Jori caught the eye of Maxine, one of the volunteers covering the front desk, and made finger-walking movements before she ducked out a side door onto the parking lot. It was empty of people. She wouldn’t be overheard.
“Mom, I’m really busy. We’re graduating a class of veterans and their new service dogs this week.”
“That’s nice.” While a worthy cause, her mother didn’t think WWP was an appropriate full-time job for her college-educated daughter. At least she had stopped saying so each time the subject came up. “This won’t take a minute. Did you receive Kieran and Kaitlyn’s wedding announcement?”
“Yes.” Jori searched for a more enthusiastic response to her older brother’s upcoming nuptials next month. “The intertwined K’s are a nice touch.”
“Aren’t they? Your brother and his bride are working so hard to make their day special. Eureka Springs in December will be gorgeous. They decorate the town like a Victorian Christmas village. Oh, and the bridesmaids’ dresses are in.”
As her mother continued, Jori’s mind wandered. For nearly four years, fear and worry and bewilderment had been the subtext of every conversation. So far, there was no new normal. Only awkward moments like this. Maybe if she went home for a few days after the wedding they could begin to reconnect. Maybe at Christmas—
“Wait, Mom.” A name in her mother’s ramble jerked her thoughts back to the present. “Did you say Erin Foster is a member of the wedding party? When did that happen?”
“Last week. After Kaitlyn’s sister was told she can’t travel due to complications involving her pregnancy, so Erin offered to step in as maid of honor. They are sorority sisters, after all. By the way, Erin’s a Tice now, remember? She married Luke Tice right after … the unpleasantness. I sent you pictures of the wedding from Soiree Magazine. Remember?”
“Uh-huh.” Jori hadn’t read any of the social news her mother had bombarded her with for the past four years, all about the wonderful lives being lived by her former friends. But that wasn’t the reason this news surprised her. “I can’t believe Erin would agree to be involved in anything to do with the Garrisons.”
“I don’t know why you’d say that.”
Exasperation colored Jori’s tone. “Maybe because she’s married to one of the attorneys in the D.A.’s office that prosecuted my case?”
“Now, Jori, Luke isn’t in the D.A.’s office anymore. He’s in private practice, and running for state senator. So, see, it’s all working out nicely. The wedding will give you a chance to reconnect.”
Jori rubbed at the knot of tension that had drawn her eyebrows together. Her mother was a relentlessly upbeat person who never admitted to a problem until it slapped her in the face. She just hated to be the one to deliver the blow.
“Kieran and I talked about this, Mom. He understands why I won’t be at his wedding.”
“Well, I don’t. No one would dare spoil a wedding day with old gossip.”
Gripping the phone tight, Jori dropped her voice into a desperate whisper. “Get real, Mom. Everyone will gossip about me if I’m there. Your daughter’s an ex-con.”
The stunned silence on the other end sent shame arrowing through Jori’s middle. Why had she answered the phone? “We’ll talk later. Got to go. Love you.”
Jori held her eyes wide to prevent tears from forming. She’d learned the first week of incarceration that showing vulnerability of any kind identified an inmate as weak, and therefore a potential victim. Too bad she hadn’t learned that lesson before Brody Rogers entered her life.
In her darkest moments she had wondered if her fate would have been any worse if she’d shot her fiancé. Everyone seemed to understand crimes of passion. But when she was arrested after Brody’s accidental death in a car wreck, their friends had scattered like roaches before Raid. Controlled substances were found in Brody’s body and more in his car, along with lots of cash. A warrant had been issued that night allowing police to search his apartment in Fort Smith—and her apartment in Fayetteville, because the lease was in Brody’s name. Drugs were found in both places, enough to get her arrested and charged with drug possession with the intent to distribute.
The statewide news media had had a field day with the scandal of two prominent families caught up in a sordid drug story. Few besides her family believed her when she said that Brody had hidden cocaine packets in her closet without her knowledge. In fact, she didn’t know anything about his dealing. The judge certainly hadn’t believed her. She’d been sentenced to ten years. Eligible for patrol after three and a half. That was six months ago.
Jori sighed as she pushed through the door into the building. She was learning to live with the stigma of being a felon. That didn’t mean she would inflict it on her family.