Cooper Mall

Don't act like you wouldn't be tempted to do the same.

With the drop of an application in a mailbox, Margo Freshwater was gone.

Tanya Lynn Myers had taken her place.

A normal job, the beginning of a normal life.

Tanya tried to work hard and keep her head down.

Still, she couldn't avoid the world forever.

One night, the woman she lived with suggested they go out for a drink.

Nothing crazy, just a little fun.

His name was Phil Zimmerman, a blue-collar guy who shuffled between handiwork and construction jobs.

I found him annoying.

He was not her type.

Antonia tried to protect the tiny bit of stability she had built.

Relationships meant risk.

Attachment meant vulnerability.

Still, Tonya caved.

They went on a few dates, and the guy she once found annoying, he grew on her.

Before they took their relationship to the next level, there was something she had to tell him.

Okay, hold up.

She'd just gotten out of lockup after all.

She'd only spent one night with a man, Faye's brother, whose offer to get Tanya out of Baltimore came with strings.