1. Lila

1

LILA

I can do this…

I'd thought by the zillionth time I repeated it to myself over the past four hours—or really, the past week—I'd start to believe it. My attempt at pumping myself up fell flat, because each time, it landed more like I can't believe I'm doing this .

Risk-taking wasn't my forte. I liked to think I wasn't boring, but I wasn't a grab-life-by-the-horns kind of girl either. I'd gone to college close to home and had always lived within the same twenty miles of where I'd grown up in Philly.

Leaving everything behind and coming to a town I'd never heard of before, where I didn't know anyone except my cousin's cousin-in-law, was the craziest and fastest decision I'd ever made. It hadn't seemed real until I'd taken the exit for Kelly Lakes after countless miles of trees and road on the four-hour drive.

I hadn't stopped anywhere and had driven straight through, both wanting to get up here as soon as possible and afraid I'd lose my nerve and turn around if I stopped.

But here I was. Ready to start the new life I hadn't planned on but had to attempt if I wanted to have any kind of life at all.

I pulled into a spot in front of The Pour House, the only bar on this main road and most likely the only bar in this tiny town. I took in the quaint little shops and moms pushing strollers along the tiny sidewalks as I followed the path my GPS guided me on until it pinged at my destination.

After hours of nothing but nature, all the town seemed to be clustered into a few blocks. It was picture-perfect enough that it almost didn't seem real, like a small-town oasis that didn't belong on a modern timeline.

It was the perfect place to hide since I'd never look for me here either.

My loud sigh echoed inside the car after I shut off the engine, my hand quivering as I pulled the key out of the ignition. The adrenaline that had kept me going was spiking—or my blood sugar had plummeted since I couldn't remember the last thing I'd eaten as I'd scurried to pack the last of my things last night.

Everything I owned had fit into three suitcases stuffed in my trunk and back seat. I'd never replaced the furniture in my apartment from what was already there when I'd moved in two years ago. I'd always meant to, but long work hours and general laziness had gotten in the way. My procrastination had paid off since not having furniture had made it easy to just pack up and move.

I fell back in my seat and called my cousin to let him know I'd arrived, hoping to buy enough time to steady myself before I attempted to climb out of the car.

"Hey, how's it going?"

I smiled at Steven's smooth timbre. He was ten years older but had always been much more of a brother to me than the one I actually had. Steven was over six feet and all lean muscle, but he was a softhearted teddy bear at heart and wise beyond his years, even as a kid.

He was the only relative I could count on right now. My parents didn't even know I'd moved yet. They didn't know how bad it had become or how I'd gone from living in annoyance to fear.

I needed to call them before they stopped by and found my now-vacant apartment. I would finally have to give them the details I'd been holding back and hope they'd honor my request to not tell my brother where I'd be living now.

"I'm here already. I just parked in front of Claudia's bar."

"For real? What time did you leave this morning?"

"Early enough for it to still be dark. No point in sticking around, right?"

"Cuz," Steven began before letting go of a long, audible exhale. I could picture his crinkled brow, and I smiled at the image in my head. "This sucks. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. But a new beginning can be full of great possibilities if you keep an open mind. Claudia would be more than happy to tell you all about that."

Claudia had moved here from Brooklyn after she'd been laid off from her job. She'd since purchased and started running her own bar, married a handsome local cop, and had given birth to the cutest little boy I'd ever seen. When I'd seen her at Eric and Steven's wedding, she was lit up with happiness, although that seemed to be her baseline personality from the first day I'd met her.

I guessed I was another city girl escaping to the country—or, as country as New York State could get. If I weren't so mad at having to leave in the first place, I'd laugh at the ridiculous cliché.

"I'm still too annoyed to be excited for possibilities."

I wasn't here to follow some romantic fantasy of abandoning city life and falling in love with the local baker or farmer. I'd come for a basic sense of peace and security, two things that I'd taken for granted but had crippled me when they were snatched away.

Philly was a big city, but Ted had squeezed me out of it. My shaking hands were probably the aftereffects of what felt like a months-long constant fight-or-flight reaction.

He hadn't laid a hand on me, but I was terrified that was coming next. The constant pleas to see me and work things out were always underlined with threats—of how angry he'd become if I didn't respond and what he would do to any man he'd seen come within two feet of me.

