“Be careful who you trust here, Kate. This is a tough town. They chew up little girls like you and spit them out. Don’t get sucked into all that crap. Reid and Ashton both have my card. They know to call me if they see you heading for any kind of trouble.”

“Spies, huh?” Kate asked with a grin. She expected nothing less from him.

“No, friends. Keep in touch with them. They’re good people.”

“I will.” She clung to him much longer than she’d planned to, and when she was finally able to let him go, she wasn’t surprised to see tears in his eyes, too. “Do you remember my favorite movie when I was little?”

“Of course I do. I must’ve watched The Wizard of Oz a hundred times with you.”

“Then you’ll remember what Dorothy said to the Scarecrow when she was leaving Oz. I think I’ll miss you most of all.”

He hugged her hard and made no attempt to hide his tears. “I love you, I’ll miss you, and if I don’t go right now, I’ll never be able to leave you here.”

“I love you, too. Go.” She gave him a nudge and watched him move through security.

When he got to the other side, he turned and waved one last time.

She blew him a kiss. Then he was gone, and she was alone in Nashville.

Chapter 11

In Rhode Island, Clare made final preparations for her trip north. Her mother helped her work through a giant to-do list that included forwarding her mail, temporarily canceling her cable TV, checking in with Dr. Langston, and having the Volvo serviced. While she received a clean bill of health, the old Volvo wasn’t so lucky. When the mechanics identified several major problems with the car, Clare gave in and bought a new one. She chose another burgundy Volvo with four-wheel drive and a ski rack, so she could bring the girls’ skis with her to Vermont.

By Wednesday, she was finally ready to make the five-hour trek north. She spent her final night at home with her mother and Maggie. Her mother left early Wednesday morning to go home to Hartford, and Clare thanked her profusely for her company and help over the last few months.

With her new car loaded to the gills, Clare planned to hit the road after she dropped Maggie off at school.

“I’ll see you right after Christmas, okay?” she said to Maggie as they arrived at school. Maggie and Jill were coming to Vermont for a week during their holiday vacation.

“I can’t wait to ski,” Maggie said.

“I’m sorry I’ll miss the holidays and your birthday, but we’ll celebrate when you come up. I promise.”

“Okay. Well, I’d better get in there.” Maggie glanced out the window at the flood of students heading into the school.