Defensible Space by Lane Martin

Penny:
The whole world knew me… but I didn’t know myself. When I wasn’t performing—my life was sterile hotel rooms, lukewarm room service, and binge-watching cooking and home improvement shows on cable. I did what I was told to do and went where I was directed to go. I don’t know what made me get in my car and drive to Sunnyville that day. Was it fate? Destiny? I’m not sure. Maybe. Everything in my life changed that day, and I finally learned who I was meant to be.

Carson:
I grew up in a small town. My life was planned—the job, the house, the girl. Even the dog. As a firefighter, I knew how fast things could change, and yet I wasn’t prepared for what began that Thursday. There was no Defensible Space—no buffer that protected me from the loss of everything I thought was my future. Instead of facing my fears, I packed it up and headed to Sunnyville. Some might have said I was running.
Running.

Funny—That’s exactly what I was doing when I ran into Penny Anderson while chasing my wayward dog.
At the time I didn’t know it, but she found me when I was lost.