And she was glad he would be at her side again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Holly tapped her foot against the wooden flooring. Jake sat right next to her, quiet but supportive. Holly had tried to tell him he didn't need to come back up to Miami with her, but nothing she had said could dissuade him.
Gabby had come along, too. Holly hadn't thought that was a good idea, figuring her daughter didn't need that kind of stress while she was pregnant. But Gabby was just as stubborn as Jake, and so the three of them had all driven up together in time for Holly to testify.
Now, they sat side-by-side in the courtroom on hard wooden benches, waiting. Her lawyers had gone over everything with her multiple times. All she had to do was tell the truth, and she would be golden. That didn't stop her anxiety from going into overdrive, though.
She just wanted to get this all over with. What she would do afterward, she still hadn't figured out. She would return to the Keys most likely. There was still so much work to do around the inn. Jason and Paul's crew had made good progress already, but it was still going to be another couple of weeks before everything was finished.
Plus, Nelly still wasn't up to running the day to day part of the business yet. Well, she claimed she could handle it just fine, but her doctor disagreed. Cara was there now, helping keep the place afloat while Holly dealt with her own mess.
Jake and Holly had sat by the water for quite a while that night, barely saying a word to each other. And by the time he had escorted her back, the fundraiser had been completely cleaned up, and her family was waiting for her at the house.
One look at their worried faces had been enough to crack the little bit of a shell Holly still had wrapped around herself. So Jake had sat with her again while she told them the story, filling in Gabby on the details she had kept secret. They had all been shocked and outraged at what Will had done, but not one of them had looked at her with pity.
They had all hugged her that night, promising to stand by her, no matter what. Holly couldn't ever remember crying as much as she'd done that night. But she had it all out in the open now, and everyone was ready and willing to help her if she needed them.
She had been more disappointed than she'd expected when Jake had finally left that night. Part of her had wanted to ask him to stay with her, but she bit her tongue. She appreciated everything he had done for her, but she didn't want to rush things.
And now, sitting in the courtroom waiting to testify, she had to fight to keep from reaching out and taking his hand. More than once, she had started to reach out with her hand but then stopped herself, afraid of what he might think.
Finally, Gabby nudged her. When Holly looked over at her daughter, Gabby gave her a look. She didn't need words for Holly to understand exactly what she meant. Gabby was urging her to go for it, to take that final leap.
She had told Gabby about her relationship with Jake the night before they had driven up to Miami. They had sat in the old Archer family kitchen, shoveling ice cream into their mouths like the sugary treat might make all the pain go away.
Holly took a deep breath and then went for it. She reached over and put her hand on Jake's. He glanced over at her, smiled, then turned his hand over and threaded his fingers between hers. It may not have been a proclamation of undying love, but it was just what Holly needed to keep her strength up.
And when it was time for her to step onto the stand and look out over the audience, she kept her eyes locked on Jake. He couldn't be up there with her, but he wasn't far away, offering his silent support the entire time.
"And you had no idea your husband was skimming money off the top of each sale?" the prosecutor asked.
Holly shook her head. "He had always wanted us to keep our clients separate from each other. At first, I just thought it was some kind of little rivalry between us, you know? Who could land the most clients who could sell the biggest house-- that kind of thing. It was only after the police showed up that I realize he had kept his clients separate from mine, so I wouldn't notice the accounting discrepancies."
The prosecutor nodded, then walked over to his desk and retrieved a stack of papers. He set them on the stand in front of Holly, and when she leafed through them, she realized they were copies of all the sales she had made in the last ten years or so.
"And these are the sales you made yourself, correct?" When Holly nodded, the man took the stack back to his desk. "After a thorough examination of these files, it does appear your accounting was accurate. All money accounted for and all taxes paid."
Holly held her breath. She had known that, of course, but now it was on the record. She was almost there, almost in the clear.
"Do you know what your husband was using the money he skimmed for?"
Her gaze strayed from Jake to where her ex-husband sat in his orange prison jumpsuit. He glared at her, and she glared right back at him. She had been wondering that same thing until recently. Her lawyer had shown her exactly where the money had gone.
"He was seeing another woman on the side," Holly said, still staring at her ex as she sealed his fate. "Apparently, it had been going on for quite some time. He would tell me he had to work late and then take her out to dinner. Or that he was attending a conference when he was really taking her on a fancy vacation. All the while leaving me to take care of our children. And then he tried to use the last of it to flee the country and leave us here to clean up his mess."
