Page 55 of Healing Hearts at the Christmas Inn
Jack glanced up at the clock over the doorway. “In about an hour.”
“Good,” Logan said. “Because that attorney I told you about wants to meet you in about ten to fifteen minutes.”
“Oh, really?” Jack’s brows rose in surprise. “Okay.”
“Great, we’ll be back in a bit,” Logan told him, and before Jack could ask more questions, Logan ducked out of the office, finishing his cookie as he headed back to the library.
Ten minutes later, Logan led Charlie toward Jack’s office. He was trying not to notice the way she moved, the confident stride that said she knew exactly who she was and made no apologies for it. Betty had walked like that. Owned every room she entered with quiet certainty.
The comparison should have bothered him. Instead, it felt like permission. Like Betty herself was telling him it was okay to notice, to feel drawn to someone who reminded him of what he'd lost.
They made their way back through the inn to the office. Logan knocked once, then pushed the door open.
Jack looked up from the desk, where he'd been making notes on a legal pad. His expression shifted from concentration to confusion when he saw Charlie behind Logan.
"Charlie. Hi." Jack stood, glancing between them. "Is everything okay? Do you need something?"
Logan cleared his throat. "Actually, we need to talk to you. About the inn."
Jack's face went carefully blank. "What about it?"
Charlie stepped forward, setting the envelope on the desk. "Logan asked me to help with the foreclosure documents."
Jack's eyes widened, then snapped to Logan. "You told her?"
"She’s the attorney I told you about,” Logan explained.
"I can't afford legal advice!" Jack's voice rose slightly as he glanced at Charlie apologetically. "We've been over this."
"I'm offering my services pro bono," Charlie cut in smoothly, forgetting her promise to tell Jack that Logan had offered to pay.
“This is your vacation,” Jack said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Charlie, but this doesn’t sit right with me.”
"Trust me, I’m not very good at vacations, and this way, you’ll save me from my sister’s wrath when I start to get work withdrawal and start calling into work for something to do.”
Jack looked between them again, suspicion warring with desperation. "You're sure about this? I don't want to impose on your vacation."
"Are you kidding?" Charlie's tone was light but firm. "It's only been two days, and I'm already going stir-crazy. This is perfect."
Jack looked between them, clearly torn between pride and desperation. Finally, he nodded and gestured to the chairs across from his desk. "Alright. Thank you. I appreciate this more than you know."
Charlie and Logan settled into the chairs while Jack sat as Charlie pulled out the documents and spread them across the desk.
"I've reviewed the foreclosure notice," Charlie began, her tone professional but not cold. "And I need to ask you some questions to get a complete picture of the situation."
"Whatever you need," Jack said.
For the next twenty minutes, Charlie walked Jack through a series of detailed questions. When did the financial troubles start? What was the original mortgage amount and terms? Had there been any modifications or forbearance agreements? What about other liens or encumbrances on the property? Revenue streams? Outstanding debts beyond the mortgage?
Jack answered as best he could, occasionally pulling files from his desk drawer to verify dates or amounts. Logan added context when needed about operational costs and the inn's financial trajectory over the past decade.
Charlie took notes, her expression growing more thoughtful as the conversation progressed. When Jack finally ran out of answers, she sat back and studied her notes.
"Alright," she said slowly. "Here's what I'm seeing. The timeline they're pushing is aggressive, but it's not ironclad. There are several steps we need to take immediately."
"What kind of steps?" Jack leaned forward, hope flickering in his eyes.
"First, we need to formally respond to the foreclosure notice. Challenge the accelerated timeline and request mediation. That alone could buy us sixty to ninety days." Charlie tapped her pen against her notepad. "Second, I need to do a deep dive into the mortgage documents and any correspondence between you and the bank. Sometimes lenders make procedural errors that can invalidate a foreclosure action or at least delay it significantly."
