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Chapter Twenty-Three
Holly slumpedagainst one of the tables. The sun had set a little while ago, and the Archer family was busy cleaning up from the fundraiser. If she had been able to, she would have hired people to manage all of this, but since the whole reason for the fundraiser was how tight on the money they were, that left most of the duties to the Archers themselves.
Most of the guests had left already, but a good number were still mingling around, enjoying the gorgeous view of the ocean and the last of the entertainment. Jake was out there somewhere. She was pretty sure. She had lost sight of him while she had been busy cleaning up the food, but she doubted he would leave without saying goodbye.
Her cousins were still around, too, helping with the cleanup. Apparently, they took their role as Archers seriously, and even though the inn wasn't theirs, they weren't about to leave them in the dust. Holly wasn't sure what she would have done without her cousins. Not just for the fundraiser, but for all the work they had done around the property.
Sure, they were billing the inn for a lot of work, but Holly had already seen the initial invoices. They weren't charging nearly as much as they'd have charged anyone else. Near as Holly could tell, they were charging just enough to cover the cost of the materials and the wages for their crew, with neither of her cousins taking a cut from the job.
"I can't believe you ever left this place," Gabby said, wandering over to lean against the table with her. She looked just as tired as her mother, her normally pristine hair now frizzy and messy. But she had a smile on her face. A real one, too. "Look how quick everyone in Miami dumped you once they found out about Dad. But here... You've been gone for decades, and they all still treat you like you've been here the whole time."
Holly nodded. What Gabby said was true. Even she was in awe at just how many people had come to the fundraiser to help them out. She had expected some of them would want to help, either out of loyalty to the Archer family or just because of the inn's history. But she really hadn't expected the whole town to stop by at various points.
Music still filled the air and the local D.J. they'd hired was still going strong. Technically, they should have finished up a while ago since Holly had only paid them for a couple of hours. But even though they were dripping with sweat upon the stage, it was obvious just how much fun they were having. And Holly certainly wasn't going to complain if they wanted to keep the music going for their neighbors.
Holly's phone rang, the sound making both women jump. They exchanged glances and then laughed. Gabby nudged her mom and winked, then went off to continue with the cleanup while Holly fished out her phone.
"Hello?" she said after accepting the call, not even glancing at the number on the screen.
"Is this Holly Archer?" a deep voice asked from the other end. That voice made her heart skip a beat as she muttered another silent curse. It was her lawyer, and if he was calling her this late at night, she knew it wasn't good news.
"This is her. What's going on, Mr. Marshall?" Holly asked as her mouth went dry. She glanced around for something to drink, but there was nothing nearby. She had already cleaned up most of the stuff where she was, and with the lawyer on the phone, she was hesitant to get any closer to the dwindling crowd.
Thomas Marshall sighed. He was an older man, in his late sixties and the best in the area for this kind of law. She had spared no expense in hiring him, figuring it was worth losing a chunk of her remaining savings if it meant staying out of jail.
"It's Will," he said at last. From the tone of his voice, Holly figured it was more than just him not having signed the papers. And when he continued, he confirmed her worst fears. "He tried to run instead of dealing with the IRS. The FBI picked him up, trying to board a ship to Mexico with a considerable amount of cash on him."
Holly let out the breath she had been holding and gritted her teeth. Her hands balled into fists, and she fought back the urge to start pounding them against the table she still leaned against. He really didn't care about his family, did he? He'd had money stashed away this whole time, and instead of using it to try to make things right, he had tried to leave the country. Leave his family behind to deal with the mess he had created.
"So, what now?" Holly managed to get out. Her entire body was shaking, and she was glad she had stayed a distance away from the rest of the people. She didn't want them to see her like this.
"Well, now it gets tricky," Thomas Marshall said, letting out another tired sigh. "You're going to have to come back to Miami and testify. I've been in contact with both the IRS and the SEC, and I've given them everything I can that proves you had nothing to do with his schemes. They're willing to cut you a deal."
"A deal?" Her mouth went even drier. What kind of deal had they offered? And what would Holly have to give up in exchange for this deal?
"You leaving town right away didn't look good, but when your daughter told me you had gone back to the Keys to help with your family business, I was able to smooth things over. If you come back to Miami and testify under oath about what your ex-husband did, they're willing to drop any pending charges against you. You won't be able to get a realty license again, and I'm sure they'll be watching your finances like hawks for a while, but you also won't be liable for the money Will owes the government."
Holly nodded, though the man couldn't see her. All things considered, it wasn't a bad deal at all. In fact, it was a downright good one. She wouldn't go to prison. She wouldn't be in debt to the IRS for the rest of her life. And, honestly, she had given up any notions of ever going back to real estate.
"As your attorney, I highly suggest you take the deal. The evidence they have is... considerable. The fact that Will tried to leave the country could work in your favor if your charges went to trial, but it's still a crapshoot. But Will is the one they want, not you. And since they legally can't force a wife to testify against her husband, this is their way of putting the final nail in his coffin and giving you what you want at the same time."
"When do I need to be back?"
"As soon as possible. You're scheduled to testify on Wednesday if you accept their deal, but I would prefer it if you come back sooner, so we could discuss everything beforehand."
"I'll be there," Holly promised. They only stayed on the line for another moment or two, and then Holly stuffed the phone back into her pocket.
Feeling completely numb, she turned away from the people and the music and the lights and headed down toward the water. It was empty down there on the beach, and while she could still hear the music in the distance, the waves crashing against the shore helped drown them out.
Unable to hold herself together any longer, Holly slumped down onto the sand. Tears fell as she pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Squeezing her eyes shut, she let loose, crying without even bothering to fight against it.
The news wasn't bad, not really. It certainly could've been a heck of a lot worse. But it was also the final nail in her coffin as well. Once she went back to Miami, once she stepped foot into that courthouse, her old life really would be over with. There would be no turning back.
And even though she had already known that the phone call with her lawyer had really driven the point home. Even if she had wanted to, she would never be able to go back to being the person she had been for the last thirty years. And even though she had been excited to reinvent herself back when she was eighteen, trying to do it again at forty-six was not a fun thought.
She heard the soft footsteps of someone walking along the sand behind her, but she didn't dare open her eyes. She didn't want to know who it was. Holly just wanted to be left alone for a while--to be able to sit and wallow in her misery.
But of course, that wasn't what the universe had deemed she needed. Someone sat down beside her, but Holly still didn't open her eyes. It wasn't until a strong arm was draped over her shoulder and pulled her against a hard chest that Holly peeked an eye open.
