Jane’s head was spinning. “But the sting was a bit risky, though, Dad and Charlie!” She raised her brows at them. “I went into that bathroom still not knowing what Pamela wanted me to sign.”
“That’s right,” Charlie said. “When Victor came to us yesterday, he explained everything except the specific document Pamela was after. He knew she was trying to get you to sign something, but not what.”
“Terry found the divorce papers and the purchase agreement in Pamela’s name,” Holly added. “That’s what she sent me copies of. But not the other document.”
“So we set up the sting,” Jack explained. “Got Pamela and Simon to come in, made them think we were desperate and defeated. Made them overconfident.”
“Abe helped too,” Charlie said with a smile. “That ‘updated inspection report’ showing foundational problems? Complete fiction. Abe created it specifically to give to Simon, to make them think we had no choice but to sell.”
“But how did you know Pamela would take Jane aside?” Gabe asked.
“We didn’t for sure,” Julie admitted. “But William suspected she’d try one last time to get Jane alone, to make her pitch without the family interfering. That’s why we were waiting in the bathroom.”
“In the stalls,” Holly added with a laugh. “For twenty minutes. My legs were going numb.”
Jane turned to William. “You knew what was in those documents, didn’t you? What Pamela was really after?”
“I had a very good idea,” William nodded. “Which brings us to the real revelation of the day.”
The room went quiet. Everyone turned to look at William.
“William,” Jane said slowly. “Is what I saw in that document true? What Pamela was trying to get me to sign?”
“Yes,” William said, his expression serious. “Pamela was cut out of her father’s will. Richard Sullivan left her nothing except a trust that pays for her living expenses. What shewas trying to do was get you to sign everything Richard left to you over to her.”
“Richard left Jane something in his will?” Jack and Julie said in unison.
“Not something,” William said, and a smile broke across his face. “Everything.”
Gasps filled the library.
Jane’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “You’re the executor of Richard’s will, aren’t you? You’re the mystery benefactor!”
William nodded. “I’ve been managing your estate since Richard’s death, Jane. And per his instructions, I’ve been using funds from your inheritance to pay off the inn’s debts.”
“You’ve been paying off the inn’s debt?” Jack said, his voice incredulous.
“Not me personally,” William clarified, looking at Julie’s shocked expression. “Jane’s estate has. It’s all perfectly legal and in accordance with Richard’s wishes. He wanted to ensure the Christmas Inn stayed in the family. He knew how much you meant to Jane, Jack. How much this place meant to all of you.”
Jane felt tears pricking her eyes. “My grandfather did that? The man I never met?”
“He loved you,” William said gently. “He couldn’t be part of your life because of Pamela, but he made sure you’d be taken care of. And he made sure the people you loved would be taken care of, too.”
“He left me everything?” Jane asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
William smiled. “Everything.”
The room was completely silent. No one seemed to breathe.
“I’m sorry,” Jane said. “It still hasn’t quite sunk in. I’m an heiress?”
“You can say that, yes,” William confirmed with a laugh.
“I knew it!” Logan said and turned to Jack. “Remember I told you that William knew who the benefactor was. The way he said that, I wish I could tell you.” He snorted and shook his head at William. “You sly old dog!”
Everyone laughed, and Jane stepped back a bit to catch her breath as the implications of what William said suddenly hit her. She walked over to William.
“William,” Jane said quietly. “Can you take me to my grandfather’s grave?”