I couldn't even have a cup of coffee with a friend without the little hairs on the back of my neck sticking straight up, knowing he was lurking around somewhere.

And although, at least for right now, Ted didn't know where I was, the urge to keep glancing back and checking what could be over my shoulder would be a hard habit to break.

"I know, and I hate that for you, trust me. But give it a chance. This doesn't necessarily need to be forever. Look at it as a regroup or a breather if that's easier."

"Maybe," I grumbled. "I could learn to enjoy living on a Hallmark movie set."

"Eric says that every time we go," Steven said, chuckling in my ear. "If he weren't so committed to the restaurant, I'd bet he'd want to move there too. The only time I ever see him wear flannel shirts is when we visit Claudia."

A surprising laugh escaped me. Steven's husband, Eric, ran a Chinese restaurant with his uncle in Brooklyn, and as it was their family legacy, they weren't moving anywhere.

I surveyed the street, trying to see if there were any lights on in Claudia's bar, but it was hard to tell from the inside of my car. It was time to regroup, move on with my new life—or whatever the hell this turned out to be—and climb out.

"I'm parked in front of Claudia's bar. I'd like to get the keys to the apartment and settle in before I meet my new boss this afternoon and get used to sleepy small-town life."

"Okay, cuz. And listen, you can do this. A sleepy town may be just what you need. You may even like it."

A smile snuck across my lips.

"You never see anything other than the bright side. It's irritating as hell."

His hearty laugh rumbled over the speakers.

"I see other things too, believe me. I just shift my focus. It's not easy, but you'll learn."

"Well, I have nothing but time to myself now, so I guess I'll figure that out along with everything else. And listen," I said, swallowing the lump scratching at the back of my throat, "thank you."

It was a heavy thank you that counted for so much. For being there during the worst of it all, for helping me find a way out, and for sticking by me after others accused me of being dramatic when all I'd wanted was to be left alone.

"Thank you isn't needed, Li. It's what family does. Or, what it's supposed to do," Steven said.

We shared a sad laugh. Our family and so many of his friends hadn't been good to Steven, yet he was still that half-full kind of guy, finding the positive in everything.

I guessed if he could, I could too—or at least try.

I clicked the doors open after I ended the call, scanning the street when I stepped out.

As I approached the bar, I couldn't see anything through the tinted windows. The neon sign was off as I would expect at not even eleven in the morning, but Eric had said that Claudia always came into the bar early.

A loud growl rumbled from my empty stomach. I still didn't have much of an appetite, but I'd need something in my system before I started my new life flat on my face.

"Everything all right, miss?"

I swiveled around to the deep voice behind me, the swift motion enough to make me stumble back. The street spun before I could answer, and I pressed my hand to the glass for purchase, my knees wobbling under me just as a hard arm looped across my waist.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked when I fell against him.

A silver police badge shone in the sunlight as I slowly lifted my head to meet the man's gaze. His blue eyes were so clear, they almost glowed in the sunlight, transfixing me enough to stay upright.

"I'm fine." I cleared my throat when I caught my voice crack. "I've just been on a long drive and haven't eaten anything today. I should have taken a bite of the granola bar in my purse before I stepped out of my car."

I sputtered out a nervous laugh as he studied me.

"Claudia is expecting me, but I may be here too early. I'm not, like, casing the place or anything, I swear," I stammered, my cheeks hot with embarrassment from how he'd found me and then almost collapsing against him.

The soft expression in his gorgeous eyes calmed me. I sensed genuine kindness, his rugged features softening as his crystal-blue eyes met mine.

My gut usually wasn't wrong—when I paid attention to it.

My instincts had picked up something off with Ted a few months into our relationship, but I hadn't expected the avalanche of chaos after I'd broken up with him.

I'd planned on keeping all men I wasn't related to at a far distance for a long time, but I wasn't sure if my dizzy state or trepidation over being in a new place was the reason I wasn't flinching away from this gorgeous stranger's embrace.

"It's okay. Claudia usually comes in early and doesn't turn on the lights in the front until she opens in the afternoon. She'll hear a knock if she's in there."

His full lips curled into a smile, stealing my breath enough for me to dart my eyes away. They landed on his badge, a ray of sunlight reflecting off the metal giving me spots in my vision as I made out Russo across the silver.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I bobbed my head, pressing my fingers into my temple. "I'm fine, thank you. I should have called Claudia instead of loitering outside like I was trying to break in."

