Page 55 of Miracles at the Christmas Inn
“You are family,” Jack interrupted firmly. “That’s not a feeling. That’s a fact.”
CHARLIE
Charlie stood slightly apart from the group, watching the joyful chaos with a smile. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out discreetly. It was Angus.
Her eyes met Jane’s across the room, and she inclined her head slightly before slipping out of the dining room into the hallway.
Charlie immediately called Angus back, her heart racing with anticipation.
“Charlie,” Angus answered on the first ring. “I’ve found out who Simon and Terry’s client is. You should be getting the documents delivered to you?—”
The front door of the inn opened, and a delivery person walked in carrying a large envelope.
“Now,” Angus finished. “And Charlie, I think I’ve discovered why Pamela is targeting Jane specifically. Oh, and I can’t talk right now, but call me soon to discuss the rest of the information about Pamela’s father and where his money went.”
“Wait, Angus…” Charlie started, but he had already hung up.
Charlie walked over to the delivery person. “Are you looking for Charlotte Burke?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the delivery person said. “Sign here, please.”
Charlie signed quickly, took the envelope, and the delivery person left. Her hands were shaking slightly as she ripped open the document.
She froze as she read the first page. Then the second. Then flipped through the rest of the documents, her legal mind processing the implications of what she was seeing.
“No,” she whispered. “It can’t be.”
But it was. Right there in black and white, filed with the state of Florida, publicly available for anyone who knew where to look.
“Charlie?” Jane’s voice made her look up. “What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Charlie wordlessly handed the documents to Jane, watching as the younger woman’s eyes scanned the pages and wentwide with shock.
“No way,” Jane breathed, her voice barely audible. Her eyes shot up to Charlie’s. “This can’t be real.”
“It’s real,” Charlie confirmed grimly. “It’s all real. And it explains everything.”
Jane’s hands were shaking as she held the documents. “We have to tell them. Right now.”
Charlie nodded. “Let’s go.”
They turned and walked back into the dining room together. The celebration was still going on. People hugging, talking excitedly about Gabe and Jane’s relationship, making plans.
“Can I have your attention?” Jane called out, her voice cutting through the noise.
The room fell silent, everyone turning to look at her.
“Charlie has found out who’s trying to buy the inn,” Jane said, her voice steady despite the tremor Charlie could see in her hands. “And now everything has become so clear.”
“Who?” Nearly everyone in the room asked at once, voices overlapping with urgency and concern.
Charlie stepped forward, the documents still in her hand. She looked at Jack, saw the tension in his shoulders, the fear in his eyes that his worst nightmare was about to be confirmed.
“Victor Martin,” Charlie said clearly. “The developer trying to buy the Christmas Inn is Victor Martin.”
Jack’s face went white. Holly’s hand flew to her mouth. Julie swayed slightly, and William steadied her.
“That’s why Pamela has been targeting Jane,” Charlie continued, looking at the younger woman with sympathy. “Because Victor Martin, as Jack knows, is married to Pamela. They’re working together with Simon and Terry to take the inn.”
