Forks and knives made clinking noises as everyone ate their lunch at the Black Bear Café. Josh took in his family, grateful that Bianca was okay, and thought about the conversation he’d had with his mother that morning—he hadn’t told Maya about it. Yet. And he certainly wouldn’t mention part of the conversation until he had time to follow up with a few things.
They’d met at the local coffee shop and his mother had sat with him and apologized for everything she’d done, including bringing Amber back into his life, inviting the Bradfords to come to Pinecone Junction and treating Maya poorly. Josh knew she could be tough, but when she said how much she’d come to love Maya, he’d been so happy and relieved. Then she’d really surprised him by pulling a ring box out of her purse.
“This belonged to your grandmother and it’s from Italy. Your grandfather gave it to her before they immigrated to the US,” she explained as she handed him the box. “I know you gave it to Amber and that didn’t work out. I appreciate you giving it back to me, but really, your grandmother wanted you to have it for whoever you choose to marry. So here, it’s yours. For whenever the time is right.”
“This means a lot,” Josh said.
“And by the way, I’m not pressuring you to ask Maya. That’s your decision, but I’m just saying if you did, your dad and I would be very happy.”
Josh laughed and put the ring in his coat pocket. “I’ll let you know how it goes when the time comes. I love Maya. I know she’s the one.”
“Well, then, you’re ready to ask her whenever you choose. Have you asked her grandfather permission?”
“I haven’t,” Josh said.
“I know it’s probably old-fashioned, but it might not be a bad thing to do. If you want my opinion, which of course you may not.”
“No, I appreciate it,” Josh said, giving his mom a hug.
Now as he watched everyone eat and chat, he felt like he had a family—something he had lost when he was deep in his addiction. And that family was bigger with Maya and Pops. He was already nervous about asking Pops, permission and had decided to wait until the time was right. And he thought about Eric. Somehow after Eric helping him out, he wanted to ask his permission too, but that was going to be complicated.
Pops stood up and clanged a fork on his glass. Then he cleared his throat. “I have an announcement to make… The CBI officially dropped the charges against Josh. I have his badge and service weapon to give back to him. Congratulations—you are reinstated as the undersheriff.”
Josh happily accepted the badge and gun. He’d been wondering if and when he’d be returning to work. He knew there was still a lot of things getting taken care of with everything that had just happened, but this was a big step toward clearing his name.
“And don’t worry,” Pops said, “I have paperwork for you.”
“Of course,” Josh said with a laugh. “I’m happy at the thought of doing paperwork again.”
“I’m glad things will be back to normal,” Maya said, giving him a quick kiss. “Whatever normal is.”
“Well…maybe,” Pops said.
“What are you talking about?” Maya asked.
“I am grateful to be found not guilty and Spencer, thank you,” Pops said. Spencer nodded in acknowledgment. “But I also know I did make a mistake. I’m glad the jury didn’t see it as a mistake that would be worth serving time, but nonetheless, I wish I could go back and change things.”
“We all have things we want to change, Pops,” Maya said.
Josh took her hand and held it. He wasn’t sure where Pops was going with this, but he wanted to be there for Maya.
“We do,” Pops agreed. “But I’ve been thinking. Maybe it’s time to hang up my duty belt and retire. I mean, there’s lots of fishing I’d like to do, and thanks to your help, Maya, Velvet is ready to start doing some trail rides.”
“What? No,” Maya said. “You’ll be bored in two days and probably get into trouble.”
Josh squeezed her hand, but didn’t say anything. She would need to process this on her own. He was stunned himself, but it was different when it was your own family making changes.
“Maya, I’m not young anymore. I know this is hard, but the only certain thing in life is change. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be available for consulting. And getting into trouble,” Pops said with a laugh. “You’re probably right about that. But there’s an election this fall. I was going to finish my current term and run again, but I’ve changed my mind. It’s time for a new leader. I’ll announce it officially next week.”
“Who do you think will run for the next sheriff?” Josh asked, thinking about the fact that he might have a new boss, which was a bit unsettling.
“I was actually hoping you would,” Pops answered. “You’re a solid undersheriff. You’ve proven that you have changed your life, and you have empathy from the experiences you’ve been through to uphold the law but also understand that people make mistakes. Let me know. We can start the process to get you on the ballot.”
Josh was speechless and then cleared his throat, trying to figure out what to say. “Don’t you think after being arrested, it’s too soon to run for sheriff?”
“The election isn’t until November and I know you’d have to campaign before that, but you’ll be fully cleared by then.”
“I’ll think about it and talk it over with Maya,” Josh finally said, and then to Maya, “This isn’t just my decision. I love you and I want you in my life, so we need to discuss this.”
