Candy's voice softens. "The job's still yours if you want it. Library assistant, remember? Full-time, benefits and cabin included. You don’t have to tell her you lost your job just tell her you found a better one."
I shake my head slowly. "It feels too easy. Like I'm walking into a dream I don't deserve."
"Maybe that's the problem," Candy says. "You've spent so long surviving that peace feels suspicious."
I let out a shaky breath. "You really think I could do it?"
"I don't think. I know." She leans back, watching me with a small smile. "You've run data systems and written reports for men who didn't know the difference between a spreadsheet and a sandwich. You can handle a library catalog. And you love books. That matters."
It hits me then—how much I've missed being around things that matter. Not numbers. Not lies.Stories.
"I'd take a pay cut," I say, still wrestling with the practicality.
"You'd take a breath," Candy counters. "Utilities are covered. The rent's gone. You'd have room to save, even if it's a little at a time. Hours will work with Emma's school schedule, and she's welcome there any time she isn't in school. That's worth more than a paycheck."
I stare at the horizon, where the sun is just starting to dip behind the hills. It turns everything gold—the barn roof, the fence line, the dust in the air.
"It's a big change," I whisper.
"Good," Candy says. "You need a big change. You've been living like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop."
I laugh softly. "You mean besides the one that just did?"
She grins. "Exactly."
We sit in silence for a minute, sipping lemonade while the horses snort in the distance. My mind turns over everything—fear, hope, the ache of uncertainty, and that small bright thing under all of it that might be peace.
"I have to tell my landlord," I finally say. "The lease renews next month. If I tell him now, maybe he'll let me out early, and I can save what's left of the deposit."
Candy nods. "You tell him tomorrow. We'll start packing this week. The ranch hands can load the heavy stuff, and I'll bribe Dash and Sky with dinner. By next weekend, you'll be in that cabin."
"You make it sound simple."
"It is. You just keep breathing. We'll handle the rest."
Her confidence steadies me in ways I didn't realize I needed.
By the time I pick up Emma and pull into the apartment lot, I already know what I'm going to do.
I'm going to take the job. The cabin. And the risk.
Inside, the apartment feels smaller than ever. The walls close in around the boxes of toys and the stack of bills on the counter.I set my purse down and take a deep breath, steadying myself before walking into Emma's room, where she bolted as soon as we walked in.
She tilts her head. "You look happy. What happened?"
Her ability to read me never stops surprising me. I take her small hand in mine, feeling her warmth and the quiet steadiness that centers me.
"Well," I say carefully, "I have some big news."
Her eyes widen. "Good news or bad news?"
"Good," I promise. "The very best kind. You know how we go to the library with Candy sometimes?"
"Yeah," she says, smiling. "I like the reading corner. It smells like paper and cookies."
I laugh softly. "It does. Well, Candy asked me to come work with her there. I'm going to help her take care of the books, plan storytime, and keep everything running."
Emma gasps. "You're gonna work with Candy? At the library?"