I crumpled up the paper and threw it in my purse. "You could've just waited to hand it to me when I pick up Abby later," I said to an invisible Autumn. It was the second nasty note I'd received on my windshield in the past two weeks. I found the first one when I'd come out of the grocery store just over a week ago. It had simply said, He’s using you.

The museum didn't have surveillance cameras, and I wouldn't bother to ask the grocery store if they had any. I already knew who was writing the notes, so it was a moot point. I was convinced Autumn was more bark than bite so there was no way I would involve Christian in something so adolescent. Once she got it through her thick skull that Christian and I were a permanent couple, she would slink away and stalk some other poor soul.

I stopped for coffee and still arrived at my therapy appointment fifteen minutes early. The office complex was a modern structure with a bright and airy atrium in the center. I sat on a bench and enjoyed my coffee as I watched people bustling around me. I stared at the large corner space that used to be the gym where I had taken a few yoga classes and wondered what was going on behind the glass walls that had been covered with brown paper. A remodel had been going on for weeks with no sign of who would be occupying the space. I hadn't been speculating for more than a minute when the glass door opened and two men walked out. The older of the two was laughing and he stepped aside as the second man turned around to lock the door.

"You got it, Nick?" I heard the older one ask. He had a thick head of silver hair and a neatly trimmed beard to match. I saw that he was wearing blue jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt that said, "Diamonds in the Rough."

The sensors in my head started to fire all at once. I watched and listened as the one called Nick replied, "I got this, Roger." Remembering what Christian had told me after admitting to attacking the man who'd attempted to rape me, my brain made the connection between Diamonds in the Rough and Nick Rosman. He turned around at that exact moment and our eyes connected.

My head screamed for me to not look. Look down. Maybe it's not him.

It was wishful thinking. My eyes betrayed me as I looked below his shoulders and saw the artificial limb. Instead of glancing back up I kept my eyes lowered as I concentrated on the coffee cup I had balanced on my left knee. I saw a pair of loafers come into view. I slowly raised my head when the person standing in front of me asked, "Are you Mimi Dillon?"

"Hello, Nick," was all I said as I met his eyes. Having him stand over me felt a bit too submissive, so I stood up. "Or do you go by Elliott?"

"It's Nick," he whispered breathlessly. "Mimi, I've waited a long time to talk to you. I have so much to tell you. So much to say to you."

Just then the older man sidled up next to Nick and asked, "Friend of yours?"

Nick didn't take his eyes off mine as he replied to his friend, "This is Mimi. I've told you about her."

I chanced a peek at the older man who formed an O with his mouth. He obviously knew the story. Extending his hand, the man said, "Roger Kincaid, but my friends call me Jolly Roger."

Before he could pull his hand away I replied, "Mimi Bear. Nice to meet you, Roger."

"Bear?" Nick asked, his head cocked to one side.

I held my head high when I answered, "Yes, Bear. I'm married to Christian. I guess Roger knows Christian's story too?" My eyes wandered to Nick's prosthetic arm.

"Married?" Nick asked. He took a step back and swiped his hand through his hair. "Whoa. Wasn't expecting that one."

I studied him and watched as he tried to make sense of what I’d just told him. He broke out into a wide smile and said, "I could see you marrying the older one. The one who beat me up that night. What was his name?"

"Slade," Roger said before I could. Apparently he knew that part of the story too.

He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "Unusual name. Easy to remember."

I nodded my agreement, and waited for the awkward silence to descend. But it didn't. Nick immediately launched into an apology for what he'd done to me so many years ago. He explained that he even tried to find me after my family moved, but to no avail. I listened, mesmerized, as he delved into a story that I knew he'd shared with others by how articulately he described it. A story about a misguided and angry teenager, who didn't die from his injury, but was close to dying from despair. He made sure I knew he had no hard feelings for Christian by telling me, "If Christian hadn't done what he did to me, I wouldn't have paid any attention to Roger when I met him. I wouldn't have found God. I would still be wandering aimlessly looking in the wrong places for happiness." His eyes misted over when he added, "Truthfully, I probably would've killed myself."

Apparently, Nick's friend and mentor had become an ordained minister, evangelizing and saving souls while in prison. Upon his release, Roger prayed that God would show him his next assignment. And according to Roger, God did. Nick and Roger met while standing in line at a Taco Bell. Roger honed in on Nick's desperation and sadness, and invited him to a prayer meeting. Just like Christian had told me, Nick had received a substantial amount of money from the Bears, and the two new friends embarked on creating a non-profit organization that would provide not just counseling to troubled young men, but education, housing, and other forms of rehabilitation.

I pointed to the area behind them. "Is that what this is? Headquarters for Diamonds in the Rough?"

"Oh no," Roger chimed in. "I don't think the other businesses would appreciate us having our Diamonds in the Rough crew in the vicinity. Let's face it, most of the boys we deal with are criminals." He stuck his hands in his pockets and rolled back on his heels. "This is an offshoot of that program, and it's a bit different. For starters, it includes girls."

I grinned, interested in what he was saying.

"We don't even have a name for it yet," Nick added.

"But it's for the younger kids. From kindergarten through middle school," Roger told me with a wide smile. "It's an after-school mentoring program that helps them deal with bullying." He nodded toward Nick and said, "Nick's fiancée, Rachel, is going to run it."

My smile got wider, and I focused on Nick. "You're engaged? Congratulations." And I meant it.

"She's a wonderful woman. I'd like you to meet her, Mimi." He paused. "Anyway, we’ve been trying to get the funding for almost a year now, and a few weeks ago, an anonymous donor offered this space, and some money."

"It's an answer to our prayers," Roger said with a smile.

Nick then answered my unspoken question. "The money I got from my settlement is all gone. It was a huge figure, but it went to a good cause. Thanks to this"—he held up his prosthetic limb—"a lot of young men are leading productive lives instead of wasting away behind bars."

I took a deep breath and measured my next words very carefully. "I'm truly glad you see it that way, Nick." I looked down at the ground. I didn't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to apologize on Christian's behalf. If there was ever going to be an apology, it needed to come from Christian. Not me.

As if sensing my internal struggle, Nick asked, "Mimi, can I ask you for a hug?"

I looked up and saw nothing in his eyes that indicated anything other than sincerity. Yes, a misguided teenaged Nick had deceived me all those years ago, but I believed he'd turned his life around for the better. I believed he'd found his place of peace.

I nodded and we embraced. After pulling back, I asked him, "How is your grandmother? How is Edith?"

"She's doing well," he told me. "She insisted on moving into an assisted living facility. She's happier than she's ever been. You wouldn't believe the place. It has everything—its own golf course, movie theater, restaurants. It's like its own little city. I still live in her house."

"I don't want to be the one to bust up this happy reunion, but we gotta head out, buddy," came Roger's friendly reminder.

"I have to run too," I added, looking at my watch. I was already five minutes late.

"Will you stop in and meet Rachel once we're all set up?" Nick asked.

"Yes, I promise," I assured.

Roger grabbed my hand with both of his and shook it so hard I thought my watch was going to fly off my wrist. "Nice to meet you, Mimi. So very nice." His eyes disappeared when he smiled. He really was Jolly Roger.

"Nice to meet you too, Roger."

I watched them walk away, and I tossed my empty coffee cup in the garbage before heading for the stairs. My therapist was going to have a field day when I told her who I'd just run into and the story behind it.