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moving parts and I’ve never lived in a city this large before.  It will give
me time to stabilize, get accustomed to the city, and learn something new.” 
    They were looking at her with a touch of pity but she knew
they meant it kindly.
    “I’m excited so start climbing through the different
positions here.  Don’t think of me as settling.  Don’t feel sorry for me if you
see me cleaning.  Life works that way.  I’m good with it.”
    Tawny grinned.  “I like the way you think.  If you start
feeling stifled or feel like you need more earning potential, you talk to any
of us.”  Picking up her wine glass, she added, “I for one, no matter the
circumstances, am glad you made it to Manhattan.  You’re a breath of fresh
air.” 
    The others agreed and conversation turned to the upcoming
holidays.
    When Brie started yawning, Tawny and Riya walked her to the
lobby to get a suite key.  Carlo had it ready and took them up. 
    “Don’t worry about anything.  You don’t start until midnight
tomorrow and I’m sure there are errands you need to run for your new place.  Make
yourself at home and get some sleep.  Buzz the front desk if you need
anything.”
    She told everyone goodnight, took a quick shower, and
changed into clothes from her luggage that Henry sent up. 
    It had been a long day both emotionally and physically.  She
was excited but a little sad.  Fortunately, her mind didn’t keep her up with
racing thoughts. 
    The moment her head hit the pillow, she was out.
     

Chapter Four
     
    Hudson’s phone rang and he smiled when he saw who it was on
caller ID.  He didn’t even have a chance to say hello. 
    “She is lovely .  Nicest young woman and so grateful
and enthusiastic.  I could tell she’d had a little crying jag before but the
moment she saw the apartment, she lit up from the inside out.  She’s all
squared away and I think this may be the first time she’s lived alone.  There
was a sort of awe when I handed her the keys.”
    While the manager of the very first property he’d ever owned
chatted away, Hudson walked through the rooms of his home, ensuring the women
packing Christina’s things didn’t miss anything. 
    Occasionally, he found something random and took it to them
to be included in the boxes they filled.  All of her jewelry was sealed in a
security bag.
    He locked her fake ID’s, drugs, and cash in his office
safe.  He still wasn’t certain how to handle the criminal aspect since he
didn’t need the bad press but he couldn’t allow her and her partner to get away
with what they’d done either.
    “Hudson, are you listening?  I wanted you to know I was
going to charge your furniture account for a mattress set.  Considering, I
think it’s the right thing to do.  Oh!  Sounds like the Asawa family across the
hall just returned from their trip.  I have to run.  She’s all right and
tight.”
    “Thanks, Mom.  I appreciate your help.”
    “It makes me happy to help you when I can, Hudson.  You do
so much for me.  Okay, have to go.” 
    Hudson closed the phone slowly and smiled at how cheerful
his mother had been for almost two decades now.  She ran his building like a
well-oiled machine and the tenants loved her.  She went to yoga four days a
week, belonged to a book club, and donated her time and money to various
charities.
    There was a time when she’d been unable to get out of bed. 
    As a young woman from North Carolina, her well-to-do parents
sent her to Philadelphia to go to school.  The aftermath of Vietnam had the
country in turmoil.  The southern states were reeling from the ongoing violence
of the civil rights struggle. 
    Bright and naturally beautiful, Camille Truing settled
easily into the college environment that was rapidly becoming more open to
female students.  Good grades made her a favorite of her teachers and her
outgoing personality won over her peers. 
    In her sophomore year, she began dating the captain of the
rowing