"You're fine."

His voice slipped through me as it took a husky dip, almost making me shiver. I was probably hallucinating from stress and exhaustion, and once I had some breakfast and a liter of coffee, my senses would reset.

I'd wave goodbye to the handsome officer, hopefully shaking off some of the humiliation before the next time I ran into him. Because in a town this tiny, how could I not?

My eyes grew wide as he inched forward, leaning over me to tap the window with his knuckles. This close, I could make out his perfect profile. He looked more like a model than a cop, with a short layer of brown stubble dusting his chiseled jaw.

I spotted an older woman with bright-red hair over his shoulder, looking us over with her thick brows pinched.

I hadn't even been out of my car for ten minutes, and a sexy cop had thought I was breaking in to a bar. And now, this lady probably thought I was committing other crimes nestled so close to said cop in broad daylight when he was simply trying to keep me upright.

"I think I have my equilibrium back," I said, flicking my eyes to where his arm was still around my waist.

"Oh, sorry," he muttered and pulled his arm away. I could've sworn I caught a bashful smile slip across his perfect lips. Without the tension in his features, he looked young. At least young enough to make me feel a little dirty from having that hard chest pressed up against me and, despite my state of mind, enjoying it.

"Hi, Mary." He nodded at the woman still staring at us. "Everything okay?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Mike," she scoffed, giving us both an obvious once over.

"I'm here to see Claudia," I tried to explain. "I was peeking in the window to see if she was inside, and then I almost passed out. Then… Mike caught me before I fell onto the pavement." I glanced at Officer Mike. "Thank you."

Mary regarded us with a slow nod, still gawking at us as she shifted down the street.

I'd come here for anonymity. Yes, in a small town, I'd expected people to be sort of in my business and naturally curious about the new girl, but I never thought I'd give them a reason to talk about me in the first fifteen minutes.

This was still better than what I'd left in Philly. I was embarrassed but not ashamed, and if I were more alert, I'd probably laugh at what—and whom—I'd literally fallen into.

"Lila! I didn't expect you so early! You must have made great time or left at the butt-crack of dawn."

Claudia rushed over to me and scooped me into a hug. When I'd first met her, she had been so bubbly and boisterous, I hadn't known what to make of her at first. But as Steven had told us, she had a way of drawing you in right away.

She was gorgeous, with perfect skin, long black hair, and big, dark eyes framed by long lashes that brushed her brows, but her genuine kindness was what made her so beautiful.

From the first time we'd met, Claudia had felt like an old friend—and a familiar and friendly face was very welcome in this crazy new venture.

Not that Officer Mike's face wasn't friendly, but I didn't have to force myself to stop staring at hers.

"I was on the road before the sun was up. Traffic was pretty light," I said as she eased back. "Excited to start my new country life." I tried to smile before something scratched at my throat again. "Thank you for…everything," I managed to squeak out, feeling Officer Mike's eyes on me in my second wave of emotion.

I had two speeds lately—angry and weepy—and I needed to alter both if any of this was going to work.

"Oh, Lila. Stop." She squeezed my shoulders, shaking her head. "I was happy to get you hooked up here." She glanced at the handsome cop over my shoulder. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, fine," I said. "I wasn't sure if you were here yet. When he found me looking clueless after I parked, he knocked on the window for me after I almost passed out."

"Passed out?" Claudia squinted at me and grabbed my biceps. "Are you all right?"

"Other than embarrassed, yes. I was too busy packing before I left to eat anything. Once I have some breakfast, I should be fine."

"I see," she said, bobbing her head as she darted her eyes back and forth between us. "We'll fix that once you come inside. Makes sense that you both get acquainted. Mike, this is Lila. She's family from Philly and is moving to our lovely town to work for your father."

My head snapped to Claudia. How had I not made the connection after reading his last name on his badge that he could be related to my new boss? In Philly, I'd met a lot of Russos, but there was probably only one or a few of everything here.

I'd only spoken to Jake Russo over the phone. As luck would have it, or if I could call having to move within a couple of weeks' time luck, his office manager had quit at the exact moment I needed a job.

Steven would have lent me money until I'd found something if I'd run low on savings, but Russo's Contracting needed an accountant and a manager right away, which was basically the job I'd just lost, only on a smaller scale.

