When she returned to the hall, Natalie was standing by the front door. As if she couldn’t wait to kick her out.
“I wish you well, Lydia. I’ll pray for you.” There was no anger or recrimination on her face. Instead, she looked sort of sad.
Lydia bit back the sharp retort hovering on the tip of her tongue. No sense creating any more hard feelings with her employer. Or rather, former employer.
But the truth was, prayers wouldn’t help her. God didn’t care about people like her. If he did, she wouldn’t be in this mess—divorced, barely making ends meet, bounced from a cushy job, and soon to be kicked out of her brother’s house.
It wasn’t fair.
Slinking away, however, would be too humiliating.
So she straightened her shoulders, gripped her purse, and walked past Natalie.
Only after the soft click of the door sounded behind her did her posture sag and her step falter.
For the door to Natalie’s home wasn’t the only one that had closed for her today.
It appeared the time had come to leave this place behind. Use the funds the stamp generated to start over somewhere else. Someplace where no one knew her.
And this go-round, she’d steer clear of men, substitute waiting tables for cleaning, and stay far away from anything that reeked of ill-gotten gain.
If nothing else, she’d learned one valuable lesson from this fiasco.
She wasn’t cut out for a life of crime.
WHO COULD BE CALLING HERat such an ungodly hour?
Cara blinked to clear the sleep from her eyes and peered at her phone on the nightstand in her condo as her vibrating smartwatch alerted her to an incoming call.
Oh.
Nine o’clock wasn’t all that early. Unless you were a night owl who considered sleeping in every Saturday an indispensable indulgence.
She groped for the phone and squinted at the screen.
Bri.
She huffed out a breath.
Her sister knew better than to call her at this hour on the weekend.
Cara scooted up in bed, pressed talk, and put the cell to her ear. “Morning. Hold for a minute.” After putting on her hearing gear, she picked up the conversation. “Sorry. I had to get my ears in place. All set.”
“Did I wake you up?”
“Is it Saturday before ten?”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Sorry. I’m en route to a fire scene and this may be the only opportunity I have all day to squeeze in a call to my favorite sister. You want me to hang up?”
“No. I’m awake now. Sort of.” Cara yawned. “What’s going on?”
“Same old, same old.”
“Ha. Says the new bride. How’s married life?”
A contented sigh came over the line. “Bliss. Any prospects on your end?”
An image of Brad materialized in her mind, and Cara’s lips curved up.
