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softly frame the strong features of a handsome face that just missed being too long thanks to a bluntly squared chin, prominent cheekbones and large blue eyes. She wore just a touch of mauve eye shadow and a complimentary shade of lipstick. Her tailored pantsuit and pumps marked her as a professional woman, as did the small leather handbag that she clutched to her side.
    “Hello,” she said, “I’m Coraline Connolly.” Then she did the most amazing thing.
    She opened her arms, stepped forward and gave Lily something she hadn’t even realized she needed. A hug.

Chapter Three
    “Y ou must be Lily Farnsworth,” Coraline said, reaching up to pat Lily’s cheek.
    Lily towered over the older woman. Her short stature did not lessen the mantle of authority that she wore like a second skin, however. About sixty, she exuded an aura of unshakeable conviction. Lily bowed her head, pushed up her eyeglasses and smiled.
    “A shy one,” Coraline Connolly deduced kindly. Lily’s startled gaze zipped upward, colliding with Coraline’s amused one. “I’ve seen a thousand just like you, my dear, some too timid to let go of their mothers’ skirts on the first day of school, some who didn’t look up from their desks for the first week, at least one who didn’t speak aloud for a whole year.”
    “Children,” Lily whispered.
    “Not all,” Coraline refuted. “The last, the one who didn’t speak, was the mother of a student.” Shocked, Lily blinked. “Shyness can be a burden and a handicap,” Coraline went on. “You are not handicapped, I think, but you’ll be burdened until you learn to accept yourself as God made you.”
    Lily drew back at that, not quite sure what to make of it. As usual, she chose to do what she always did when puzzled; she tucked the idea away for perusal later.
    “You’re a member of the SOS Committee.”
    “That’s right. Welcome to Bygones.”
    “Thank you. I—I’m glad to be here.”
    Coraline laughed. “That sounded a bit tentative.”
    Lily’s slender hands fluttered. “Oh, I’m just… That is, I only got here last night, and it’s a lot of work. But I’ll have everything ready for the opening. I’m sure I will.”
    Coraline nodded and glanced around. “Is everything to your liking?”
    “Oh, yes. I love the shop. And the apartment, too, though it’s rather bare right now. But that can wait.”
    “All right. I assume that Tate Bronson has been in to see you.”
    “He was here a good part of the morning, actually.”
    “I see, and did he say when he would return?”
    “No, not really.”
    Coraline nodded thoughtfully before asking, “Do you need anything?”
    Lily looked around the shop. What she needed most was encouragement, confidence, but she couldn’t very well say so, not even to this kindly woman. She shook her head.
    “Well, I won’t keep you longer than necessary,” Coraline said. “I know how busy you must be, getting ready for next Monday’s big event. I just wanted to let you know what the committee has planned for that day.”
    She went over the details, noting that immediately after Independence Day, the patriotic decorations would come down and the Grand Opening banners would go up. Each of the new businesses would be showcased in a special edition of the Bygones Gazette, the local weekly newspaper, on the Friday before the Grand Opening. Following the close of business on that first Monday, the committee would sponsor a reception in the Community Room across the street.
    “Tate will be your official host that day.”
    Lily nodded. “That all sounds great. I have a fresh flower delivery coming on Friday morning, so everything should be in place in plenty of time.”
    Coraline smiled. “Wonderful. Well, it was nice to meet you.”
    “You, too,” Lily replied, offering her hand. “Come again. Soon.”
    Instead of shaking hands, Coraline gave her another quick hug. Afterward she tilted her head, asking, “Would you mind if I prayed for