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matter of unpaid bills had made the bank foreclose.
    She walked around the side of the office to the stairs that were there. Going up, she was surprised again at the beauty of the woodwork in the place, and wondered if she would find the same kind of workmanship in the apartment above. Opening the door at the top of the stairs, she grinned. This she could live in.
    The open room she’d stepped into was large, and the skylights overhead made the room look bright even at dusk. Hardwood floors were gleaming with wax, and she could smell the fresh scents of cleaning products. The room boasted a wall of windows that looked out over the woods behind her, and if she stepped closer she could see the parking lot below. Walking to the built in wall unit, she ran her hand along the wood and wasn’t surprised to find it was smooth and silky to her touch.
    There was another door off to her left, but she decided to look at the kitchen first. The room wasn’t large, but it was functional. After living in a semi for eight years, she knew efficiency when she saw it, and every bit of space was being utilized in the tight kitchen. There was a dishwasher and even a large freezer along with the stove and refrigerator. Behind a closed door, she found a pantry and a stacked washer and dryer. The butcher block in the middle of the room looked used and worn, and she loved it immediately. 
    Going to the small powder room, she could see that the same crafter had worked in there as well. The vanity and the shelf over the commode were made of the same walnut and cherry design as in the bar. Even the mirror over the sink was beautifully done.
    The bedroom was huge, much larger than the kitchen and nearly half the size of the bar below. The windows had slated shades over them made of the same dark wood as the headboard over the bed. She could see that the bed had been custom made to accommodate the large room, and wondered for a second how well Austin would fit in it. Shaking her head at the thought, she went to the bathroom and was amazed to see that it had a shower as well as a garden tub. Comfort in this apartment had been someone’s priority. 
    Phil had told her she could move into the apartment right away and the bar could be opened in as little as a month. CJ decided to do just that. She could live up here and work on the lower area as needed. As she went to the bed she sat down.
    CJ hadn’t lived anywhere that was her own for a long time…not since she was in college, and then she’d shared an apartment with seven other girls. She decided to stay there for the night, and maybe for the rest of her life. Depressed more than she wanted to admit, she got up and went to her new car.
    Car, she thought as she locked up the bar, was a gross understatement of what she’d ended up with. The big monster SUV had been hers the moment she’d seen it. Black and sleek, she didn’t even look at anything else. But she did have the good sense to know how to haggle. Leaving the lot with the thing had been a major accomplishment to her, and getting it for twenty grand under sticker had made her happy as well. Phil told her he was going to take her with him the next time his car went in for repairs. Maybe she could get the mechanic to stop charging him so much. CJ decided to buy him the little red sports car he kept glancing at and trying hard not to drool over. It was the least she could do after all he’d done for her.
    The malls were still open, lucky for her. She had fun playing in all the stores, and she spent way too much money. She bought so much stuff at the kitchen store that it was tricky getting it all in her car. The bed and bathroom place had been very nice in that she was able to get all her needs there before going on to the furniture store. By the next afternoon, she’d have her living room ready to use. She would have to come back with someone who knew about televisions and computers, but she was confident that she’d done well on the