This is week eight in the Sunday Scribblings  prompt hosted by Peckapalooza: The Confusing Middle.

I’ve decided to hook these challenges together to make a chapter story. Might as well make something out of it if I can. Besides it helps with inspiration, having a starting place.

The earlier chapters can be found here to bring you up to speed on the whole story.

Carly is in witness protection but her cover has been blown and her life is threatened.

They have been on the run for weeks unsure of the seriousness of the threat, not wanting to take a chance with her life. Things were about to change.

Now, Bella is about to settle into a new life. That’s right. She’s left Carly far behind.

Here is this week’s installment and challenge. I missed a week so it’s only chapter seven.

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Chapter Seven

Occupation

Bella couldn’t help the pleased smile as she let her gaze roam around the new house. John and his team of US Marshalls had done an excellent job orchestrating a smooth transition for her relocation.

They didn’t waste any time, that was for sure. In fact, her head was still spinning at how quickly it had all come together. And who knew they could come up with such a perfect plan. Her new life couldn’t possibly look any better than this.

The house was situated in a nice but ordinary part of town. It wouldn’t have won a Best-In-Town award yet to her it was beautiful and above average. The previous owners had obviously loved the house they built and the choices they made at every turn were what made it special. Their upkeep was also exceptional. Normally new buyers were planning changes the minute they moved in. Bella couldn’t see anything she wanted or needed to change which was a blessing. Upkeep on a house was not a skill placing high on her list of talents.

Another blessing was the lay-out. Clients needing to visit her house was not an ideal situation but it could work out alright as a last resort. There was a comfortable seating area near the front door. It could be used for a meeting and still protect her privacy if she managed it well.

Her meeting with the Chamber of Commerce was beneficial. They offered a wealth of information that would go a long way toward helping her get her new endeavor off the ground. The monthly luncheon for Chamber members would be a good networking opportunity. Hopefully she would find clients in need of her services among the attendees. If not, they had knowledge of the business community and could provide valuable leads on where to look.

Taking another sip of coffee, she realized her cup was empty. She wasn’t exactly sure how that had happened but it meant it was time to get moving. There was still a lot to do if she wanted to get a good start on Monday morning. Her cupboards were bare and her office computer still needed set up.

Saturday mornings on Main Street looked like fun. All of the shops were open and bustling with people determined to get things done. It was really good to see actually. It’s not ideal shopping at the most popular time of day but seeing the healthy indicator about the business community gave her hope for her future.

It looked like the population has doubled in size compared to the rest of the week. Bella wondered what was going on to bring out this many people.

It didn’t take long to figure out. As she continued down the street looking for a parking space, she spied an open-air Farmer’s Market. Wow, it was huge. Bigger than any she had ever seen before. And crowded. If she thought the shops were busy, they had nothing compared to this.

It was three blocks before she could find a parking spot and hurry back. The market looked even better close up. There was everything one could imagine. The usual – garden produce and fresh meat – but it was all the extra things that caught her eye. Homemade everything. The entrepreneurial spirit was alive and well in this town.

Her job security was looking better all the time. Maybe her favored choice of occupation was going to pay off well, above any of her initial expectations.

Now if her personal life could only do as well. All alone in a new town knowing no one was daunting. On the bright side, working with small business would be more personal that corporate business. She may be able to make friends among her clients.

And then there was shopping. Maybe this Farmer’s Market would be the perfect place to meet new people. She might meet a new client and make a new friend.

The hardest part was going to be remembering to introduce herself as Bella rather than Carly, not to mention remembering her new occupation.

She couldn’t keep herself from smiling as she approached the first booth.