Chapter 9
Amelia
Winter
The rhythmic tapping of my fingers on the keyboard filled the office at the Inn. Vermont property laws were more complex than anything I’d read. Of course, it had been over ten years since graduating from law school. Test anxiety proved to be too much to pass the Bar exam.
Luckily the local library had a small collection of Vermont Law references. Julia had organized the office when they’d first taken over the Inn, but it was in serious need of reorganization. I moved some stacks of papers aside and stumbled upon a dusty old box hidden behind the tallest stack of papers. Curiosity piqued, I carefully opened it, revealing a treasure trove of letters and legal documents. The musty scent wafted from the yellowed pages, tickling my nose.
My stomach fluttered with excitement. That was a good sign. Sifting through the contents, my gaze fell upon a envelope. I carefully unfolded the letter. The paper was delicate and yellowed with age, but the writing was still legible. It was dated over twenty years ago. The return address on the envelope was for a law firm in Montpelier, the capital of Vermont.
As I read through the contents of the letter that looked a bit like a deed, my excitement turned to confusion. It seemed that Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan had gifted a portion of their land to Maple and her late husband.
But what caught my attention was the notarized stamp and filing date at the bottom of the document. According to this document, Maple owned that disputed piece of land. This could be exactly what we needed to settle this issue once and for all.
A knock on my door snapped me out of my thoughts. Julia peeked her head in with a smile on her face.
“Hey there,” she said cheerfully.
“Hey,” I replied, gesturing for her to come in.
“I just wanted to check on you and see how things were going,” she said, looking around at the stacks of papers on the desk.
“Well, I think I may have found something important,” I said, holding up the letter for her to see.
Her eyes widened as she read it over. “This could be our golden ticket,” she exclaimed.
“I think so too.” A surge of hope washed over me.
We quickly made copies of the letter and filed them safely in a locked cabinet. “I’ll take this down to the county office tomorrow and make sure it’s enforceable.”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” she said. “Let’s just keep this between us for now. I don’t want Blake and Amelia to get their hopes up or for Mr. Cranston to find out about it.”
She was right. I needed to know if it was enough to prove that the land belonged to the Inn before I said anything. But what about once I knew for sure? Then what?
Should I confront Teddy with the evidence or wait and present it during the court case? He was a proud man, often stubborn in his convictions, and there was no telling how he'd react to the news. What if he felt cornered? Or worse—pushed further away?
On the other hand, springing this information on him in court could blindside him, potentially creating a messier and more complicated situation. Even though our interactions so far had been less than pleasant, there was just something about Ted that tugged at my heartstrings—a vulnerability beneath his gruff exterior that I couldn't ignore. Why does this have to be so hard?
I packed a copy of the letter and the original into a file and secured it in my bag. “Julia, I’ll be a little late tomorrow. I’m going to head to the county recorder’s office first thing tomorrow.”
“No problem, I’ll be curious to hear what they say. Then we can tell Blake and Sydney.”
“I’ll let you know.” I said my goodbyes before heading home.
My phone rang almost immediately after I shut my car door. It was the print shop I’d gone to a few days ago.
“Amelia,” the young woman said. “I have your item ready, if you’d like to pick it up. We close in an hour.”
“Excellent. I’ll be right there.” I had to create a new plan of action to keep Hopper out of Ted’s garden. He had outsmarted the trap four nights in a row. He clearly wasn’t going to get caught that way, so I’d returned the trap. It was a daily rental, and I’d already used more days than I’d wanted. This new plan was at least a more entertaining idea.
When I arrived home, the driveway was empty. Good. Ted must have been working late tonight. Or maybe he had a date. My stomach clenched at that thought. He was such a grouch. Who’d be crazy enough to date him?
I dashed inside with the item I’d picked up at the print shop and strategically placed it in the garden. Giggling, I positioned the camera to watch Ted’s expression when he saw it. This was going to be great. After all the anger, worry, and betrayal these last few days, this was a welcome relief. Unless Teddy didn’t laugh. . .
About an hour later, a car door slammed followed by rapid pounding on my door. My heart jumped into my throat. Who could that be? Ted? Judging by his expression, he was already furious.
“Yes, Mr. Cranston,” I said with a sultry voice, hoping to throw him off. It worked.
He stumbled for words then cleared his throat. “Uh, Amelia, you’re parked on my side again. Can you please move it?”
The amount of effort required to ask so nicely was adorable. Taking up his half of the driveway wasn’t intentional, but a part of me enjoyed this.
“Oh, sorry, I’ll move it right now.” Fishing the keys out of the bowl on the end table, I started my car and moved over. He immediately parked next to me.
That was the most we’d talked since he’d threatened to take my family to court a few days ago. It was surprisingly nice to see him again, even if he was irritated beyond measure. I turned to leave.
“Um, Ames.” He cleared his throat again. It was Ames again, interesting . “Have you seen anything more from Hopper? I noticed the cage was gone yesterday.”
“Yeah, I had to return the cage. But I came up with a solution that I think will work.”
“What is it?” His eyebrows furrowed tightly.
“You’ll see when you check out your garden,” I smirked with a wink and walked away. “See you later Teddy.”
I jumped onto my couch, switched the camera to the live view, and waited.