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As the kids bickered and went off on tangents into other memories, Holly slumped against the hard chair. It felt like the weight on her shoulders was starting to lift. She still didn't know where she was supposed to go from here, but at least now she had a flicker of hope. If she kept her wits about her, she could begin the slow process of rebuilding her new life.
"So," Gabby said during a lull in the conversation. There was a slight pause after the word, and Holly pictured her kids exchanging a silent glance. "Sean and I have been talking."
"Yes..." Holly replied, curious and more than a bit apprehensive about where the conversation was about to go. With her kids, she never could tell.
Gabby took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Either she was holding the phone close, or that had been one heck of a sigh. "We both decided we won't be speaking to Dad again for the foreseeable future. We're not sure if we'll be able to forgive him for what he did. To you, to us, to everyone. And until he does something to prove he's sorry and tries to make it right, neither of us want anything to do with him."
Holly chewed on her bottom lip, struggling to think of what to say in response. She had tried to shield the kids from the brunt of the fallout between her and Will, though it had been impossible to keep everything from them, especially when the true extent of the shady dealings he had been involved with had gone public. It had been front news in every paper, for Pete's sake. But while Holly would probably never forgive her now ex-husband, she had never wanted to sour the kids' relationship with their father.
But, at the same time, they were both adults now. They were both fully capable of understanding everything that had happened and made their own decisions regarding all of it. And, from the sound of it, they had spent a good bit of time processing it all. In a way, Holly couldn't blame them. They were well aware of the damage he had caused.
So what could she say? It didn't feel right to praise them for cutting their father out of their lives. But at the same time, she didn't want to say or do something to minimize the effect his transgressions had on everyone.
"Are you sure?" Holly asked, at last, knowing she had to say something.
"We are," Sean answered immediately. There wasn't even a moment of hesitation from him, which spoke volumes. He was incapable of hating or hurting anyone. If he had come to the same conclusion as his sister, then it was likely he'd truly thought it all through.
"Okay. You both know I'm here for you, no matter what, right? Nothing that's happened or will happen can ever change that. You'll always be my babies." Holly took a deep breath and then let out a sigh of her own. "And despite his faults, I know your father feels the same way. You'll always be his children as much as you're mine."
The line was quiet for a moment. Holly waited, only just breathing, for what would come next.
"There's something else we need to talk to you about," Gabby said at last. Her voice was apprehensive and uneasy. The tone made Holly shift uncomfortably. The little bit of relief she had felt earlier vanished in an instant. "But it's better done in person."
"I'm not sure when I'll be back in Miami," Holly admitted, wincing as she said the words. God, she had made all these plans without thinking to consult anyone else. She had been so focused on not having anything back in Miami she'd forgotten that, just maybe, her kids really did need her. Sure, they were adults, but that didn't mean watching their parents' relationship and careers fall apart wasn't hard on them. "I promised your grandmother I would stay here for a couple of weeks, try to get the inn back to what it used to be, you know?"
More silence, then another audible sigh. Holly had no doubt it had come from Gabby again. "Okay, but as soon as you know, call one of us, okay?"
"Of course I will," Holly promised.
The conversation didn't last much longer after that. There was a tension in the air; one Holly didn't know how to breakthrough. By the time she hung up, that familiar feeling of helplessness had set back in, and she felt a weight on her shoulders once more. It felt like she couldn't do anything right. She should have been there for her kids, who obviously did need her.
But she couldn't be there for them and her mother at the same time.
Holly let out a sigh and downed the rest of her wine, then poured another glass. It was going to be a very long night.
