I don’t know what else to say. I am so, so sorry.” A few sooty tears spilled down Tiana’s red cheeks as she gazed at the cookie sheets lined with the burnt remains of what had once been the Chocolate Hazelnut pies. I didn’t say anything for a long moment, gauging the damage myself.A film of smoke...
she said, rubbing her face, the steam from the wood burning tool on the craft table curling up around her. “But please don’t say it: I’m already thinking it myself.” Kara stared down at the circular slab of juniper in front of her, the top half of which was pocked with crudely formed words that g...
The skin on my upper left thigh was red and irritated and painful to the touch, but there was no blistering. I’d had worse burns in the pie shop kitchen, and I knew that all I would need was a little Neosporin cream, and some time to heal. I grimaced as I walked over to the sink to wash my hands....
What can I get for you this fine morning?” The man next in line stroked his thick black beard and looked at the pie case intently, taking the decision as seriously as if he were buying a car. It was the customer I called The Plaid Hipster. I didn’t know the man’s name or what he did here in Chris...
I hurriedly put them on and checked to make sure I’d turned off the ovens and the burners. Then I hit the light switch, and the kitchen fell into darkness. I quickly sped across the empty dining room and then stepped out the front door. I locked up behind me, shivering a bit as the cold, damp air...
And that night, he came out of nowhere, making it four. We were in our old backyard, in the house I lived in until I was 13 years old It was summer. A stand of feathery aspen trees danced in the soft breeze, their bright green-apple leaves electric in the late afternoon sun. I was only eight year...
Lou said again, shaking her head in disbelief as she scooped another heap of reheated bacon sour cream mashed potatoes onto my plate. “I can’t say that I liked the woman much, but I am shocked.” She started pushing another load of the white stuff on the dish, but I shook my head vigorously. I swe...
Kara pushed a steaming paper cup filled with coffee from a hospital vending machine into my hand, and took a seat next to me in the hall. Normally by this hour, I would have been throwing a fit if I hadn’t had my morning coffee yet. But I’d been wide awake in a nightmare for hours already, and c...
I was holding a flask in my hand. You’ve probably got a bad impression of me by now, thinking I’m some sort of lush. But I’m not. I only drink when the occasion calls for it. It’s just that it had been calling for it a lot lately. Hank sat on the hood with me, lying on his side, dozing. Big dog s...
I brought my legs up to my chest and watched as flakes piled up on the porch railing outside. “There’s a girl for you, Owen,” I said. “She’s out there. Whether or not you want to believe she’s there, she is. And she’s just waiting for you to find her.” His response was another swig. There wasn’t...