“You think so? I thought I’d put a little ad in the newspaper about a counseling service here in Comfort. I can live on my savings until I get a clientele built up.” Lily sighed. Just thinking about marketing gave her a case of hives.

“Oh, yes, I do think so,” Sally said between bites. “And I’ve got just the thing for you.” She accentuated each word by poking her fork at Lily. “But before we talk about my offer, I should let you know that two people already provide private counseling here in Comfort. One is a certified psychiatrist who has a practice in Austin and sees clients in the evenings. The other works as a psychologist up at the Kerr State Hospital and sees folks on the side. I think you’d be wasting your money to put an ad in the paper. The town is too small to support three counselors.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lily groaned. “I don’t have anywhere near that kind of training. I’m just a counselor. I guess I should listen to the kids and go on back to Austin. Maybe I can get my old clients back. I referred them to a friend when I decided to leave on such short notice.”

Sally laid a hand on Lily’s arm. “You need a change, so hear me out.” She put another bite in her mouth and washed it down with a sip of tea. “What’s your annual salary with the job you have? I know I’m prying into your personal business, but I need to know before I go on.”

Lily gave her a rough idea of what she’d made the previous year and then added, “But I do get a healthy child-support check from Wyatt. That money goes for whatever the kids need, and I still get to put away a small amount each month for their college funds.”

“I’ll pay you fifty percent more than what you were making as a therapist to come work for me at the vintage shop,” Sally said.

“Have you lost your mind?” Lily gasped. “You can’t make enough money at the shop to do that.”

“Yep, I do, and I need help,” Sally told her. “I have to lock up the place to go to lunch, and I practically have to walk around wearing an adult diaper so I don’t miss a customer. I should be out looking for stock at garage sales and especially estate sales, but I can’t leave the shop until after five. By then, everything is picked over. I want someone I can trust working with me. Someone who has a little bit of business savvy. You’re a perfect fit.”

“Can I think about it until the end of the week?” Lily asked.