For the first time since that Christmas Eve, Hannah’s voice carried something other than exhaustion.

It carried the sound of plans.

PART 10
The Cost of a Fresh Start

A job offer was not an apartment.

Hannah learned that during a long Friday spent calling property managers.

Some wanted three times the monthly rent in verified income.

Others asked for a full year of rental history.

One apartment required an immediate security deposit and a nonrefundable application fee before she could even view it.