We load into her golf cart after she's fetched a set of keys and rumble across the complex. I can almost smell the river from here. When we tromp up the concrete staircase to the top and she fumbles with the lock, she says, "Studio apartments aren't all too impressive, you know. Just one big room. So if you have anyone else living with you...?"

I step inside when Laney ushers me in. "No. Just me."

She's right about the place being small. Smaller than small. The main room might be the size of Maggie's dining and living room combined. There's a sliding glass door leading to a patio, a kitchen area in one corner, and a single door that leads—I assume—to a bathroom of equally tiny proportions.

But none of that really matters. It's only me. I don't know what I'd do with a lot of room anyway. All I care about is the view.

I pull open the sliding door and step onto the porch. There are some trees in the way, but once fall hits and the leaves thin out, I'll have a clear view of the Woodshire Bridge. Laney steps up beside me, hands on her hips. "Water and garbage is paid. Pets are allowed, with a small monthly fee. The community's pretty quiet, for the most part. Got a couple of college kids living next door that can get kinda loud on the weekends."

"I'll take it."

"Great." She smiles her sweet, cherry-lip-glossed smile at me. "Let's head back to the office and I'll have you fill out an application and run a credit check..."

Frowning, I turn to face her. "What if I don't have any credit?"

She nods, like she was worried about that. "No rental history, I'm guessing?" When I shake my head no, she hmm's. "Credit cards? Student loans? No?"

"Nothing, no." Before she can say anything, I add on helplessly, "I can pay for it all upfront. Can I do that? If I sign for six months, I can give you the whole amount of rent?"

Laney's eyes widen, but I know I've got her. Maybe I could've gotten away with paying a higher deposit or something, but if something happens to me in the next few months, I'd hate for Laney to be stuck trying to find new tenants on short-notice.

She claps me on the back. "All right, honey. Let's sign you up and get you a key."

#

By the weekend, I've gotten everything moved from Maggie's house to my new apartment. Everything fit into the van with a couple trips, though I had to struggle with my mattress and take apart the metal rolling frame. Getting it all up the stairs by myself was the biggest obstacle of it all.

I give Maggie's key over to Harold on my last trip, and we stand in the living room and look around. He double-checked all the closets and cabinets to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. Now we're looking at the skeleton of my and Maggie's home, and I try to feel something other than resentment and abject fear of what happens now?