ella Megan dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clatter. Several people from nearby tables turned at the sound. “You’re being a fucking coward,” she said. The other patrons quickly looked away, wanting no part in our drama. Beyond them, darkness had descended upon Boston. The people that walked by the restaurant windows were half in shadow, half…
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ben “Hey, Jack,” I said, shutting the Jeep door behind me. “Thanks again for watching the puppies.” He jogged down the porch steps to greet me. “No problem. I’m sure they’ll be happy to spend some more time with their older cousins.” I heard a bark and turned to see Fred and Sam’s faces appear and disappear in one of…
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ella Two weeks had passed since Ben and I…broke up? Was that the right term? Since we amicably split? Consciously uncoupled? Willingly diverged? Whatever the phrase was, I was not handling it well. Business had slowed to a crawl. We’d been pummeled by one storm after another, deep winter digging its claws into us. It was so bad we made…
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ben “You did the right thing, Ben,” Dad said after he and Mom returned from their brief foray into town. “She’ll be back,” Mom added. The confidence in her voice was absolute. I made a noncommittal noise. Did I do the right thing? Would she be back? Or did I just lose Ella forever? God, the look on her face…
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ella “I think you should go home,” Ben said after his parents left. We stood on opposite sides of the kitchen island. I leaned my hips forward against it as I tried to process what he just said, my hands on the massive slab of butcher block we nearly broke our backs installing. Beneath my fingers, the wood was as…
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