Perfect Fit (Serendipity's Finest) - By Carly Phillips Page 0,13

with safe shelter and helping them get strong enough to survive on their own. She’d even gotten a degree in psychology so she could, along with trusted friends in the profession, provide counseling and care without alerting outsiders. The shelter had been in business for ten years.

Cara had been volunteering for the last two, her reasons for helping out here the same as the reasons she became a cop. She wanted the chance to make a difference in people’s lives. It didn’t take a psychiatrist to tell her she was overcompensating for not being able to change her mother’s life. But Cara loved both her job and her work at Havensbridge and the women she met there.

Cara parked and headed for the front door, where she was greeted by Jane Baker, a corrections officer, who also volunteered here in her spare time. Cara’s duties alternated between spending time with the women she’d referred or met here and guard duty, as Jane was doing tonight. Cara preferred one-on-one time with the women but was happy to stand in when they were short on security. Tonight she planned a short visit before meeting Alexa and her work friends at Joe’s for drinks.

She paused to talk to Jane for a few minutes, then headed for the kitchen. Inside the large, homey-looking room, Cara found the person she’d come to see. Daniella was by herself preparing dinner.

“Hi,” Cara said, not wanting to startle her.

“Hi!” The younger woman’s sky-blue eyes lit up as she met Cara’s gaze. “You came!”

“I said I would.” Cara hopped up onto a stool near where Daniella was chopping peppers. “Where is everyone?” Cara knew the house had a few other women living there too.

“Lindsay’s throwing her wash into the dryer, and Darla had a headache, so she’s lying down. I hope I’m not taking you away from anything important,” Daniella said, as she always did when Cara came over. She glanced at Cara with a shy smile.

“Nope. No place else to be,” Cara said, and she picked up a knife and started helping Daniella by cleaning and cutting up carrots for the stir-fry she was obviously making.

For just this reason, Cara hadn’t changed into the dressier clothes she’d wear later to Joe’s. She wanted Daniella to believe she had no place better to be. And the truth was, Cara wasn’t in any rush. As long as Daniella wanted to talk or needed an ear.

“How have you been the last few days?” Cara asked as she sliced.

Daniella had been there for only a week, and she was very much a work in progress—someone who intuitively knew she had to get out of an abusive situation but had a hard time believing that the emotional and verbal harm her ex-boyfriend inflicted would escalate into physical violence. It was often hardest to convince women that words and emotional battering did as much damage as a fist, or more.

“Not bad. It’s hard being cut off from everyone back home, though.” Daniella glanced at Cara, her long brown hair obscuring the side of her face.

“You haven’t called anyone, have you?” Cara asked, aware of the catch in the other woman’s voice.

“No. But I’ve thought about it,” she admitted, dropping her knife to the counter.

Cara placed her hand over Daniella’s. “It’s hard in the beginning. All the women who’ve been here say the same thing, but once you make a plan, once you start looking forward to a healthy future, it’s going to be worth it.”

She blew out a shaky breath. “I hope so.”

“I know so. What are you thinking? Have you and Belinda talked about possibilities?” Cara asked.

Daniella nodded. “I still have my paralegal license, but I haven’t worked in two years.”

No, as Cara knew, she’d stayed home because her boyfriend wanted her at his beck and call, and at first things had been great. She’d felt needed and wanted. Then slowly he’d begun isolating her from not just old coworkers, but friends, then family. Once he was the sole person in her life, his anger at little things showed itself more often. Which was how Cara met her the first time, after the neighbors called about the noise next door. Ultimately, after her now-ex raised his hand and slapped her once, Cara persuaded her to leave. But Daniella wasn’t sure of her decision because she was so fragile and alone.

“All you need to do is brush up on your skills, maybe take a refresher course. Belinda has contacts everywhere. You can move out of