Thirty-five
Cassie
Driving along the country roads with Willa Mae humming and the sun shining on my face almost made me feel like my old self again. But as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, those nagging self-doubts started to creep in again. There weren’t many places for Koppe residents to congregate other than church, The Dixie, and the Piggly Wiggly. It suddenly hit me that everyone would know by now what had happened to me.
“It’s gonna be fine, Chile. Come on inside,” Willa Mae coaxed.
I blinked. I didn’t notice that I was standing in the middle of the entrance gripping the handle of the shopping cart like it was a life preserver.
I can do this. I took a deep breath and stepped in, pushing the cart forward.
“Cassie, it’s so good to see you.” Tricia ran from her register and
