Chapter 7

Jo ushered Raylene into her office and quietly closed the door behind them. "Have a seat."

"Thanks." Raylene perched on the edge of her chair, nervously watching as Jo stepped behind the desk and turned her computer on. "I'm heading over to Carrie's place this morning to have another look around and thought maybe you could go with me."

"Because you think the tracking device was hers, not yours," Raylene guessed.

"Precisely. There have been too many odd instances including Carrie thinking someone had been inside the house. The pry marks on the window and now this tracking device." Jo reminded her about suggesting Carrie install temporary surveillance cameras. "I haven't heard from her yet this morning. I suppose no news is good news."

"Is that why I'm here?" Raylene asked. "To talk about Carrie."

"No. We're here to talk about you." Jo reached into the desk drawer, removed the probation termination letter, and slid it toward her.

Raylene's eyes skimmed the paper, and Jo knew the exact second her resident realized what it was. "This is…"

"Freeing you from your past," Jo finished her sentence. "I've already submitted a letter to the state, telling them I agree with an early termination."

"Do you think I'm ready?" Raylene's hand shook as she placed the piece of paper on the desk.

Jo leaned back in her chair and thoughtfully studied the woman. This was the hard part. Not only for the resident, but for Jo. Because of the safety net she'd built around the women. Not insulated. Perhaps more like protected. To give them time to heal. Carving out a safe space to make the necessary changes in their thought process, their lives, learning new skills.

For many, it was starting all over again. No family. No home. Nowhere to go. Except for the farm. Almost all of them had chosen to stay in Divine, near Jo and their support system. And she couldn't be more thrilled. Sherry, Leah, Kelli. Raylene had insisted she wanted to stay in Divine but she had another life, another successful life elsewhere.

Jo sucked in a breath. She didn't want to sway Raylene's decision. It was hers. All hers, and regardless of what she decided to do, Jo would be behind her. One hundred percent.

"We chatted briefly about this yesterday. My answer is yes, which is what I told the probation board. In fact, knowing your circumstances, you were never meant to be here, to be incarcerated in the first place."

Raylene eased out of the chair and wandered to the window. "I think God allowed it to happen to me for a reason." She spun around. "I wasn't on the wrong track, but I wasn't on the right one, either. I'm here for a reason."

Jo blinked back sudden tears. "I believe it too. God doesn't make mistakes. So, now you've straightened out whatever past you were dealing with and are on the right track going where? When we talked, you mentioned staying here in Divine but now a decision is imminent…and entirely up to you."

"I have money," Raylene said. "Money, at least in the beginning, won't be an issue."

"What you have tucked away will help immensely."

"It'll get me up and running and pay for a roof over my head." A slow smile spread across Raylene's face. "Thanks to you, I've been able to set aside a tidy chunk of change from what you pay me to work here on the farm."

It was true. Raylene was frugal with her money, purchasing the bare necessities with maybe a splurge here and there. She deposited almost all of what she earned in the interest-bearing account Jo started for each of the residents when they arrived.

In fact, most of the others had done an excellent job of saving what they'd earned—all of them except for one, who spent most of what she earned. Laverne. Which reminded Jo about another item on her to-do list.

"You're careful with your money," Jo said. "I don't foresee you having any difficulty starting a new business and managing your finances."

"But," Raylene said. "I can almost hear the but."

Jo leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "It's the emotional part. Are you emotionally ready?"

"I am. I've done a lot of soul-searching and am in a good place." Raylene pointed to the letter. "I'm scared. I'm thrilled. My stomach is in knots. Free. Free from this nightmare, losing Brock, carrying around the guilt." Raylene spun back around, but not before Jo noticed her lower lip trembling.

"I can only imagine," she said softly. "It's been a long road, but you made it. I'm so very proud of you." Jo eased out of the chair, grabbed a Kleenex, and handed it to her. "You're still young. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"I want to make you proud, Jo." Raylene dabbed at her eyes. "Sherry, Leah and now Kelli are living their best lives doing what they love to do. I want to be like them."

"And you will," Jo assured her. "If you stay in Divine, I'll be right here. If you're a million miles away, I'll still be here."

"At first, I figured I would go back to Florida, but now I can't envision my life anywhere else," Raylene said. "I guess I need to get my affairs in order and start thinking about moving my nest egg closer to home. I'll have to look for an apartment."

"Sherry and Kelli," Jo said. "They might be able to squeeze you in."

"Two is company. Three's a crowd," Raylene quipped. "I kind of like the idea of living alone. With my line of work, I'll be traveling a lot. I'm not an ideal roommate."

"It's your decision," Jo said. "I believe processing the paperwork will give you a little breathing room. By the time you pack your bags, we'll have you set up and ready to go."

