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who knew what retail was all about would be a big help. “When could you start?”
    â€œNext week. Tuesday.”
    â€œPerfect.”
    The front door opened and a blonde woman in her late twenties walked in.
    â€œHi. I’m Robyn. I own the yarn store next door. Thought I’d come say hi and welcome you to the neighborhood.”
    Violet moved toward her, smiling and holding out her hand. “I’m Violet Green,” she said. “I know. Crazy name. I think my mother was deep into medication when she gave birth. Anyway, this is Jenna Stevens. She owns the store.”
    â€œNice to meet you,” Jenna said, thinking Robyn looked familiar. Georgetown was small enough that they’d probablygone to the same school, although in different grades. Robyn looked a few years younger.
    Robyn looked around. “Great space. It’s so light and bright. You’re going to love it here. I’m hoping we’ll be able to share customers.” She wrinkled her nose. “I was terrified an auto parts store would move in next door. Not that I don’t love my car, but not a lot of guys are interested in knitting.”
    Violet laughed. “I’ve been in your place before. It’s beautiful. I love all the yarn.”
    â€œDo you knit?” Robyn asked.
    â€œNo, but I’d like to learn.”
    â€œWe’ll be starting a beginner class in a few weeks. If you’re interested.”
    â€œThanks.”
    Jenna found herself feeling shy and awkward. She reminded herself it was simple conversation. She could handle that. But the truth was, she hadn’t been out in the “girl world” for years. Most of the people in the kitchens where she’d worked had been guys. While Aaron had always had a pack of friends hanging around, she’d had more trouble finding women to relate to. When she’d lived here before, she’d had a lot of friends. She promised herself she would call them soon.
    â€œI’m going to be doing a lot of cooking here,” she forced herself to say. “I can bring by samples.”
    Robyn smiled. “This is why you’re going to be my favorite neighbor. I can already tell. When do you open?”
    Jenna gave her the date.
    â€œLet me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” Robyn told them both. “Even if you just want to pop over and have some coffee to get away from the craziness.”
    â€œThanks,” Violet said. “We will.”
    Robyn ducked out. Violet closed the door behind her and laughed.
    â€œWhat an adventure. I can’t wait.”
    Jenna thought about how she’d spent the past couple of months feeling like a total failure. This was a new beginning for her. A chance to prove herself.
    â€œI can’t wait, either,” she murmured. This time, everything was going to be different.
    Â 
    Jenna arrived at her new rented townhouse a little after six. After pulling into the garage, she climbed the stairs to the main floor, only to find her father squinting at a power drill. He checked the mark on the wall, then carefully drove in three screws.
    She waited until the drill was silent.
    â€œHi, Dad.”
    He turned and grinned at her. “Hey, kid. Your shelves are just about done. Give me a sec and you can help me put the brackets in place.”
    The shelves were decorative metal with hooks for all her pots and lids. While the townhouse had plenty of room for the average cook, Jenna traveled with a lot of cookbooks, notes and equipment. Extra storage space was required.
    Her dad winked at her. “I checked with your landlord, to make sure adding the shelving was okay.”
    â€œI’ll bet that was a tough conversation.”
    â€œHe saw my side of things.”
    As the man who owned the entire complex was a close friend of her dad’s, she wasn’t surprised.
    Marshall put down his drill and held out his arms. “You okay, Jenna?”
    She stepped into