Free Full Circle by Mariella Starr

the right decision.
    Now, Jack stood outside his inherited house staring at it. It was cost prohibitive to try to renovate and bring it up to code. He could spend half a million dollars on the place, and it would still need more work. He didn't have half-a-million dollars lying around to rebuild a house he did not want to keep or rebuild.
    He took several days to think about it; days spent hiking around the outside perimeter and walking from room to room on the inside. It took him nearly a week, numerous phone calls and a trip into town to send off a registered letter to the Navy. Once he made his decision, Jack called Jimmy Richards and arranged for him to pick up and deliver a 24-x-30-foot steel shed and set it up in the side yard. He may not want the house, but he wouldn't destroy carpentry and craftsmanship of a century past. Jack went to work.

    Josie returned to work to find her desk piled with callback notes, unfinished reports and complaints. While there hadn't been a crime spree during her absence, apparently her staff had followed through on very little. She came back to a desk piled with small issues that could have been handled easily, and there was no excuse for it. She realized she needed to make some immediate changes. She closed her office door, typed out her resignation, and hand delivered it to the mayor.
    "Josie," Aiden Roland greeted her when she entered his office. "I'm glad you're back, and you look—"
    "I still look like I went three rounds in a boxing ring and lost," Josie interrupted bluntly.
    "Well, yes, but you're feeling better, aren't you?" the mayor asked. "Do you need a few more days off?"
    "No, I need the rest of my life off. I also need competent back-up," Josie exclaimed. "I was out of the office for nearly a week, Aiden, but I'm still taking full pay since not one decision was made by anyone but me during that entire time. I was on the phone dozens of times every single day making those decisions and running the Sheriff's department. This is my formal resignation. You have one month to find a replacement."
    "Josie, why would you do that?" the mayor asked, genuinely surprised.
    "Because I didn't take the job, Aiden," Josie said. "I took the position of Acting Sheriff and ten months later I'm still Acting Sheriff. You and the town council have had plenty of time to find a replacement. It's time I got on with my life. Promote one of the Deputies or find someone from the outside, I don't care. One month from now, I'm finished."
    "Josie, you can't do this to us," Aiden said. "Rawlings needs you. It takes time to find the right person."
    "I've already given you more than enough time, and you still haven't done a damn thing about changing the status quo," Josie said angrily. "I promised you three months and you said you'd get right on it. You didn't. You have one month, Aiden. During that time, I am not planning on being around that much. I'm going to do two- or three-day weeks until my month is up. I've done all I can do to train those deputies. If they're not willing to learn and step up to the plate, it's time you replaced them, too. Is this getting through to you this time?"
    "Yes," Aiden Roland said, leaning back in his chair. "I'll call a council meeting this afternoon. There are a lot of folks who won't be happy about this."
    "Too bad, they should have put forth more effort into finding a new Sheriff," Josie snapped. "If I wanted my law enforcement career back, I would have made a phone call and been back in my old job making six times what I'm making here!"
    "If you need a raise," the mayor began.
    "I don't want a blasted raise," Josie exclaimed. "I want you to find someone to take over the job permanently. I want to get on with my life and my plans. I want to have time to finish my house. In July, it will be a year, Aiden. I am officially done with waiting for you to do your job!"
    The entire Sheriff's office was in an uproar the next week, but Josie went about her business and ignored all