"Thanks, Jo." Raylene impulsively hugged her. "Thank you for saving me. I love you."

"I love you too." Jo smiled widely. "I'll have Delta whip up the most decadent celebratory cake ever."

Raylene turned to go and paused. "If you don't mind, I would like to keep this to myself for now."

"How about we make a celebratory announcement after dinner?"

"Yeah. I like the idea. It will give me a little time to let it sink in." She thanked Jo again and, with a pep in her step, strolled out of the office, the smile never leaving her face.

Jo waited until she was gone to send a quick text to Carrie to check in. She logged into the business checking accounts, entered a handful of recent receipts, and then pulled up the PL. The businesses were doing well, which meant it was time for another pay raise.

Jo plugged the numbers into her handy dandy spreadsheet. She did a few quick calculations and came up with the number for the raise she planned to give her hardworking residents.

She scribbled the number on a sheet of paper and slid it under her desk pad before heading to the kitchen to help Delta set the table for breakfast. She found her in front of the griddle, flipping pancakes.

"That woman is over the moon," she said.

"Who?"

"Raylene. You told her about the early termination letter. I'm pretty sure her feet weren't touching the floor when she floated out of the house."

"It's exciting, isn't it?" Jo grabbed a grape from the bowl of fresh fruit and popped it into her mouth. "Did she tell you she's certain she's staying in Divine?"

"Yes, ma'am. Who can blame her? There's no better place to start over than right here in our special town."

"Agreed." Jo grabbed a stack of breakfast plates. "I was thinking we could celebrate after dinner tonight and share the exciting news with the rest of the residents."

Delta tapped the side of her forehead. "I'm already on it. Raylene's gonna get one of her favorites—a cherry cheesecake."

"It sounds delicious." Jo carried the plates to the dining room and made several trips back and forth while Delta finished making breakfast.

The residents gathered right on time, and Jo waited for everyone to have a seat before bowing her head. "Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, thank you for this new day. Thank you for each person seated at this table and for those we love who aren't here. Lord, we ask you to continue blessing the farm, to lead us and guide us every step of the way. In Jesus's name, we pray. Amen."

"Amen," the others echoed.

Laverne reached for the bowl of scrambled eggs. "Raylene said you two are heading over to your buddy Carrie Ford's place again this morning."

"We are," Jo said. "It shouldn't take long. Maybe an hour or so."

"Hmm."

Jo flipped a flapjack onto her plate and motioned to Laverne. "What is it?"

"What's what?" Laverne asked.

"Your hmm."

"Every time you two leave, it adds to our workload. Carli, Courtney, Michelle and mine," Laverne said.

"I can cover over at the mercantile or bakeshop," Gary said. "I'm not too good with those new-fangled cash registers, but I can sure box up baked goods and hang clothes on hooks."

"Thank you, Gary," Jo said. "Where are you scheduled to work today, Laverne?"

"In the bakeshop with Raylene."

"Gary will help you until Raylene returns," Jo said. "Problem solved."

The resident mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

"Now what?" Jo sighed.

"It would also be nice if you invited someone else to go with you."

"Fine. I'm running into town tomorrow to pick up my wedding dress after Charlotte finishes altering it. You can go with me." Jo motioned to Carli and Courtney. "I have grocery shopping to do later this week. You two can go with me after the stores close for the day."

"What about Michelle?" Laverne asked.

Michelle, the quietest of Jo's residents, who preferred to spend her time cleaning or working with Nash, cleared her throat. "You don't have to take me anywhere," she said in a small voice.

"What if I want to?" Jo caught her eye. "I was thinking about maybe running by Claire's Collectibles to see if I could find a necklace to go with my wedding dress. Maybe you can help me find something."

"I…I would love to," Michelle said.

"It's a deal." Jo clapped her hands. "Raylene will run over to Carrie's with me this morning. Laverne will accompany me to pick up my dress from Charlotte. Carli and Courtney will grocery shop with me and Michelle can help me find the perfect necklace."

"But…"

Jo lifted a hand, cutting Laverne off. "There will be no more discussion. Before I forget, please plan on being present for dinner this evening."

"Why?" Courtney asked. "Are we having dinner guests again?"

"No. We'll be celebrating," Jo said.

"Celebrating?" Michelle asked.

"It's a surprise," Delta said. "I'll be making a cherry cheesecake for dessert."

"Yummy." Raylene patted her stomach. "It sounds delish."

After breakfast, Jo ran back to her office to track down her cell phone and realized she'd missed a call from Carrie. She promptly called her back.

"Hey, Jo."

"Hey, Carrie. Sorry I missed your call."

"No worries. Remember when I told you I was going to set up temporary cameras to keep an eye on the place?" Carrie asked. "I think I caught something last night."