CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY NINE – SAYING GOODBYE IS HARD

A quiet rap on the door pulled her from her reverie. "You 'bout set there, Red?" came Mildred's warm tones as she poked her head inside. "Evan's fixin' to give you and your gran'ma a lift to that bus depot any minute." "I'm ready, Gram," Kayla assured her with a little half-smile, though the knot in her chest remained. She accepted her grandmother's proffered embrace, breathing in the comforting scent of freshly baked bread and peppermint that always clung to the woman. "You take care of yourself in that big city, you hear?" Mildred cupped Kayla's face in those familiar careworn hands, eyes shining with a depth of tenderness. "An' don't go lettin' those dizzy Hollywood folk put no more wild ideas in that smart head of yours!" "I won't," Kayla promised with a soft laugh. "I'm feeling...better prepared to stay grounded this time around." Hand-in-hand, they made their way through the quiet living room and front porch out into the dewy morning stillness. Evan's beat-up red pickup alrea