My old hiring manager had given me a great quick reference, still upset that upper management had given her no choice but to put me on a leave of absence while I "dealt with the situation." Ted's antics at my now-old job had gone viral, thanks to someone recording him being dragged out of the reception area like a madman, and letting me go would have made the sudden bad publicity even worse.

But a leave of absence meant that I couldn't file for unemployment, and no one would want to hire the girl the crazy man in the video had come to see, so I was stuck in every way possible.

Once Jake had made me an offer and Claudia had found me an apartment in town, I'd made my plan official and put it into motion.

Calling it a "plan" was reaching, as I never would have considered moving away if Steven hadn't suggested it. He'd been telling me to come stay with Claudia and give Ted enough distance to cool off and calm down. But when I'd become jobless and terrified of Ted's next move, Steven had asked Claudia to help get me out of Philly and away from my unstable ex-boyfriend on a permanent, instead of temporary, basis.

"Oh, you're Lila," Officer Mike said—or Officer Russo or whatever I was supposed to call him now.

He cleared his throat and stepped back, as if he had been caught doing something suspicious instead of me.

"Very nice to meet you. I know my father really needs somebody immediately, so I'm glad you were able to move here so soon."

"Yeah, it was good luck I was able to come right away," I said, cringing when I realized how that came out.

How was I going to explain why I was able to—and had to—drop everything to move here so quickly?

Granted, it was nobody else's business and I didn't have to tell anyone anything I didn't want to, but I needed to figure out some kind of explanation when someone became curious.

I'd told Mr. Russo over the phone that I had been laid off, and thanks to the glowing reference from my now-former boss, I assumed he hadn't really looked into it, probably because I was a family friend of Claudia's.

But it was going to come up sooner or later.

"Thanks for the help, Officer…Mike," I said, lifting a shoulder. "And sorry for disrupting your day."

"You can call me Mike. No need for ‘Officer.'"

His full lips eased into a smile.

"And you didn't disrupt my day at all." His baby-blue eyes held mine for a long minute before he looked away and laughed. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon."

"Such a good officer of the law," Claudia said, smirking as she reached out to tap his stubbled chin with her knuckle.

"I try," he said, flashing us a smile that blinded me more than the summer sun at his back. "Have a good rest of the morning, and welcome."

I almost laughed when he tipped the brim of his hat. I was sure as hell not in Philly anymore. I watched Mike head down the street, stealing a quick moment to appreciate the perfect fit of his uniform pants.

"You sound like you've had a morning," Claudia laughed, glancing in Mike's direction. "Come in. I'll get you some coffee and order us some breakfast."

My stomach rumbled again as she held the door open for me to step inside.

"I usually order a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from the coffee shop, and since they're about two hundred feet away, they come quickly," Claudia joked over her shoulder as she headed behind the bar counter.

The Pour House had a rustic, small-town feel, yet a little modern at the same time, with black wooden floors, gray couches in the corners, and lights strung along the wall in the back of the bar. A TV big enough to be a movie screen stretched along one wall.

"That sounds great, thank you," I said as I settled onto one of the stools, pressing my palms against the counter to steady myself in case everything started to spin around me again. Almost falling once was enough for today.

Claudia laughed into her phone as I heard her order our breakfast. How I wished I could be that socially carefree, especially after getting so dizzy and tongue-tied moments ago. Maybe the stress of the past few months had taken away all my people skills.

"They should be here in a few minutes, but let me load you up first," she said, placing a large mug in front of me and filling it up. My eyes followed the steam as the aroma wafted up to my nose, calming me for the first time since I'd woken up this morning and jumped into my car.

"Cream and sugar okay?" she asked, leaning over to reach into the small refrigerator under the bar.

"Cream and sugar would be wonderful, thank you," I said as she passed me a container and two packets of sugar.

"The most stress in this town is getting up here in the first place. It takes a little entry time to switch off from city mode."

"That, and a general fight-or-flight mode," I said with a humorless laugh. "I'm not sure how much Steven told you about what was going on."

Her smile shrank an inch. "He said you had a crazy ex who wouldn't take no for an answer and things were…escalating."

I took a long sip, my eyes fluttering in relief as I swallowed it down.

"Escalating is a good word." I nodded without looking up.

Claudia's dark eyes were full of sympathy.

"It's…it's not a good story, let's put it that way. Terrible, actually, although my brother accused me of overreacting and ruining his friend's life."

