A tinge of jealousy lapped at Lane’s heart. Why couldn’t she have a faith like Ms. Byrdie’s? Would it have helped save Mathias? Would it have prevented depression from rotting her from the inside out? Lane sucked in a sharp breath. There were so many days when she wanted to give up. Believed the fight wasn’t worth it.

“I’m so grateful for you and Sheriff Huggins. I wouldn’t be here—” Lane choked on the lump in her throat.

“Honey, it’s hard. I know.” Ms. Byrdie pulled her into a strong embrace. “You know you’re not meant to go it alone. Huggy and I are on your side. God too.”

Lane bit her lip. She didn’t need to hide anything from Ms. Byrdie. The woman already knew her secrets and loved her despite them. Was that a shared family trait too?

After a few seconds, Ms. Byrdie released Lane but held her gaze. “If there’s one thing I know about God—he’s a God of second chances. And sometimes second chances come tall and in a uniform.”

A second chance? With Charlie? What would that look like—or feel like? Was it possible? A spark of hope lit inside her chest but was smothered instantly as one thought played through Lane’s mind. Charlie didn’t know the truth and if he did . . . would he believe she was worthy of a second chance?

“You ready?” Charlie looked in on Deputy Frost. The young man’s shoulders were hunched over the keyboard in front of him. His skin looked pastier than usual and he’d lost a bit of the charge he’d first had at the beginning of the investigation. Charlie figured a field trip might bring some color and life back to Frost’s bearing.

“Yes.” Frost pushed out of his chair so fast it slid into the table behind him. “Do I need my jacket? Oh, I have to get my hat.” He patted the holster on his hip and looked like he was running through a checklist in his mind.

“It’s a thousand degrees outside, so you won’t need your jacket, but you will need your hat.” There’s the pep. Charlie smiled. Sheriff Huggins had offered to go with him to talk with the gallery owner in Savannah, but Charlie had suggested it would be a good chance for Frost to gain some experience . . . and some sun.

It took Frost a full five minutes to stop squinting once they stepped out of the station. His posture straightened the farther they drove toward Savannah, but a little twitch in his hand made Charlie pause. Was he nervous or excited?

“What made you become a deputy, Frost?”

The young man shrugged. “Chicks dig a man in uniform.”

Charlie gawked until Frost crumbled into a fit of hysterics for so long that he couldn’t help but join. “For the chicks, huh?”