Page 139 of Statler

The smug look returned.

“Then, de facto, I inherited it all, because I was William’s only living relative.”

Statler blinked.

He’d known that Eliza had been doing work on the company books looking for something, but he assumed she’d just been attempting ways to close everything out to her satisfaction. He’d never thought that she’d end up owning it all.

“That’s brilliant,” Statler lauded before his countenance fell. Was Eliza thinking of…?

“Are you, um, moving back to run the place.” He almost didn’t recognize his own voice; it was filled with such gloom.

“Silly man.” Eliza took his face between her palms and kissed him, hard. “Why would I do that? I have everything I could ever want, right here.”

His breath slowly left his lungs.

“So, no,” she assured him. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

As if.

“What I have done,” she went on, “with the General’s help of course, is to set up a trust. Each of the laid-off employees will be given shares in the factory. They’ll run it like they always have, but it will no longer be a sole proprietorship, it will be an ESOP.”

When his face clearly showed confusion, she explained.

“ESOP stands for Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Which means that everyone working for the factory will own a portion of the business. They’ll be paid from the profits. The mansion will eventually be sold to add more funds to the trust, and with the government contracts renewing, it won’t be long before the place is making money again, this time providing a much better living and lifelong security for everyone who stays in town.”

Statler was blown away, but…

“Who will keep track of the books with you gone?” he questioned.

“That’s the best part,” Eliza grinned. “Did you know that Granny had my job before I did? And she says it will keep her brain healthy to go back to it again. She’ll obviously be looking to train someone to eventually take over, but for now, she’s practically giddy with her new role.”

Statler shook his head. “And you managed to keep this all from me, why…?”

“I wanted it to be a surprise, because the even better news for us is, it seems that we’ve also gained a little financial boon. My house, which was encumbered by the mortgage held by William, has now reverted solely to me. Which means we can sell it. It’ll be a nice little nest egg for…”

Her eyes teared up, and with a watery grin, she took Statler’s hand and placed it on her belly.

His mouth dropped open.

“…for our baby,” she informed him wetly. “In about seven months.”

Statler was momentarily without words, but then he understood.

They’d messed up on the mountain. The math—one condom and the number of times they’d made love— hadn’t added up. And now that unbalanced equation was….

“You’re…pregnant?” he finally managed.

“Uh, huh.”

Statler’s grin grew wider than he thought he’d ever managed before, and he recalled something Eliza had said not too long ago.

It looked like she’d nailed it.

“The bad guys lose, the good guys win,” Statler quoted, his chest filled to bursting. “And in the end, the hero wins the heart of the small-town girl, and they both live happily ever after.”

They sighed in unison.

“They certainly do,” Eliza agreed.

The kiss they shared spoke of all the joy that Statler knew they’d feel for the rest of their lives.