announcement?â
âYes.â Jori searched for a more enthusiastic response to her older brotherâs upcoming nuptials next month. âThe intertwined K âs are a nice touch.â
âArenât 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 bridesmaidsâ dresses are in.â
As her mother continued, Joriâs 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 Christmasâ
âWait, Mom.â A name in her motherâs ramble jerked her thoughts back to the present. âDid you say Erin Foster is a member of the wedding party? When did that happen?â
âLast week. After Kaitlynâs sister was told she canât 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, Erinâs a Tice now, remember? She married Luke Tice right after ⦠the unpleasantness. I sent you pictures of the wedding from Soiree Magazine . Remember?â
âUh-huh.â Jori hadnât 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 wasnât the reason this news surprised her. âI canât believe Erin would agree to be involved in anything to do with the Garrisons.â
âI donât know why youâd say that.â
Exasperation colored Joriâs tone. âMaybe because sheâs married to one of the attorneys in the D.A.âs office that prosecuted my case?â
âNow, Jori, Luke isnât in the D.A.âs office anymore. Heâs in private practice, and running for state senator. So, see, itâs all working out nicely. The wedding will give you a chance to reconnect.â
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.
âKieran and I talked about this, Mom. He understands why I wonât be at his wedding.â
âWell, I donât. No one would dare spoil a wedding day with old gossip.â
Gripping the phone tight, Jori dropped her voice into a desperate whisper. âGet real, Mom. Everyone will gossip about me if Iâm there. Your daughterâs an ex-con.â
The stunned silence on the other end sent shame arrowing through Joriâs middle. Why had she answered the phone? âWeâll talk later. Got to go. Love you.â
Jori held her eyes wide to prevent tears from forming. Sheâd 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 hadnât 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 sheâd shot her fiancé. Everyone seemed to understand crimes of passion. But when she was arrested after Brodyâs accidental death in a car wreck, their friends had scattered like roaches before Raid. Controlled substances were found in Brodyâs 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 Smithâand her apartment in Fayetteville, because the lease was in Brodyâs 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
George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois