which involves you. As much as he wanted me to speak with him before I did anything in regards to you, perhaps I should just lay this out for you, as it does pertain to you.”
Nolan huffs at my run-on sentence. “What could big brother possibly want me to do?” Bitterness rings in Nolan’s tone, and after all I’ve sensed his brother has done for him, it’s undeserved toward Jake.
“Nolan, it’s obvious we don’t care for each other. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to you, but I know what you did. Period. Jake told me everything.”
If Nolan knows this truth, he gives nothing away, but a slight tic near his closed jaw hints he didn’t know how much I knew.
“I’m not here for your confession, although I certainly believe you need to confess to someone. It must have been hard to hold that secret in all these years.”
Nolan huffs again, turning his face away from me, giving me belligerence. “Lady, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I know enough,” I state, but I don’t wish to go into my own story. “I’m here because I care about your brother. I care about him a great deal, and he asked me for a favor. I’d like to offer you the redemption you need.”
Nolan scoffs. “Redemption?”
“You should have gone to jail.” My voice cracks, and I swallow against the prickle in my eyes. “You let an innocent man go in your place. Your own brother.”
“I don’t need your damnation,” he bites, narrowing his eyes at me.
“I’m not here to damn you,” I state, reminding myself why I’m here. I will not pass judgment. “I’m here to offer you a job of sorts.”
Nolan’s brows lift as if I must be joking.
“Jake would like you to enter a restorative justice program similar to his parole. Without officially being on parole, I can’t make you attend, nor can I place you in a program without revealing your guilt.”
His mouth opens, but I hold up a hand to stop him.
“I’ve also found you a criminal therapist.”
“I’m not seeing a shrink.”
“She’s not a shrink. She’s a therapist who specializes in guilt. She’s different from a criminal psychologist. She isn’t profiling you. She’s here to help you.”
“I don’t need—”
“Yes, you do,” I cut him off. “And your brother asked me to find someone for you.”
This is addiction 101. You cannot help those who won’t help themselves, but sometimes a strong intervention is necessary, and the push someone needs to get over their hurdle.
Nolan remains quiet for a second, glaring at me with eyes similar to his brother’s but harder, tougher. It’s unfair as his brother is the one who lost out on time, and he isn’t nearly as hardened as the man before me.
“I need an assistant for my new position as director of Building Buddies. We have social media to maintain and a website to update. We host two fundraisers a year, and I need help organizing them. I know nothing about parties, and I’m told you do.” My eyes narrow but a slight grin forms on my lips. Nolan smirks, and I recognize the trait amongst brothers. “You wouldn’t be paid. This is service.”
I let that sink in.
“Finally, I want to organize a youth group that works on projects during summer breaks. My fiancé was a high school principal.” I pause, letting the information settle although Nolan must already know my personal connection to his crime. “He used to bring a group of teens together for a project every year, and they’d help us build a home for a family in need.”
“I can’t build anything,” Nolan states, sarcasm filling his voice as he taps his chair.
“Maybe not, but you can supervise. You can organize, and you might even be able to instruct. If nothing else, I’d hope you could encourage young minds to get involved in their community and help others.”
Nolan’s quiet for a long minute before speaking. “What if I don’t want to do this restorative bullshit?”
“Then you’ve shown your brother you don’t love him as you should for all he’s done for you.”
Nolan’s face hardens once more, but his eyes soften just a touch.
“I’m not going to defer this decision to Jake. This is my offer. If you want it, here’s an address to report to tomorrow. If you don’t show, I’ll have my answer, and I’ll tell Jake he’ll need to look elsewhere for you.”
Quickly, I stand and cross the room, but Nolan’s chair is in a position that blocks