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the pastor of the church she’s leaving. Open his eyes to You, Lord; help him see his sin and repent. Heal him, restore him, and heal his church so that You may be glorified. And, Lord, we ask for Doris’s neighbor to get good results tomorrow; we pray everything good for her. We pray for the Lane family, as we always do. Lord please work in their lives. We ask that You bring Leesa into the Kingdom to Your glory. She needs You, Lord. All of us do.

      “Thank You for our prayer group. Thank You for loving us. Teach us how to love You back. In Jesus’s name, amen.”

      After the group “Amen,” Cook kept her head bowed. Lord, You are so faithful. Thank You, Jesus!

      Doris wiped away a tear. “Thanks, Jack. That prayer inspired me. How do we love Him? Sometimes it seems so difficult. He knows everything we think and feel. But how do we love Him back?”

      “I know.” Jack shrugged. “It’s a hard one. I just want to stay in His will. Sometimes I think I could do something to show Him how much I love Him, but then He already knows and… it’s confusing.”

      Cook stood. “I need to leave. Leesa didn’t come home last night. I think she stayed at her father’s estate; she been doing that some nights. I want to be there when she gets back. But Jack—one way I show Him how much I love Him is by doing something for someone else. We are His ambassadors here on earth. If we help someone out, give someone a cheerful word, even smile at someone, I think that’s a way to love Him.”

      ***

      Four days later, Leesa met Aaron Stern at the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. Mr. Stern directed her to a small office off the main lobby. She sat in the leather chair across from him.

      Mr. Stern opened a manila file folder. “The D.A. has made an offer, and I think you’d do well to consider it. You should be in jail and we both know it. Hear me out before you say anything.”

      Leesa folded her arms. “I’m listening.”

      He read from an official form. “You are being charged with speeding in excess of eighty miles per hour through a school zone, running a red light, resisting arrest…”

      Leesa straightened. “Resisting arrest? That’s a lie.”

      He paused for a moment, then said softly, “I asked you to listen. Do you want to hear what they’re offering? Or do you want me to leave now?”

      She pursed her lips. “Go on.”

      Mr. Stern looked her in the eye. “Your disrespect for the arresting officer didn’t help you any. He is willing to testify to all of the above, including the fact that when he turned on his flashing lights, you accelerated. When he added the siren, instead of pulling over, you continued your acceleration, causing him to engage in a high-speed chase and call for backup.”

      Leesa smirked. “He was a jerk.”

      “And you were an idiot. Don’t interrupt me again.”

      She pursed her lips again. She wanted to walk out, but her survival instincts told her to sit and listen to the court’s offer. I don’t deserve this. No one gets it. I’m the victim here.

      Mr. Stern picked up the official document. “The county of Los Angeles is willing to forgo the mandatory sentence. The only reason you aren’t going to jail today is that you had no alcohol or drugs in your system. You will be required to do two hundred hours of community service. You will have to pay the fine. Your driver’s license will be revoked for a year. If you agree to these conditions—and I believe they are generous—we can finish this today. If not, you’ll find another attorney. I’m not a criminal or trial attorney. You will go to trial, and your guilt or innocence will be decided by a jury of your peers. It will be difficult to find such a jury, given who you are. Therefore, I strongly recommend you accept these terms.”

      Leesa blinked at her manicure. “Two hundred hours of community service? Can you get that down? I mean, that seems like a lot.”

      Mr. Stern whispered, “You don’t get it, do you? This is a gift. They’ve done everything but wrap it and put a big red bow on it. Take the deal.”

      She took a deep breath. “All right, all right. I’ll take it.”

      He passed documents for her signature. “The court will contact you regarding the community service, for where and when it will begin. Don’t mess with them, Leesa. Be there on time, do the job, and stay out of trouble. Losing your license for a year will be inconvenient, but you have a driver and transportation to take you wherever you need to go.”

      She nodded, unable to speak. Her feelings swirled from confidence to helplessness. No, no. I didn’t want to cry. Sure, it’s no big deal to you, Mr. Stern. You didn’t just get everything you ever had pulled out from under your feet. I don’t have L. L. Lane Unlimited anymore. I don’t even have a job. I was going to move into Father’s house. Now I don’t know if I will ever get to go back to the home I grew up in. It all belongs to Lyza. She blinked tears.

      Mr. Stern patted her hand. “Don’t cry, Leesa. You’re a strong woman. Get the community service done and get on with your life. Be thankful you’re not going to jail. And beyond that, be glad you don’t have to wear an ankle bracelet.”

      Leesa stammered, “Thanks, but—well—you were at the reading of the will. I need to get a grip. Where should I report to begin the community service? Two hundred hours would be— what?”

      Mr. Stern gathered up the signed papers and put them in his file. “Five weeks, full time. If you don’t have a job, it might be good to start out full time. They can assign you anywhere for any amount of time. Let me go find out where they want you to start. I’ll be right back.”

      He closed the door on his way out.

      Leesa held her head in her hands. How did I get here?

      If only I hadn’t been so angry. Father, how could you leave everything to Levi? A tiny baby. You disowned Lyza, and she named her baby after you and Grandfather. Unreal.

      You forgot about me. How could you have forgotten about me? I stood by you, even when you disowned Lyza. Do you think it was easy to turn on my best friend, on my twin sister? She felt tears spilling through her fingers. She raised her head and dug through her purse for a tissue.

      Mr. Stern returned as she wiped her eyes. “Check in at this address Monday morning. I want to prepare you. The first week, you’ll be picking up trash along the highway. Dress accordingly: moderately and comfortably. It’s a dirty job, but go in with the right attitude, do a good job, get a good report, and you might get something better the second week.”

      Leesa wrinkled her nose. “Picking up trash along the highway?”

      Mr. Stern held the door open for her. “That’s right. You’re going to do it, and you’re going to be happy about it, because you’ll get to go home when you’re finished and not back to a jail cell. Understand?”

      Chapter Three

      Lyza entered the L. L. Lane Unlimited building. It feels weird coming back here, as though I’ve been gone a hundred years instead of just one. She stepped off the crowded elevator and approached the receptionist’s desk. “Good morning, Faith.”

      Faith smiled cheerfully. “Good morning, Miss Lane.”

      Lyza stopped in front of the desk. “Please, call me Lyza. Is Bill in?”

      Faith searched the computer screen in front of her. “He’s here. Would you like me to page him?”

      Lyza took a seat in the waiting area. “Just call and tell him I’m in the lobby.”

      Bill appeared in the lobby within seconds. He reached out and enveloped Lyza in a hug. “Lyza, so good to see you. I’m so sorry about your father. I know you’re going to miss him.”

      Lyza quickly hugged him and stepped back. “I miss him already. I’m still in shock at what he did. Did Aaron Stern contact

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