Her plan hadn’t worked. Holly and Jack were together, laughing and kissing like lovesick teenagers. All her careful manipulation, all her scheming, and they’d figured it out anyway.
A shadow appeared behind Pamela, reflected in the window. Julie Christmas stepped out of the darkness, her expression serene but her eyes sharp.
“What’s wrong, Pamela?” Julie asked, her voice chiding. “Did true love thwart your nefarious plans again?”
Pamela whirled to face her former mother-in-law. “I will get this inn,” she hissed. “And this time, you won’t stop me. If you try, I will tell your son the truth about what happened thirty years ago.”
“You mean when you were cheating on my son and then abandoning your child?” Julie countered calmly.
“When you threatened me,” Pamela seethed. “When you said that if I came nearJane again, you’d…”
“I did what any mother or grandmother would do to protect her family,” Julie interrupted, her voice steel beneath the gentle tone. “Besides, I merely dangled the carrot, Pamela. You didn’t have to take it. That was your choice and that’s on you, not me.”
Pamela’s face flushed with rage. “I will get this inn!” she seethed before stomping off into the darkness from where she came.
10
HOLLY
Holly stood in the doorway of Room Nine, staring at the exposed floorboards with a sinking feeling in her stomach. It was ten o’clock in the morning on December 21st, and what should have been a straightforward finishing job had just turned into a nightmare.
“This can’t be happening,” Holly said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Not now. Not when we’re so close.”
Jack knelt on the floor beside Logan, both men examining the damage with grim expressions. They’d pulled up the old carpet that morning, expecting to find solid wood underneath that would just need sanding and refinishing. Instead, they’d found wood that was riddled with holes, crumbling in places, clearly compromised by some kind of infestation.
“How bad is it?” Holly asked, though she could see the answer written on both their faces.
“Bad,” Logan said bluntly. He poked at one of the boards with a screwdriver, and it crumbled like soft cheese. “This isn’t surface damage. This goes deep.”
Holly felt tears prick her eyes. They had worked so hard. For weeks, they’d been renovating room after room, pouring their hearts and time and what little money the inn had into making it beautiful again. They were so close to the finish line. Room Eight was done and gorgeous. Rooms One through Seven were all ready for guests.
But they still had Rooms Nine, Ten, and Eleven to finish. And most of the guests had arrived that morning, filling up the completed rooms. They couldn’t afford to turn anyone away. They needed every booking, every dollar they could get to keep the inn afloat.
Even if the three of them didn’t sleep tonight, there was no way they could get three rooms finished in time for tomorrow’s arrivals. Not with this kind of damage.
“What is this?” Holly asked, moving closer to examine the wood. “Termites?”
“Looks like it,” Jack said, his voice tight with stress and anger. “Look at these tunnels. That’s classic termite damage.”
“But how?” Holly demanded. “The inspector, George, came through just last week. He told us Rooms Nine through Eleven were in good shape. That they just needed some cosmetic work.”
Jack ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. “I don’t know. Maybe he missed it?”
“We need to get pest control in here,” Logan said. “Have them verify if it’s termites and assess how bad the infestation is.”
“And if it is termites?” Holly asked, though she already knew the answer would be bad.
“Then we have a serious problem,” Logan said grimly. “Termite infestations have to be reported. The whole building might need to be tented and fumigated. That means evacuating everyone and possibly canceling the Winter Ball. Everything.”
Holly’s stomach dropped. The Winter Ball was in three days. They had guests arriving tomorrow. The entire town was counting on this event.
“Let’s check the other two rooms,” Jack said, standing up. “Maybe it’s isolated to just this room.”
They moved down the hall to Room Ten. Jack unlocked the door, and they stepped inside. The room still had its old wallpaper and needed painting, but at least the carpet was already removed, giving them a clear view of the floor.
“The floor looks okay here,” Holly said with relief, moving to examine it more closely.
“Wait,” Logan said, moving toward the windows. “Look at this.”