She only had to answer a few more questions after that. When she finally stepped down from the stand and headed for the door, her shoulders were lighter. The burden Will had dumped onto her was gone now. He would no doubt rot in prison for quite some time, but Holly would never again have to worry about going down because of him.
Holly had barely passed through the little swinging gate that separated the observers from the rest of the courtroom when Jake rushed over and wrapped her in a tight bear hug. Holly leaned against him, smiling and not caring who saw the two of them together.
Her marriage was over. Her business was over. And now, the life she'd had in Miami was finally over. Now, she could focus on the next phase of her life -- rebuilding the family inn and dedicating a lot more time to her mother, kids and grandkids.
Gabby hugged her next, squeezing her almost as tight as Jake had. When they pulled apart, Gabby smiled at her for a moment. Then, she looked over in the direction of her father and shot him an icy glare. Holly didn't bother looking to see if Will was watching them. She knew he was.
Instead, she took her daughter's hand and Jake's, and then they all headed out of the courtroom together.
One problem down, only a million more to go. But despite the daunting list of tasks ahead of her, Holly had a renewed sense of energy. She could do this, and she felt it in every bone in her body. No matter what curve balls life threw at her, she could do this.
And she wasn't alone. She would never have to worry about being alone ever again.
Chapter Twenty-Five
"I think we need to celebrate," Gabby declared as the three of them left the courthouse. She grinned as if nothing in the world could go wrong. Her excitement was contagious and Holly and Jake grinned as well.
"What did you have in mind?" Holly asked, raising an eyebrow. With Gabby, she didn't always know what to expect. It could've been anything from a simple family dinner to a full-blown party if she wasn't careful.
"Dinner at that little Italian place, the one you used to take us to as a treat when we were kids."
Holly raised an eyebrow. That place hadn't been anything special, just a little mom-and-pop restaurant that hadn't been too far from their house. But whenever the kids had done something worth celebrating, that was where they had always wanted to go.
It wouldn't have been Holly's first choice, but if that was what Gabby wanted, who was she to argue?
"We'll have to call Sean and let him know how it went. And invite him along," Holly said as they headed toward the cars.
She would fill him in o
n everything as well. He had wanted to be there with her in court, but Shawna hadn't been able to get off work, so Sean had been watching their daughter. That was one thing Holly had put her foot down over. She wasn't going to let her granddaughter witness any of their turmoil. She was only three, and she didn't need this kind of stress in her young life. Sean had agreed.
Gabby smirked at the mention of her brother and then made a sour face. "Do we have to? Can't we just invite Shawna and Rachel and leave him home?"
Holly playfully smacked her daughter's shoulder. She doubted they would ever truly stop their sibling bickering, and she hoped they never did. She didn't want her kids to grow apart like she had done with her own siblings.
Holly had managed to rekindle things with her brother, but she still had a long way to go with her sisters. She hadn't spoken to Rina since that night, and though Randy had filled Amy in on everything going on with the inn and their mother, Holly still hadn't gotten up the courage to call her.
When they finally reached Gabby's house, they found her fiancé looking like he had been through the wringer a few times. The moment he locked eyes with Gabby, he rushed over to hug her, making her squeak at the suddenness.
"Oh, thank God!" he yelled. He blinked a few times like he was on the verge of tears. "When you ran off to the Keys to track down your mother and then called to say you were staying there for a while, I thought..."
"You thought I wasn't coming back," Gabby finished for him, and he nodded.
Gabby sighed as she hugged her fiancé back. Holly knew Gabby had been considering doing just that, at least for a little while. But Holly also knew Gabby had sorted through most of the insecurities they'd been having and was ready to face whatever life threw at her.
"Come on, let's go sit down." Gabby took Lucas's hand and guided him toward their living room. Holly and Jake headed for the kitchen to give the two of them some privacy, but their apartment wasn't very big, and they could hear everything that was said.
"I'm so sorry I scared you like that. I was just... I was going through some stuff, and I needed to talk to Mom first. I now know I should have talked to you first instead."
"What's going on, baby? Did I do something to upset you?"
"No, it wasn't anything you did." Gabby took a deep breath. "It was just... all this stuff with my father; it kinda hit me all at once. It freaked me out, and I started having some crazy and irrational thoughts. But Mom helped talk some sense into me, though."
