Page 82 of The Lie That Stole Christmas

Carter’s attention snapped to the old man who had more money than he’d ever be able to spend.“Come again?”

Bill picked up a bottle of his favorite scotch and poured it into two glasses before handing Carter a glass.Carter took the glass and stared at the amber liquid before looking back at Bill.

Bill nodded at the glass.“Sip slowly.It’s a hundred dollars a sip, so you want to savor it.”

Carter’s eyes widened before he took the tiniest of sips, savoring the smooth burn as it coated his tongue and warmed his chest.

Bill reclined in his leather chair, the firelight casting deep grooves across his face, each line carved by decades of power and precision.“That’s what money tastes like, son.Good, isn’t it?”

“Yes, sir, but I still don’t understand.”

“I’m getting to that.”Bill took another sip, pulled the glass from his lips, and admired the liquid as he tilted the glass back and forth.“Your father was a good man.He was asmartman.He understood the power of asking for help.When his diagnosis was grim, and he knew he was dying, he wrote me a check, emptying his bank account and leaving just enough for you to pay for the arrangements and anything else he needed settled.”

“But why?”

Bill held up a finger.“Patience.”He took another swig from his glass, taking his time as if he wasn’t withholding vital information.He placed the glass on the desk and met Carter’s gaze.“Your father was good at saving, but he wasn’t good at risk.So he gave me his money and told me to invest it.That money has been sitting in a portfolio of my most aggressive accounts for the last four years.Tech.Real estate.A little bourbon, even.”A smile curved his lips as he settled into his chair.“Your father might not have left you with anything in hand, but he left you with something far more valuable.Time.And trust in me.”

Carter blinked, his fingers tightening around his glass.“Are you saying…?”

“I’m saying, the man you thought left you penniless actually secured your future.With interest.”

Carter’s mouth moved, but no words came out.He had no idea how to process this information.“How much?”

“Enough to make you just as rich as my granddaughter.But even without the money, you have more class than half this family.”

Carter’s throat worked as he forced down another sip, the burn doing little to squelch the storm inside him.“I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Bill replied, his tone softer now, almost grandfatherly.“Just understand that the life you’ve built, the man you’ve become… that’s worth more than zeroes in an account.The money is yours whenever you’re ready for it.Just don’t let it change you.”

Carter shook his head slowly.“Ready?I’m not sure I ever could be.”

Bill smirked, raising his glass in a toast.“Consider this your first lesson in wealth.It isn’t about being ready.It’s about being willing.”

He nodded, unable to find words.Bill just gave him the greatest Christmas gift, and it had nothing to do with the money.He showed he respected him, believed in him, and not as an employee, but as a man, and someone worthy enough for his granddaughter.

Carter stood and extended a hand to Bill.“Sir.Thank you.”

Bill stood and accepted his hand.“Just don’t tell me you’re going to quit now.”

Carter laughed.“Truth is, sir.I really do love my job.”

He just had no idea how he would be able to keep his job and Ashley too.

Chapter twenty-six

Ashley

Thesoundofsleighbells carried across the estate as Ashley, Carter, Lena, and all the Winterridge staff as well as most of the Wetherbys waited for the gates to open to kick off the Christmas festival.Children’s excited chatter floated through the gates, mingling with the Christmas music and the distant clip-clop of horses’ hooves.

Grandpa wasn’t among them, even though both Ashley and Carter tried to persuade him to join the festivities.He wasn’t ready.Maybe next year.

She pulled her coat tighter, and Carter draped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close.They were no longer hiding from her family or the staff.It’s not like their love affair that had spanned two decades was a secret, even if they had thought it was.Turned out everyone had an inkling they were more than friends.

Aunt Marilyn even admitted she’d been rooting for them from the very beginning.Gabe, on the other hand was still being a dick.The only reason he was here at all was because Lena apparently threatened his manhood.

“You ready, sir?”Carter asked her dad, and Ashley spun toward him.

“You bet.”