With that, she drove us to the same place I received my digital shackle. Only this time, I was more than happy to be there. They were quick about removing the device and sending us on our way.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, Tina hit me with another surprise. “I’ve already spoken with the Board of Nursing regarding your license. You’ll need to wait until you have the official copy to resume working, but here’s a copy of the letter declaring your license reinstated in good standing.”
I jumped from my seat and engulfed Tina in a hug while I cried all over her expensive suit. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” I wailed.
Jonah carefully pulled me away from Tina and into his arms. “Thank you, Tina. Any updates on the other case?”
I pulled back from Jonah and saw Tina grin. “None that I can share,” she said cryptically.
“I see. Well, we appreciate everything you’ve done for us,” Jonah said and extended his hand.
After hugging her an embarrassing number of times, Jonah and I left her office and climbed on his bike. “Let’s go share the good news!” he announced.
We went straight to the clubhouse to share the news with Copper and whoever else happened to be there. After a lot of cheering and shouting, Copper let me use his office to call my brother and Phoenix. I couldn’t stop worrying about Phoenix’s money, even after Reed repeatedly assured me it wasn’t a problem, which left me wondering about how much money these guys actually had.
***
I was heading out to meet Jonah for lunch and opened the front door to find a well-dressed woman standing on the porch poised to knock. “Can I help you?”
“Hello, River. My name is Gwendolyn Ellison. I’m sorry to come by unannounced, but I need to speak with you. I only need a few minutes of your time,” she said.
I stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind me. I gestured to the wicker chairs, “As long as you don’t mind speaking with me outside.”
“Of course,” she said and took a seat. She exhaled heavily. “I just wanted to apologize to you directly for any part I may have indirectly played in your arrest. When I started pushing to actively pursue those responsible for bringing drugs into our community, it was never my intention for innocent parties to be prosecuted. Yes, I was looking for someone to blame for my daughter’s death, but I wasn’t looking for just anyone to blame. I truly wanted to hold the right people accountable and put them behind bars where they belong so they couldn’t destroy any more lives,” she said and wiped a tear from her cheek.
“I was blinded by my grief and rage. Losing a child is a pain I wouldn’t wish on anyone, even those who took mine from me. I channeled my anger and despair into a quest to save other families from the pain and heartache I was going through. I was so hell-bent on what I was doing; I didn’t realize others were taking advantage of me.”
She inhaled deeply and shook her head. “I’m sorry, I’m getting off track. I just wanted you to know how truly sorry I am that your life was affected by my quest for justice.”
“Well, thank you, but I don’t believe any of it was your fault,” I said honestly.
“We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one, dear,” she said and pulled an envelope from her purse as she got to her feet.
“Thank you for your time.” She handed me the envelope before she got into her car and drove away.
I immediately opened the envelope and unfolded the papers inside. I read over them twice before I shoved them into my purse and went to meet Jonah for lunch.
He smiled when he saw me, but his smile quickly disappeared. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I rasped and cleared my throat. “I just, uh, here,” I said and shoved the papers into his hands.
He glanced between me and the papers before sitting at his desk and reading them. “When did you get these?”
“About fifteen minutes ago. Gwendolyn Ellison came by the house and gave them to me after she apologized for her part in everything that happened to me,” I said.
“She what?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I know. The whole thing was really weird. She apologized, handed me that, and left. She obviously feels guilty if she went to all that trouble.”
The envelope she’d given me contained two sets of papers. The first set was from the nursing agency I used to work for. All penalties I’d been fined for breaking my contract were gone and I was listed as no longer under contract but in good standing and hirable for future contracts. The second set of papers was a job offer for a full-time position in the ER at the hospital.
“Well, what’re you going to do?” Jonah asked.
I looked at him incredulously. “Are you serious? I’m going to take the job at the hospital.”
He grinned. “Just checking.”
Chapter Forty-Four