Trying to keep a boat from getting wet was the most absurd thing Aubrey had done that day. And she’d already cleaned strawberry stains off the ceiling. Brian pulled the boat cover—a giant gray tarp-like cloth—from one of the onboard storage lockers and climbed out of the boat. His bare feet landed in the muddy water that had accumulated in a rut left by the trailer’s tire, splashing Aubrey’s legs and speckling her skin with dots of red clay. “Watch it!” She snapped and step

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

With a bottle of cranberry juice tucked under her arm, Laura plucked a box of urinary tract health supplements from the shelf in the family planning aisle of Walmart Neighborhood Market. Her bladder protested as she read the back of the box. She’d woken up with a UTI—again—and spent the morning chugging water and pissing like a fire hydrant, but it still burned, and she still didn’t have the money to spend on an urgent care visit for antibiotics and a lecture on proper wiping

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

For the first time in three years, Mar’s loafers clicked up the stone steps of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church alone. The wrought-iron door thundered shut as she stepped into the narthex and grabbed a liturgy booklet with a shaking hand. Taking a deep breath, she crept into the sanctuary and took a seat in one of the stiff wooden pews about halfway down the aisle. Candles crackled from the altar painted Caribbean blue and decorated with gold stars. The thick honeyed aroma of bees

It started soft and then developed into a high-pitched scream. The kettle was ready. I poured the boiling water over black tea bags in the pitcher, watching the inky beverage steep. The autumnal scent of sugar, cloves, and cinnamon wafted from the other burner, signaling it was time to strain the spices out and add the orange and lemon juices in. Once the juices were combined, I poured the contents of the saucepan into the pitcher with the tea. “Just like grandma’s.” Disc