"Doug?" Claudia's lips pursed. "No offense, but your brother is a dick. I've only met him once, but that was an immediate and clear impression."

Doug hadn't attended Steven's wedding but had stopped by the bar during the rehearsal dinner, calling the "whole thing" stupid and gross. The "whole thing," meaning their wedding and being together in the first place. Claudia had seethed behind Eric before my brother had stormed out. I'd been disappointed she hadn't taken a swing at him as he'd passed her.

"And you'd be right. But just this once, I was hoping he'd take my side. He hasn't in as long as I've been alive, so I have no idea why I expected him to start now. Family isn't supposed to dislike you from birth, but?—"

My brother had resented me for as long as I could remember. It went beyond the bickering I'd seen between my friends and their brothers. He didn't treat me badly to tease me. He treated me badly because he never liked me, plain and simple and sad.

It wasn't due to jealousy over hoarding my parents' love and affection since they'd always taken their son's side, forever making an excuse about whatever awful thing he'd done to me growing up.

I'd been used to it all, but after all his friend had done, and how Doug not only hadn't been even a little concerned about me but blamed me for it, I finally faced up to the fact that he was my brother in blood only and cutting him out of my life was something long overdue, no matter where I lived.

"You don't have to talk about it," Claudia said, eyeing me with embarrassing sympathy. "I mean, you can if you want, but you don't owe me or anyone anything. Remember that when the nosy old ladies start prying while you're in line at the supermarket."

I cracked up around the rim of my mug.

"When I have more energy, I'll go into details. The short version is that I broke up with my boyfriend when he became obsessive to the point of creepy. He wouldn't accept it and made my life miserable until I had no choice but to move somewhere far enough away from him, so he'd leave me alone."

"Like I said before, I know a little. Steven asked me a few weeks ago if there was anywhere that you could stay to get away for a little while and get some distance between you and your ex."

"A few weeks ago?" I said to myself, thinking back. I'd only lost my job last week, but a few weeks was right around the time Ted slashed one of my tires in a restaurant parking lot while I was having dinner with friends, saying that "maybe now I wouldn't be too busy to talk."

"So, he told you about the night…" I trailed off as Claudia nodded. "Up until that point, it was mostly a growing nuisance. He couldn't accept that it was over, but I believed he'd eventually stop and move on." I shook my head as I focused on the last drops of coffee in my mug.

"I can't believe the cops did nothing that night."

I shrugged. "My car was just out of sight of the parking lot camera, so it was my word against his. When I tried to explain what he'd been doing, I couldn't provide proof for any of it. The cops that night told us to talk it out, so I thought trying for a restraining order would be pointless."

"Harassment is harassment," Claudia said, narrowing her eyes. "That must have been so awful for you."

"Awful didn't happen until a week or so later." I coughed out a laugh. "But that was the first night he scared me. I figured if I ignored him long enough, he'd just go away, but that was when I realized he had no boundaries. Not when it came to me anyway."

Claudia opened her mouth to say something when we were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"That would be breakfast. I'll be right back."

I nodded and picked up my phone, glancing at the texts from my best friend Ally cluttering my screen before setting it down. I hadn't realized how much I'd mindlessly scrolled Instagram and Facebook in a given day, but as I was afraid to even interact with any posts from mutual friends, I'd deleted both.

Looking me up—I hoped—would be difficult but, I guessed, not impossible if people here wanted more information about me. Google would still work once they knew my last name was Johnson, although I never went by Delilah, my full name.

I'd even changed my cell phone number, given that blocking his number hadn't worked since Ted would just text me from someone else's phone or email me. Mutual friends had insisted they wouldn't get involved but appeared to take sides all the same. One even called Ted's antics "sweet."

I'd had the same number for years, and having to change it irked me almost as much as having to move.

Maybe because of the inconvenience of having to look it up, a reminder of yet another concession I'd made because of Ted.

I'd never thought I'd have to change my entire life in order to push someone else out of it.

"Here you go. I've always found grease to be good for the soul." She set the wrapped sandwich in front of me and passed me a couple of paper napkins. "And if you want a little booze with breakfast—" she nodded to the bottles behind her "—happy to help you out."

"No, I'm good. I need to be somewhat alert to head to my apartment and meet my new boss later." I unwrapped the already translucent paper from the sandwich and took a bite, eyeing Claudia as I chewed.

