Page 53 of Luke

Dr. Jones cut her gaze to Mary, who nodded, before handing them over.

She whistled. “Mary, this place is nice. I’ve heard of it.” She handed them back. “I think you should take these folks’ offer.”

“I’m trying hard to be better,” she confessed. “I feel like this is me getting into a debt that I can’t pay back. This is too much for me.” She handed the flyers back.

“Not a single one of us here is asking you to pay us back. We don’t want that. All we want is to help you get better and to be there for our son as his aunt,” Luke told her.

Paisley held her hand out to show her ring. “I’m getting married to Luke. He wants this for all of us and, trust me, he can afford it.” She laughed. “They all can.”

“It’s a lot.” Mary still hesitated.

Paisley nodded. “It is. No one is arguing that. We are arguing that you are worth it.”

Cade and Mr. Smith stayed silent, watching the exchange.

“I think you should take this chance, Mary,” the woman from the desk said. “Not many people will ever get one like this, and it’s what you want already but with support instead of being around the temptation of your old life.”

Mary stayed silent. After a minute, tears began to fall and she nodded. “Okay.”

“My dear.” Mr. Smith approached. “I know that you don’t know me, but you are making the best decision you can here. We will help you every step of the way and between the lot of us and the ones that didn’t come, we will help you find a good job when you are ready to leave.”

Tears fell in earnest now. “Why are you all being so nice to me? I don’t deserve any of this.”

“Everyone deserves chances to make things right,” Ryker said. “I wasn’t always this rich, and I don’t fit in with any of these people, even my friends, but we work. You are getting your chance and it’s going to be better than you could have imagined,”

Everyone except for Mary turned to stare at Ryker like he had two heads. No one, least of all Paisley, had expected that motivational speech from him.

“What?” he grunted. “I told you I knew what to say.” With that, he shrugged and took a step back.

“He’s right though,” Paisley encouraged.

“When does all this happen?” Mary asked.

“Right now, if you’re ready,” Dr. Jones answered.

She nodded.

“Go get your stuff and we will get you out of here.” Paisley hugged Mary tight, happy she had agreed and even happier at the prospect of having Mary back in her life.

“Okay,” she whispered, disappearing back into the doors they weren’t allowed through.

“I don’t know any of you, but I promise that if you mess up her recovery at all, I will hunt you all down one by one.” The woman from the desk stood with her hands on her hips and a severe look on her face.

“Yes, ma’am,” they all said together.

“Here’s my card,” Mr. Smith told her, handing it over. “If you have any other cases that are just as motivated and worthy, you give me a call and we will see what we can do.”

She took it, looking it over before pursing her lips and studying him. “I’ll see how she does first.” Without another word, she turned and went back to her post behind the desk.

Ryker walked over to her. “I’m in the security business now. If things ever get out of hand, you give me a call and we will have someone over here to help.”

She nodded, taking the second business card offered to her and setting it on the desk. She didn’t thank anyone, just as untrusting and skeptical as Mary, but Paisley had a feeling that if the time came, she’d use those cards.

“I’m ready.” Mary joined them again.

“Can we ask you a few questions before you go?” Paisley asked.

Mary nodded as they left the building.

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