References when my manager was laid off too - 5 weeks in

My manager was laid off too and I am unsure who to use as a reference. There are 14 people counting on me, so I am trying to be careful. I have one former client who liked my work. Is a client acceptable?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.