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conversation at hand.
    "I've got a meeting. There'll be coffee there." Two could play at this game. He grabbed his briefcase.
    The meeting was for new employees. Michael had been a Realtor for twenty years, but he needed an edge over the newcomers if this wedding dress was any indication of the kind of money he'd be doling out the next few months.
    "But you haven't eaten breakfast." Sandy stood in the doorway. "Or read the newspaper."
    Michael kissed his wife's cheek. "I've got to run. I need to put in the hours if we're going to give Julia the kind of wedding you have in mind."
    "So, can we buy the dress?" Sandy quickly flipped through the magazine again, finding the page she had showed him earlier.
    "Can you hold off, until we talk about it some more?" Michael walked down the hall to the kitchen and snatched his car keys off the granite countertop. "I'll see you tonight."
    "What time?" Sandy followed him to the garage.
    "I'll call you." Michael hopped in his BMW, started the engine, and took off.
    I've got to get a new listing. And I won't come home until I do.

    The sky was beginning to show daylight when Claire loaded the last of her belongings into the backseat of her car. Haley was still asleep. Claire decided to phone her later—when she had landed somewhere for the night and could think of what to say. When they were children, her mother had never liked it when her daughters fought. She would make them sit in their bedroom until they promised to get along.
    "Sorry, Mom, not today." Claire took one more glance at the gloomy four-story apartment building. She wouldn't miss this place. She'd been here way too long. Maybe Haley will see Mark for who he is. Claire slipped into the driver's seat and turned the key. Her VW bug sputtered and choked, the engine refusing to turn over. Lately, she took a chance her car would start each time she got behind the wheel. Her funds didn't allow a trip to the mechanic. "Come on." She stepped on the gas pedal and turned the key once more. The sound of her car coming to life brought a smile to her face. Freedom. The excitement of a fresh start mixed with emotions she couldn't quite pin down made her pulse race.
    She didn't want to leave L.A.—a place that reminded her of her mother. And yet, it was time to go—time for a new start. Claire drove down the street and merged onto the freeway. She'd give herself time to leave her past behind and figure out her life. And she'd drive up the coast until she wanted to stop.
    Ironically, ten minutes later Claire pulled her car off the highway and into the nearest gas station. As she filled the tank, her stomach growled. She'd buy a donut or something sweet to go with a cup of coffee. Claire dumped the contents of her purse on the passenger's seat, looking for her ATM card. Receipts, lip gloss, a comb, a couple of dimes. She remembered locking her wallet in her car last night. She flipped open the glove compartment and dug her hand underneath the owner's manual. Aha. As she pulled out her pink wallet, an envelope fell to the floor.
    The letter.
    Claire tucked the envelope into her tote bag along with the contents on the seat. First, a good strong jolt of caffeine, then she'd read the letter once more before hitting the road. After walking into the gas station, she quickly purchased the tallest cup of coffee, a package of sugar donuts, and a chocolate bar for the drive. She placed her coffee on the hood of her car and fumbled for her keys.
    "Claire? Is that you?"
    She recognized the voice behind her. Geraldine. Claire turned around with the food in hand. "It's me." She was surprised to see her former neighbor at a gas station on this side of town. The time since her mother's funeral had not been good to Geraldine. Her white hair was thinner than before and she must have shrunk a good two inches.
    "How's your sister, Holly?"
    " Haley's fine." Claire gently corrected and gave a quick smile. Now didn't seem like an appropriate time to tell Geraldine