The work on her yard wasn’t nearly completed, but already she’d received a result from one of her queries. “Yes, I’m still taking new clients,” she said to the man on the phone. She could hear the smile in the man’s voice. “Good. I’ve checked your references and gone over what you sent me. What you’re offering looks exactly like what I need. I know it’s short notice, but can we set up a meeting at your office in about an hour or so?” The excitement turned into a lump of cardboard in her stomach. She needed the deposit on this contract or she couldn’t make her next mortgage payment. But she couldn’t afford for this new potential client to see the mess, or the same thing would happen as when the last potential clients went through. Shanna stiffened in her chair. “I’m going to be honest with you, Bill. I’m in the middle of renovation to my office, which is in my home. The work on my office is complete, so it has a separate entrance from my residence, but I still have someone working on the outside.
