“Are you going to call her back?” Marcy asked, returning the phone and carrying on brushing her hair in the mirror. She was clearly trying not to make a big deal of it, continuing to get ready for a meeting at the community center, and given how carefully she’d applied her makeup Claudia wondered, not for the first time lately, if there was someone special on her mother’s horizon.

“I think if I don’t call back you’ll leave me,” Claudia quipped.

Marcy smiled, her blue eyes softening in a way that made her seem younger and happier than she’d looked in a while. “It’s a great opportunity to start building your business again,” she said, “and to meet someone new.”

Claudia wasn’t going to deny that, for it was what she’d thought herself, and turning to look at the dining table laden with dishes of colored beads and charms, special threads and wire, her pliers, glue, and needles, she gave a small sigh. She’d made jewelry several years ago and sold it online, and now she was in the process of doing more, rebranding her designs as Simply Baubles. It wasn’t going to make her a fortune, but it wasn’t a fortune that she needed.

It was a life.

“You shouldn’t waste any time,” Marcy urged. “If you don’t get back to her right away, she’ll find someone else. You can do this.”

In spite of the anxiety tightening her heart, Claudia said, “OK, I’ll call her now,” and tapping Andee Lawrence’s number on the phone screen, she looked at her mother again as she waited for the connection.

Marcy’s face was full of hope, eyes bright with encouragement, and Claudia knew she was doing this as much for her as she was for herself.

“Hi, Andee Lawrence speaking.”

Claudia’s eyes drifted to the rain on the windows. “It’s Claudia Winters,” she said, feeling oddly as though she was stepping into another world, with no knowledge of where she might land. “I got your message. It’s possible I could help you, but I need to know more about . . .”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Andee replied in a rush. “Maybe we could meet at the property so you can see exactly what’s required—and I’ll have to pray you won’t go screaming off into the night when you see what I’m asking for.”

With a smile, Claudia said, “We only arrived in the area a few months ago and I haven’t really set myself up yet, so I don’t have any workers or suppliers, at least not locally.” Could she contact the team she’d used before? No, of course not. Was she out of her mind? “If you’re in a hurry . . .”