"Do you think this is stupid? I mean, I had a feeling Steven called to ask you to help me a long time ago, and you probably know how I lost my last job. But am I a coward for just leaving and not putting up a better fight?"

Claudia's brows furrowed as she gave me a slow shake of her head.

"No, I don't and no, you're not. Again, I don't know every detail, but for Steven to be that concerned for this long and for you to leave your life behind and run up here, you obviously didn't feel safe there. And it's impossible to live without a basic sense of security. You have a right to your own life and to love who you want, and it sounds like, had you stayed, he would have made that pretty difficult for you."

I had to laugh around a mouthful of egg and cheese. I could only imagine what would have happened if I'd had the audacity to date someone new. I didn't even feel comfortable doing it here since that feeling of someone watching me was still fresh enough to make me squirm.

"Well, given that I made a fool of myself in front of a man the second after I arrived here, I don't think I have to worry about that any time soon."

"Oh, I don't know," Claudia said, her lips curving as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I noticed Mike take an extra minute to walk away just now."

" That is something I can't do." I shook my head. "Not for a while, and not with my boss's young son."

"I met Mike when he was a teenager and he's my best friend's stepson, so he's like a nephew to me. It's a little weird to see him patrolling the streets in uniform. But he's twenty-five, so not that young. About your age."

"That's sweet, Claudia, but I'm thirty-two. A whole seven years older than Officer Mike."

"Oh, you're a baby." She tsked and waved a hand.

"Yeah, right." I let out a chuckle. Maybe thirty-two wasn't old in the literal sense, but my bone-deep exhaustion from the last few months made me feel ancient.

"Jake and Peyton raised him to be a good guy, but I understand about not wanting to get tangled up in anyone for a while."

Or ever. When it came to men, I'd lost all trust in my own judgment. Ted wasn't always so unstable—or he hid it well. He had been sweet and charming at one time, and I had been into him enough to date him for a few months.

But before I knew it, things started getting weird and then just plain unhealthy. The thought of trusting someone and trusting myself with someone still scared me to my core.

"Let me pay for breakfast," I said, digging into my purse. "It's the least I can do for all you've done and for screwing up your morning."

"You'll do no such thing." She caught my hand. "You didn't interrupt anything. I usually come in after I drop the little guy off at school when Jude has an early shift. I catch up on paperwork or read a book and enjoy the silence. Took me a minute to get used to the quiet, but now that I have, it's nice and peaceful. Especially with having a kid who talks as much as me."

I relaxed enough to let a real smile drift across my lips for the first time today…or maybe the past week.

"And you don't have to keep thanking me. I was happy to do it. And honestly, it was so easy, it seemed like it was meant to be," she said, patting my hand.

"Meant to be," I scoffed. "That's one way to look at it, I guess."

"I've been there," she said, flashing me a wistful smile. "When I made my escape here, I tore up the highway in a rage. I was so pissed off that I was doing ninety without realizing it until I was pulled over."

"So I'm not the only one who came into town and had an altercation with a cop upon arrival?" I asked around the last bite of my breakfast.

"Nope. I ended up marrying the cop, so all's well that ended well."

She winked when my jaw went slack.

"That was Jude?"

"Sure was. You never really know." Her eyes flicked to the entrance.

I laughed. Would there ever be a time when I'd consider dating someone? Dating the young son of my boss was not the way to begin a new and uncomplicated life. If I wanted to leave chaos behind me, that—no matter what I was or wasn't ready for—was off the table.

Mike had been nice to look at, like the Adirondack Mountains I'd passed on the highway before I'd taken the Kelly Lakes exit. Part of the town charm, but meant to be admired from a distance.

"Ready to get settled into your new apartment?" She smiled and twirled two keys around her finger. "I know you saw the pictures I sent, but it's a great place. It's a two-family house, and the owners are the cutest spinster sisters. Nosy, but very sweet and helpful. You have your own entrance and access to the yard if you want to lay out in the sun. The furniture is bare minimum, but you have a couch, a kitchen table and chairs, and a bed."

"That's all I need," I said with a shrug.

Maybe if I did end up liking it here, I could add some pieces and make it my own.

But right now, I felt like a guest in my own life and a sudden nomad on the run.

I had a new everything—a new place to live, a new job and a whole new life.

Yet, nothing felt like mine.