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that you don’t know right this minute?” Dana Sue argued.
    “I’ll be able to do some cost projections, some market analysis, take a look at what’s being offered in other towns in the area,” Maddie began.
    Helen grinned again. “I told you she’d focus on all that sensible stuff,” she said to Dana Sue.
    “Well, it’s important to know exactly what’s involved,” Maddie retorted. “And I want to look at the job market while I’m at it. I should see if there’s something I’m better suited to do.”
    “In Serenity?” Helen scoffed.
    “I could be qualified for lots of things,” Maddie said, though without much conviction.
    “You are,” Helen concurred, “but not a lot of folks are going to offer you a partnership in your own business based on your résumé.”
    “I have to look,” Maddie said stubbornly. “I have to be sure that this is the right thing for all of us. I’d never forgive myself if I just said yes and you wound up blowing a small fortune because I was incompetent or hadn’t done my homework.”
    “I respect that,” Helen said. “I really do.”
    Maddie met her gaze. “But? I hear a but in there.”
    “ But you haven’t taken a risk in over twenty years, and look where that’s gotten you. I say it’s high time to just throw caution to the wind and do what your gut tells you to do. You used to trust it.”
    “So?” Dana Sue prodded. “What’s your gut saying, Maddie?”
    Maddie gave them a rueful smile. “It’s saying yes,” she admitted.
    “Well, hallelujah!” Dana Sue enthused.
    Maddie shook her head. “Don’t get too worked up. From what I can see, my gut hasn’t been reliable for some time now. Up until a few months ago, I thought I had a good marriage.”
    “Don’t blame your gut for that one,” Helen said. “Blame Bill for being an excellent liar.”
    “Maybe so, but I think this time I’ll be more comfortable if I do a little research before taking the plunge. Come on, guys, thirty days. Is that so much to ask?”
    Her friends exchanged a look.
    “I suppose not,” Dana Sue said reluctantly.
    “I bet she’ll be ready in a week,” Helen told Dana Sue.
    Maddie frowned. “What makes you so sure?”
    “I looked at the want ads in this morning’s paper,” Helen said. “Trust me, you won’t beat our offer.” When Maddie started to respond, Helen held up a hand. “It’s okay. You need to see for yourself. I understand that.”
    “Thank you,” Maddie said.
    “Just in case, though, I think I’ll go ahead and start on the partnership paperwork,” Helen said.
    “Keep on being so smug, and I’ll turn you down just to spite you,” Maddie threatened.
    “No, you won’t,” Helen said with confidence. “You’re way too smart to do that.”
    Maddie tried to remember the last time anyone had complimented her on her intelligence, rather than her baking orhostessing skills. Maybe working with her two best friends would be good for her. Even if this health-club idea went belly-up, she might walk away with her self-esteem bolstered in a way it hadn’t been in years, to say nothing of the fact that they were bound to share a lot more laughter than she’d had in her marriage for a long time now. She ought to say yes for those reasons alone.
    Because she was suddenly tempted to do just that, she gave Helen and Dana Sue quick hugs and headed for the door. “I’ll call you both,” she promised.
    And, she vowed, not one minute before her thirty days was up.

3
    A t thirty, Cal Maddox had been coaching high-school baseball for only two years, but he knew the sport as few did. He’d played five seasons in the minors and two years in the majors until an injury had sidelined him. He’d been forced to accept that years in the minor leagues trying to get back what he’d once had would be an exercise in futility.
    Sharing his love of the game and his expertise with kids who might still have a shot drew him as nothing else had during those frustrating