Thank you, Meredith Bernstein, for being a wonderful agent. Your support and belief in me are priceless.

Christine Zika, you are a pleasure to work with. Your insight is invaluable; you truly are the Goddess Editor.

Thanks, Mom, for letting me borrow your maiden name.

Rachael Ryan, thank you for your enthusiasm, you're a great first reader.

And a special thank-you to the students in my second-hour Creative Writing II class for the helpful brain-storming. Hope you like your cameos!

Arms filled with groceries, CC struggled to pull her key from the lock and push the door shut behind her with her foot. Automatically, she glanced up at the clock in the foyer of her spacious apartment. Seven-thirty already. It had taken her an eternity to finish things up at the Communication Center and then stop by the package store and the commissary. After that, fighting the traffic from Tinker Air Force Base had been like driving through axle-deep mud. To add to her frustration, she had tried to take a shortcut home and had ended up taking a wrong turn. Soon she was hopelessly lost. A kind soul at a Quick Trip had given her directions, and she had felt compelled to explain to him that she was lost only because she had been stationed at Tinker for just three months, and she hadn't had time to learn her way around yet.