“I got tired of the big city. I wanted a change.” She shrugged. “One of my friends was here a few years ago, on his way through to Atlanta and he’s always gushed about it. So I checked it out on the internet and ended up talking to Chuck and rented the apartment.”

“I admire that. You just up and moved? Changed your life because you wanted to, that’s pretty amazing.” Maggie’s smile was genuine.

“Don’t. It’s not a big deal really. The city was killing me.”

Or rather, someone in the city wanted to.

Maggie frowned a little before brightening again. “Well it’s most certainly admirable. What city did you come from?”

She and Brian decided it was good to keep close to the truth. Los Angeles was big enough that it shouldn’t ring any alarm bells.

“LA.”

“And what are you going to do here? Do you have a job lined up?”

Well, she couldn’t be a surgeon anymore. Three of the fingers in her right hand had had the bones shattered so severely she’d never have the range of fine motor skills she’d need. Hell, she could barely hold a fork in her right hand for nearly half a year after she’d gotten out of the hospital. On top of that, she couldn’t practice under her new name without a whole lot of hassle and paperwork. Hassle and paperwork that would expose her. Futile rage swamped her for a moment, Terry had taken away her greatest love as well as her safety and nearly her life.

“No. I need to start looking.” She shoved it all away, not allowing him to own her fear or her anger. Her days of letting him control her were over.

“Well, what can you do? Any special talents? Maybe we can give you suggestions.” Maggie buttered her toast.

“Clerk, secretary, bookstore? Coffeeshop?” Cassie shrugged, trying not to resent Maggie’s apparent ease with herself and her surroundings.

“You know, I think Penny is looking for someone over at Paperbacks and More. You should pop in. She’s really nice, our age, I think it would probably be a really fun place to work. And wow,” Maggie leaned in close to Cassie, “where did you get those earrings? They’re gorgeous.”

Smiling, Cassie touched them. “Thank you. I made them.”

“You made those? Well they’re beautiful. You’re pretty talented, Cassie. Have you ever thought about selling them?”

“Funny you should mention that, I was thinking about it on the way here. Is there a craft market or flea market around here? I have a supply of things I’ve made that I’d love to sell on the odd weekend here and there.” At least she could still make jewelry with her hands.

“As a matter of fact, yes. There’s a Sunday Market. This is the first year for it but it seems to be doing pretty well. They close down Fourth Avenue, which is just a few blocks down. As it happens, our friend Dee is on the organizing committee. Here.” Maggie dug through her bag and pulled out a pen and paper. “This is her number. Give her a call and let me know because I’d love to buy some of your stuff.” Maggie grinned.

“Thank you, Maggie. I appreciate this.” Cassie paid for her breakfast, a little bit of hope in her belly along with the great food. “Ronnie, breakfast was excellent and the juice made me feel a lot better. I’ll be seeing you.”

“Wait, Cassie. Do you need a ride somewhere?” Maggie asked.

She’d had just about all the small talk she could take. Cassie just needed to be alone to think. “No, thanks. I noticed from the card that the mechanic is only a few blocks away. After I check in there I need to run errands. Nothing I can’t walk to and I need the exercise anyway. Thanks for the tip about your friend and the Market. Oh and do you know if there’s a place in town that has wireless internet access? My phone won’t be in until Monday and I haven’t even thought about internet service.”

“The Honey Bear. It’s a bakery at the other end of Main. We’d be happy to give you a lift.” Maggie’s friendly nature was earnest and unvarnished. Cassie had to admit to herself she liked that. There didn’t seem to be anything fake about her. The gorgeous best friend seemed nice too. But she wasn’t ready for hanging out with the girls just yet.

“Oh thanks, but I’d like to get to know the town a bit. I appreciate it.” Cassie backed away toward the door. “Have a great Saturday afternoon.”

And she was free again. Free to do whatever she wanted. The walk down Main Street was quite nice. There were a number of little businesses along the way. A few cafés and specialty shops dotted the sidewalk. The town seemed to be thriving.

The mechanic shop was busy but when she walked in one of the men stopped what he was doing and came over to help her. “You must be Cassie. I’d shake your hand but I don’t want to get you dirty. I’m Art.”

Okay, so it was odd but she was getting used to everyone knowing who she was. Definitely not something she experienced a lot back home. “Yep, I’m Cassie. Nice to meet you. Just came in to check on my car. How is it?”

“Well, that big old Caddy is a menace. She’s whacked your rear axle out of alignment and it’s cracked. I’ve called in an order for the parts but I won’t see them until Monday. The rest isn’t too bad. The body work shouldn’t take too very long and we can do the paint job here. But I wouldn’t count on having a vehicle for another week or so. Do you need a rental? We have two on site. Polly’s insurance will cover it.”