The key stuck in the lock for a second before finally turning with a groan. I pushed open the door to Grandpa’s house — my house now, I guess — and stepped inside. The floorboards creaked under my feet, and a musty smell hit me like a wall. Everything looked smaller somehow, dimmer. “Well, this…
I still cannot fully explain what happened. Even now, months later, I catch myself staring off in the middle of a slow shift, wondering if it was all some beautifully strange dream. When I got hired at The Golden Fork, I thought I had finally broken into something better. This wasn’t some greasy establishment where…
unison. Here’s how it went down: “Jack,” they chirped, “we’ve decided to have a double wedding! And, well…” I could practically hear the dollar signs clinking in their voices. “And?” I asked, already feeling the knot tighten in my stomach. “We want you to pay for them,” they replied, like it’s the most natural thing…
Love after heartbreak feels different. It’s cautious but hopeful. When my first marriage crumbled five years ago, I thought my chance at happiness was over. Lucy was just five then, her tiny fingers wrapped around mine as we moved into our cramped apartment. “It’s okay, Mommy,” she whispered that first night. “It’s our cozy castle…