“Oh?” Jane leaned back in her chair, affecting an interested expression.This was going to be interesting, hearing Pamela’s spin on the story from thirty years ago.“And why is that?”
Crocodile tears misted Pamela’s eyes. She even pulled out a delicate handkerchief and dabbed at them dramatically. “I didn’t leave you out of choice, Jane baby. Your grandmother forced me to go and never come back, or she’d ruin me. She deposited a sum of money into my account and told me that if I ever so much as sent you a card, she’d tell Jack that I took money to leave you and him.”
And there it was. The classic rewriting of history, spinning greed into victimhood, and trying to make someone else the villain in your story. Unbelievable.
“Really?” Jane feigned outrage. “That’s atrocious.” She leaned forward, and Pamela visibly relaxed, clearlythinking Jane was now angry with her grandmother and possibly her father for chasing off her poor, innocent mother. “What did you do with the money? Give it back?”
“What?” Pamela blinked at her in surprise. “I... uh... well, no.”
“Did you use it, or is it in an account somewhere that you can give it back?” Jane asked with feigned concern. “If you could do that, it would prove to me that you really have always wanted to be my mother.” She made herself look vulnerable.Two can play your game, she thought.
“No... I...” Pamela wailed. “Oh, baby. You have no idea how many nights I longed to have my Jane baby close to me. But Victor and I had nothing. We had to dip into it just to survive.”
Jane nodded, watching the performance with detached interest.
“You understand, don’t you, Jane baby?” Pamela continued. “Mommy had to survive so that one day I could come back and get my baby girl.”
Mommy? Jane nearly choked on her own saliva. Luckily, Jane’s chocolaty gingerbread latte arrived, along with Pamela’s water, which she didn’t even touch.
“I understand,” Jane said neutrally.
“Jane baby, please, sign these forms for me so I can ensure you have part of the inn that is owed to you,” Pamela said, pulling a folder from her massive purse.
“Why would I sign a document that gives me part of an inn that is rightfully all mine?” Jane asked.
“Because... because it’s a significant outlay that I have... I mean Victor has to put down,” Pamela explained, stumbling over her words. “So I... we... uh... he will expect part of the inn as his share.”
Jane nodded and took a sip of her drink. It was delicious. She smiled to herself, noting Pamela’s barely concealed disgust as Jane openly enjoyed her beverage.
“Here’s the thing, Pamela,” Jane stated, no longer pretending to be accommodating. “One thing you don’t seem to realize about my gran is that she might appear flighty, but she’s actually incredibly sharp. She also keeps all of her receipts. Including the check she wrote you for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars that you deposited the very same day.”
“I...” Pamela swallowed, her face going pale. “You see? You always believe them.” She pouted, tears misting over on cue.
“No, I believe the facts when they’re presented to me,” Jane told her calmly. “I know how you tried to exploit me to get my father to give you the inn. How you tried to have Victor kidnap me to do it. I know everything, Pamela. And before you try to spin it to your narrative, I’ve checked and spoken to witnesses. I know the truth, and your version of that story is not it.” She downed the rest of her drink and stood up as she’d had about as much as she could stomach being near this woman. “And FYI, so does my father. Yes, we like to keep each other informed.” Jane picked up her purse. “As I don’t trust you to leave a decent tip, and believe me, that young woman deserves a hundred dollars or more for not hitting you with her tray,this one is on me.”
She moved away from the chair. “I will say this one more time before I file a restraining order against you. Leave me, my father, my grandmother, my friends, and my extended family alone.” She gestured around the room. “And leave our sweet town, because there is no room for your kind here.”
With that, she turned and walked away with her head held high, stopping at the counter to pay the bill and ensuring the waitress received a generous tip.
As Jane walked outside into the bright December morning, elation built inside her. When her gran had told her about the money and what happened thirty years ago, whatever little sliver Jane’s subconscious had been holding onto, that tiny hope that Pamela had loved her, was now completely gone.
But Jane didn’t need Pamela’s love or approval, and nor would she ever want it.
Her gran was right. The woman was a viper.
And Jane Christmas was done with snakes.
A thought suddenly struck Jane as she walked to her car. What the heck had Pamela been so desperate for her to sign? The woman had changed tactics, trying multiple approaches to get Jane’s signature on those documents. It must be something important. Something crucial to whatever scheme Pamela and Victor were running.
Jane made a mental note to ask Charlie if she’d ever found out what Pamela had been trying to get her to sign that day at thecafé weeks ago. Charlie had mentioned looking into it, but with everything that had been happening, Jane had forgotten to follow up.
Whatever it was, Jane was glad she hadn’t signed anything.
16
JACK
Jack stood at the front desk, checking his watch for the third time in as many minutes. It was 7:58 a.m. on December 22nd, and Abe Tanner would be arriving any moment for the inspection that would determine the inn’s fate.
