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copy machine, at staff meetings—had become more bearable. But she still hated the constant reminder of her stupid choice to marry someone because he was good looking and made her body sing. She never should’ve allowed those good traits to conceal his less desirable ones. His excessive drinking. His putting himself before anyone else, especially her. His verbal abuse. A handsome face and fantastic sex hadn’t been enough to make a good marriage. Not even close. At least she’d had the smarts to walk away pretty damned fast.
    Perhaps that was what scared her the most about Connor Wilson. He was a man she could easily make another mistake with by taking him into her heart. He’d be an even worse error because he was better looking than her ex and had made her experience a depth of passion she hadn’t known existed. With him she’d felt free with her body in a way she could easily learn to crave.
    Hell, she already did. Her dreams were filled with him. Her fantasies were of no one else. He was as bad as any addiction, and she intended to fight it. She wasn’t tumbling into another relationship with the wrong guy. Changing careers was risky enough. She wasn’t about to fuck up her personal life as well.
    Besides, she had no idea where he was or how to find him.
    “Have you seen him since then?” Bethany asked in that intuitive way of hers.
    Juliana shook her head. “Let’s talk about Kelley Realty.”
    “Not a very subtle segue there, Jules,” Mallory said with a grin. “In other words, you don’t want to talk about him.”
    “Exactly.”
    “Then how about we talk about money?” Danielle suggested. “You think you can go a whole year off without a paycheck?”
    “Oh, I intend to earn lots of paychecks,” Juliana replied. “One at each house I close.”
    “I hope you make a million bucks, but…” Bethany took a moment of thoughtful reflection before continuing, “what happens if you can’t make a sale? Don’t you have a mortgage? Car payments?”
    “Where did all the eternal optimism go, Beth?” Juliana teased.
    “Even I have to face reality sometimes,” she tossed back.
    “Here’s what I’ve got planned. The car’s paid off. The mortgage, too. I refinanced several years ago and finished off the principal last winter. Everything else is manageable.”
    “Manageable when you’re getting paid,” Danielle pointed out. “But you won’t be.”
    “I have my retirement savings.”
    “You’re risking your retirement on this?” Bethany furrowed her brow. “That would scare the heck out of me.”
    Mallory let out a chuckle. “You know our Jules. Loves free-falling.”
    “Yeah, but this is free-falling without a parachute.” Bethany shook her head. “Too scary.”
    “Relax,” Juliana said. “I have a nice little savings account, too. I’ll use it first. I’ve saved quite a bit over the years. I like shoes as much as the next girl, but I always buy clearance.”
    The Ladies laughed, so at least the mood was lightening. If she was going to do this, she needed them in her corner.
    “I really don’t have that many expenses. Food, electric. Shit, I don’t even have cable or satellite TV.”
    “Seriously?” Danielle gave a little shudder. “How can you stand it?”
    Juliana shrugged. “I’d rather listen to music and read. And e-books are mucho cheap. I can get by on very little for a while, at least long enough to see if I can make Kelley Realty work. If it doesn’t”—she shrugged—“well, then I guess I can always come back here. Might have to tuck my tail between my legs and admit defeat, but I have that safety net.”
    When her three friends all nodded, Juliana smiled, not surprised to feel relief sweep over her. If she was going to get this plane off the ground, she’d need their full help and support.
    “We’re with you,” Mallory said. “Let’s make this work.”
    * * *
    The weeks had flown faster than any she’d ever known. For the last month, she’d taken every