Megan did this to herself. She knew going into the holiday season that it was going to be hell on earth, but without anybody to go home to at the end of the day, staying at the nursing home and working some extra shifts seemed like the best option—at least she wouldn’t be alone. She stepped through the kitchen door and kicked her sneakers off into the basket in the entryway. Immediately, she went to the bathroom, cranked on the hot water, and stripped out of her scrubs. Worki

Jenny tried to make small talk with her mom, but no amount of compliments or observations about the nursing homes dining room brought a smile to Pearl’s face.The staff decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, and an eight- or nine-foot Christmas tree decorated in red and gold ornaments and white lights sat in the corner. Most of the tables were full, and canes and walkers cluttered the walkways. A few of the patients were pushed up to the table in their wheelchairs

It wasn’t even Thanksgiving, and all the overachievers already had their Christmas decorations up.  The Main Street holiday window display competition had become more cutthroat over the years, especially as fresh blood had been introduced to downtown. When Alex purchased The Melting Plot five years ago, she had only been twenty-four years old, the youngest business owner by far. But now, the owner of the salon couldn’t be more than three years out of high school, and the anti

Being married to a police officer wasn't nearly as sexy as Isabella had been led to believe. If the book covers in her mom's Kindle library were any indicator, she would be swept off her feet daily by a six-foot-five bodybuilder who knew his way around a pair of handcuffs. Instead, she was alone in her queen-size bed, wrists unbound, and dressed in a very modest pair of flannel pajamas. Her husband, Carver, just started night shift, and it was Isabella's first night alone in

C appuccino in hand, Suzanna stomped down the sidewalk, dreading the day ahead. She’d woken in a funk after suffering through bizarre...