Cleo knocked on her mother’s door, two short, efficient raps. Then, without waiting for a response, she turned the knob and stepped inside. “Hi Mom!” she called as she stepped into the tiny mobile home. “Who’s there?” her mother called from the living room. Cleo stopped with one shoe half-off, her moderately good mood already […]

Olivia had always found it funny to set the same cheesy nineties country song on the jukebox every Friday night. She’d done it for years and despite the confused and irritated looks she’d see across Noah’s face when the first chords started, she had never told him it was her. And he’d never figured it […]

“So what time should I expect you tonight?” Edie sounded happy and rested in stark contrast to the tension headache and borderline panic currently coursing through Cleo. Cleo shifted her phone to the other ear as she picked up her delivery bag and set it in her car’s passenger seat. “I’m not sure I can […]

“Hey, Roman?” Iris’s voice pulled Roman out of the giant tome of ancient curses he’d been absorbed in. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus on her in the dark as she stood in the doorway of the shop. “Iris,” Roman greeted. “Hey, sorry, I’ll just be a few more minutes.” Iris nodded, […]

Iris had driven past the Countess Bed and Breakfast often enough over the years to have a somewhat clear picture of the place in her mind as she drove through the wooded roads of Petersham. And as she’d pulled up at the lofty old mansion, grand yet derelict, it only confirmed her belief. It had […]

Early in the morning and Nancy was opening the general store. Apparently frigging Kelly had actually been by to get the trash this morning since Oscar was out of town and the alley was clear. Small favors to start another miserable day in this miserable little town. She put her key in the lock, turned […]

The new bartender was waiting in the booth with Bret as Olivia walked out from behind the bar. She slid into the spot beside Bret, smiling politely at the man across from her. “Olivia, thank you for joining us,” Bret said. “This is Hugh Marshall, your new bartender. Hugh, this is Olivia Walker, Keegan’s general […]

While Andrew had thought he felt the reality of his situation before, it wasn’t until Cleo walked in with a large cardboard box in her arms that it truly hit him. His flat was gone. It wasn’t just sitting empty while he tried to go home. Someone else was sleeping in his bedroom, watching that […]

Charlie was exhausted. Two full-time jobs, various side gigs including the cab service he was currently doing, and a four-month-old baby at home. He wasn’t surprised, but all the advice in the world hadn’t prepared him for the bone-deep fatigue of parenthood. He’d checked in with Rafaela earlier, when she’d been putting baby Eddie to […]

Olivia wasn’t exactly sure why she decided to take the long way home from work today. Maybe because she was actually leaving while there was still daylight in the sky. Andrew was watching Mia while her mom and Sammy were away for the weekend. That morning, Andrew had explained the whole elaborate backyard play setup […]