She took a deep breath. “After the accident, I took the girls in, as you know. I was the only one who could do it, even though I was quite young. My brother-in-law Robert had an uncle – the guy he was named after, actually. He was supportive of me and the girls, of course, but couldn’t help much. He was a younger guy, living the bachelor life, running a small business, and was a bit wild.”

“And you weren’t?” Marty asked.

“Ha! Not at all.” Claire shook her head. “I spent all of my time in the library, studying.”

“To be a lawyer, right?”

Claire smiled. “Right. Anyway, Uncle Robert started his own family a few years after the accident, and after some time, his business took off. He got sick last year and – well, his kids weren’t helpful at all. He was heartbroken by how spoiled they’d become. He’d given them everything and more when they were growing up, and on his sickbed, he realized he’d spoiled them rotten.”

“What happened to him?” asked Marty.

“He passed away.” She took a sip of water. “Before he did, though, he asked me to come and visit. I didn’t realize how ill he was, and I didn’t take him too seriously when he talked about how angry he was with his children. He admitted he was, in a way, jealous of how well I’d raised the girls.”

Marty frowned. “That’s heavy.”

“You’re telling me.” She shook her head. “So yes, he said he was a little jealous, but mostly proud of the girls. He told me he would leave a chunk of his fortune to his wife, the business to his kids – so they could learn the value of work – and the rest of his fortune to me.”

“You didn’t believe him?” Marty asked, leaning in.

“Not at all! I was sure he’d get better. I thought it was just bluster.” She let out a sigh. “I wish you could’ve met him. He was a blast.”

“Sounds like it.”

She took another bite of food. “He made me promise not to tell anyone, but it’s getting difficult. The girls have been asking questions, and I’ve decided they should know the truth.”

“And me too?”

She nodded. “Yes, and you. Everyone else though...I’m not so sure. I thought that if I didn’t tell anyone about my history, they could make their own assumptions.”

“I think you should tell Chip,” Marty said with a shrug.

“You do?”

He nodded. “He already knows that you have a bunch of money, so what’s the harm?”

Claire frowned. That was an interesting point, but what if Chip only took it as further evidence that she had no business owning a hotel?

No, Marty was right. There was no point lying to Chip, especially if she sincerely wanted to get to know him.