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Amanda and her father take the small sofa while Brayden stands behind them, matching the stance of the Arbaroa men.
Amanda nudges her father when the silence becomes uncomfortable. Mark Jenkins clears his throat, his face pink with embarrassment.
“I owe you an apology, Leanna. I never should have said that you were responsible for letting my father die. He was 82 years old and had lived a very long and happy life. My daughter has reminded me that it was simply his time to go, and nothing you could have done would override God’s will.
“Even though I treated you poorly, blamed you, smeared your name, and threatened to sue you for negligence, you were the first person to come to my aid and save my life. I’ve withdrawn my lawsuit and sent a check to your fire department to donate to your charity of choice. I have no excuse for my behavior, and I hope you’ll forgive this old codger.”
I stand behind Leanna and massage her shoulders lightly in a show of support. She tells Mark, “Thank you. That means a lot to us, to me. Our family has suffered close and unexpected loss before, and we understand what it’s like to lash out not only to strangers but also to those we love most. All is forgiven on our end, but that’s the easy part. Now, you need to forgive yourself. You’ve got a wonderful family who dropped everything to support you. You’re luckier than most.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” He chuckles. “You know, when I first saw you, I thought you were following us. All we wanted to do was come here and spend some family time together and spread my father’s ashes; then you showed up out of nowhere. I didn’t handle that well, and I’m sorry.”
“We thought the same about you,” I tell him about the copycat vandal and how he used his knowledge of Mark’s past transgressions to frame him and cast doubt.
“Really! That’s insane. You could sue the police department with a civil suit!” he exclaims.
When every single mouth drops open in disbelief at his suggestion, Mark slaps his knee and shouts, “I’m only kidding!” I think I felt the room shift when everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The Jenkins family thanks us one more time for our hospitality before they leave. After that, we load up our bags and head to the main lodge for check-out. Once we arrive, the first thing Leanna and I do is make a beeline to the coffee shop to get drinks for everyone before hitting the road.
Melissa and Joe come down, dragging their luggage behind them. Melissa’s eyes light up when she sees us, but it’s Leanna she runs over to and hugs. “I want to thank you for encouraging Joe to express how he feels about me. We didn’t deserve your support, but you gave it anyway.” Melissa grabs Joe’s hand and pulls him by her side.
“You’re a very lucky woman, Leanna. Carter is one of the best there is. He will love, honor, and cherish you forever if you let him. I spent years regretting that I hadn’t, but Carter wasn’t meant for me. He was made for you.” She looks up at Joe and smiles adoringly, “I won’t make the same mistake twice.”
The couple doesn’t linger long, but they’re soon replaced by Patrick and Savannah, who are also checking out. Patrick walks over to us as we inch our way forward in line.
“I thought you should know that Officer Jordan is being held for questioning. Windham wants him gone because they don’t like holding one of their own. Savannah and I will handle the situation, but we need to know if you want him prosecuted under New York or New Jersey state law. His entire confession is on tape, so it’s up to you.”
“Which one carries the greater penalty?” I ask.
“New York, but not because the laws are more stringent, but because of attempts to cause physical harm as well as Leanna’s abduction occurred within state borders. If you’re looking for prison time, then New York is your best bet. If you really want to do a full-court press, I can use one of my contacts in the FBI since he crossed state lines,” Patrick explains.
“What would happen if I were to prosecute in New Jersey?” Leanna asks.
“There’s no telling. When he’s convicted, he will lose his job and never be able to work in law enforcement again, regardless of where the trial occurs. The charges will be lesser in Jersey; hence, the consequences will also be lesser,” Patrick tells her.
“I’d like him prosecuted in New Jersey. That’s his home, and he has a reputation there for being a decent cop. He’s done much more good than harm. He just got lost along the way.” When Patrick begins to protest, Leanna raises her hand. “He needs to be punished for his actions. I’m not arguing that point. I just don’t think it needs to be the maximum punishment for a first-time offense. There’s as much power in forgiveness as in consequences, but one doesn’t negate the need for the other. Maybe between the two, we can keep it to a one-time thing with a strong lesson learned?” she suggests.
Savannah comes over after hearing tidbits of the conversation. “Do you think Bryce will be okay with keeping his distance?”
Leanna shrugs. “I hope so. But maybe through this experience, he’ll learn the best lesson of all,” she says.
“And what’s that?” Savannah asks with a wry grin.
Leanna gives her “mike-drop” smile and drops her bomb, “That everyone is redeemable, and forgiveness is possible. God loves us all, including you,” she winks.
Leanna walks away while Savannah stands there stunned.
Patrick stays in line with me while I order 14 drinks to go. The barista looks at me disparagingly. I put up my hands in defense! “Three-quarters of those drinks are your Ghirardelli hot chocolates, which you brew in bulk like margaritas in New Orleans! Adding a few shots of espresso to them isn’t going to take years off your life!” The barista rolls her eyes but doesn’t argue with me.
Leanna walks back up to me as we wait for the drinks, Patrick and Savannah beside us. Savannah wraps her arms around Patrick and gives him the sweetest kiss on the cheek. If you didn’t know them better, you’d think they’re a happy couple. But the kiss was more sisterly than anything.
That doesn’t stop Patrick’s face from draining with color as an exquisitely beautiful woman calls his name from across the lobby. The woman gets one look at Savannah with her arms around Patrick’s waist and takes off running, tears filling her eyes.
I hear a single word escape from Patrick in a whisper before he takes off running after the woman.
“Ariella?”
Leanna sidles up to me; concern etched in her features. “Did Patrick take off after that woman? Who was she?”
Savannah and I both shrug.
Savannah smiles, “Maybe that’s the woman that holds the key to his heart.”
