Janie’s fingers had just thawed out when the fighting began. The kids abandoned their beanbags, going toe-to-toe, screaming at each other about a marshmallow. The credits of the movie that had given her ninety-two minutes of peace scrolled, the quiet music at odds with the argument. So much for the park wearing them out. After two hours in frigid weather, she’d lured them home with promises of cocoa and a movie. They’d pelted down the slick sidewalk, the wind tugging…
Ensconced in a cocoon of blankets after a late afternoon swim, Vanessa grabbed Brad’s phone to check the time. It was easier than going to search for her own, which they’d discarded somewhere between the door and the bathroom of their honeymoon suite. Vanessa had waited patiently over the past few years as Brad hesitated, still grieving the wife he’d lost eight years ago in a car accident. He was the driver and lone survivor. She ignored the notifications while…
Gran never left the house. Which is why Jacqueline climbed the rickety front porch and batted cobwebs as she made her way towards the front door. While most of the neighborhood was attempting to make cotton look like a realistic web, her grandmother had the real thing. Wind gusted momentarily, and a low branch whined as it swayed. A spider scuttled across a grimy window, and shuddering, Jacqueline used her shoulder to heave the door open. It sprang to life,…
It was too late. Liz hesitated in the doorway for a beat too long before returning the way she’d come. Of course, Joe spotted her, excusing himself from whatever woman he was fawning over. Liz slipped into the bathroom while he begged her to wait a minute. She ignored him and hurried towards a mirror to touch up her perfectly applied lipstick. “Come on, Liz, let me explain.” It was Joe, voice pleading as he pounded on the door. Well,…