There was silence for a few moments. Holly could only imagine what went through their minds right then. She knew Gabby had to be on pins and needles, getting ready to give her future husband the big news.
"Lucas, there's something else. I'm... I'm pregnant. We're going to have a baby."
The silence that followed only lasted for a brief second. Then, Lucas's shouting filled the apartment. "What? Oh, my God! Really? Are you sure? Have you been to the doctor yet?" He asked a dozen questions, one after another, not even giving Gabby a chance to breathe, let alone answer.
Holly and Jake exchanged smiles as they listened to them celebrate their upcoming child. Will had certainly never reacted like that when she had given him the news about their children and that alone told Holly her daughter would be just fine.
Lucas wasn't Will. He wouldn't do the same things Will had done. He wouldn't put his family at risk, wouldn't jeopardize their futures and happiness, just to satisfy his own needs and desires. All the fears Gabby had about her relationship, turning out just like her mother's, were completely unfounded.
"Think it's safe to go in there?" Jake whispered. His eyes darted in the direction of the living room. "Or do you think they're going to try to rope us into baby shower planning or something?"
Holly laughed, then took his hand and led him to the living room. After introducing Jake to Lucas, it was indeed baby-mania for a little while. Holly slipped off and called Sean, giving him an update on how court had gone and invited them to the little celebration dinner.
Except, now it wasn't just a dinner for Holly. It was one for Gabby, too. Now that she had told Lucas about the baby, there was no point in keeping it a secret anymore.
Holly had planned on driving back down to the Keys that night, but by the time they finished their celebration dinner, it was far too late to travel. Gabby, of course, insisted they stay at the apartment for the night and wouldn't take no for an answer.
For a brief moment, Holly had a vision of her and Jake curled up together in the guest room, sleeping in each other's arms for the night. But Jake, ever the gentleman, had taken the couch instead, leaving Holly's dream just that.
Chapter Twenty-Six
"Thanks for going with me," Holly told Jake as they walked hand-in-hand along the beach. The sun was quickly setting, coating everything in yellows and oranges and reds.
They had spent most of the day in Miami with Holly's family. She had wanted to get back on the road right away, knowing Cara was already doing her a huge favor by managing everything while she was gone. But since she had already neglected her family enough in the pursuit of one job, she wasn't about to do it again and had agreed to stick around for a bit.
Which meant it was almost nightfall by the time they'd arrived back at the inn.
The inn hadn't burned to the ground in her absence, and between the time she had spent with her kids and the long drive back down to the islands, Holly had had a lot of time to think. And, for the first time in about a year, she wasn't afraid to be left alone with her thoughts for an extended period.
"Anytime. Just try not to get on the IRS's bad side again," Jake told her, flashing her a wide grin.
Holly rolled her eyes. As if Jake needed more ammunition to tease her about. It was bad enough he knew her childhood secrets. But he was just so easy to talk to and be around, and there was no one she trusted quite like him.
"I was thinking," Holly said, changing the subject abruptly. "I've spent too much time neglecting my family. I was in such a rush to get away from here, and I had left everyone I cared about behind. I think I'm going to reach out to Rina and Amy, see if I can get them back to the house for at least a little while. Mom's got her seventieth birthday coming up soon, and I figure that's the perfect chance to get everyone together again."
Jake nodded. He squeezed her hand and then turned to pull her into his arms. "I think that's a wonderful idea. What does that mean for us, then?"
"What do you want it to mean?" Holly chewed on her bottom lip as she looked up at him. She'd been having these thoughts about Jake since she'd first laid eyes on him at Melissa's party. Now, it was time to find out if he felt the same way or if she was the only one getting lost in nostalgic memories.
"I think you know what I want, Holly. I want you. I've missed you more than I ever thought I would. I always figured we were young, that I would find someone else to share my life with. But after all those years, I never did. Not until you walked back into my life."
Holly's throat tightened as she nodded. Those were the words she had wanted to hear, but that didn't stop her heart from racing faster and faster with each passing moment. "Then I think we should give it a shot again. See where life takes us."
"I like the sound of that."
Jake moved as if in slow motion. Holly watched wide-eyed as his face inched closer and closer to hers. When their lips finally touched, it sent off a cascade of explosions throughout her body as they kissed. She leaned against him, closing her eyes and letting the warmth from the setting sun wash over them.
Maybe forty-six really wasn't too late to start over again, after all.
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The Archer House (The Archer Inn Book 1) Page 14
