her on her feet, and Jane immediately helped him to one of the chairs she had set up near the ornament boxes. She grabbed his crutches and brought them over, then helped prop his injured leg up on another chair.
“Thank you for saving me,” Jane said, her voice soft as she looked at him.
“Of course,” Gabe replied, and their eyes met.
The moment stretched between them, filled with something Jane could not quite name but could definitely feel. The air seemed charged, intimate, and Jane found she could not look away from Gabe’s eyes.
The sound of running feet and excited voices broke the spell. Duke’s barking echoed through the hallway, followed by Charlie’s voice complaining good-naturedly.
“I’m too old to keep up with you two,” Charlie was saying, slightly out of breath. “Slow down before I have a heart attack.”
Trinity, Maddy, Duke, and Charlie all burst into the ballroom together. The girls were carrying a large bucket filled with seashells, their faces flushed with excitement and exercise. Duke bounded over to Gabe, tail wagging enthusiastically.
“Charlie was with them,” Gabe said softly to Jane, answering the question she had half-asked before toppling off the ladder.
Jane took a moment to compose herself, then went to examine the bucket of shells the girls had collected. “This is wonderful work. You two found some beautiful shells.”
Trinity beamed with pride. “Maddy found the best ones. She has a really good eye for this stuff.”
Maddy ducked her head, pleased with the praise. “Trinity found a lot, too. And Charlie helped us reach the ones in the tide pools.”
Charlie, still catching her breath, waved a hand. “I’m going to get a coffee and a sticky bun and get back to my work. Logan is probably wondering where I disappeared to.”
“Thank you, Aunt Charlie,” Gabe said quietly as she passed his chair.
Charlie paused and squeezed his hand, her expression fond. “Any time, sweetheart.”
The rest of the morning passed in comfortable productivity. Isabella brought them a picnic-style lunch served right there in the ballroom so they would not have to stop working. Sandwiches, fruit, cookies, and lemonade spread out on a blanket on the floor made it feel festive and fun.
Trinity and Maddy chattered about their shell-hunting adventure while Duke begged shamelessly for sandwich scraps. Jane found herself laughing at their stories, at Duke’s antics, and at Gabe’s dry commentary, which made everything funnier.
After a few more hours of work, the ballroom was really taking shape. The chandelier sparkled with its new bulb, garlands were elegantly draped along the walls, and the tables were set and ready for the final touches.
Gabe stretched carefully, mindful of his leg. “We’re going dress shopping tonight. The girls want to find the perfect dresses for the Winter Ball.”
“And we are grabbing some good old junk food for dinner,” Trinity added with a grin. “Dad promised we could get burgers and fries and milkshakes.”
Both girls immediately turned to Jane, their pleading expressions melting stone.
“Please come with us,” Maddy begged.
“Please, Jane,” Trinity added. “It will be so much more fun with you there.”
Gabe caught Jane’s eye. “I could use the adult support. Two twelve-year-olds in dress shops can be overwhelming.”
Jane felt warmth spread through her chest at being included, at being wanted. “I could use a new dress too,” she admitted. “I haven’t bought anything nice in years.”
The girls cheered, and plans were quickly made. They would all meet in the foyer at six o’clock and head into St. Augustine for shopping and a junk food dinner.
They left the ballroom together, Jane making sure everything was properly locked up. The girls ran ahead with Duke, their voices echoing down the hallway as they made plans for what kind of dresses they wanted to find.
As they reached the foyer where the front desk was located, the inn’s front door swept open. A woman stepped inside, and Jane’s heart stopped.
She froze in place, her entire body going rigid with shock and recognition.
The woman was impeccably dressed in an expensive outfit that probably cost more than Jane made in a month.
Her blonde hair was styled in a perfect French twist, and her makeup was flawless.
She was, Jane knew, in her mid-fifties, tall and slender, and she carried herself with the kind of confidence that came from money and privilege.