Morning dawned bright, and a strong wind whipped across the lake, churning the water into choppy peaks. Sunlight glittered off the whitecaps, dazzling but deceptive—the wind carried a bite despite the warmth. Richard emerged from the tent first. "Pack up sharp!" he called, his voice snatched by the gusts. "Three hours of paddling into this headwind won't be a picnic!" He started wrestling with the damp tent fabric. Kathy...

The hinges groaned as I eased Bill's back door open. His familiar scent—wood smoke and that piney cologne—punched me in the gut, making my knees wobble. Breathe, Tina. Just breathe. I traced the edge of their kitchen counter, fingertips skating over chilled marble. His empty coffee mug had sat there, lipstick smudged on the rim. Not hers. Mine. From Tuesday. I had watched her toss it in the dishwasher through the window,...

I had met Elise at the college library during finals week of the spring semester. We found ourselves outside the library long after it had closed for the night, chatting away as if it were our last day on earth. We both expressed interest in a second date after finals. I was ecstatic, for Elise was utterly beautiful. She had viridian eyes and the sweetest dimples, topped with an innocent smile. Her blonde hair was always...

Vivian stood in the hallway outside her apartment, frowning at the man knocking on her best friend Lisa's door across the hall. She recognized him immediately—Jim. Lisa's go-to fuckboy. Tall, tattooed, and annoyingly good-looking, he was the kind of guy who made his intentions clear just by existing. Vivian crossed her arms over her chest, irritation bubbling up as she watched him knock again, louder this time. "She's not...

His eyes had been on her all evening, following her every move as she wove through the dining room of the restaurant with effortless grace. She had caught his gaze more than once, holding it a beat too long before letting a sly smile curl her lips. There was something about him—something commanding, magnetic—that made her linger near his table more than necessary. She knew his name—Mark—and that he was here for business....

The bar was filling out, the buzz of chat and laughter grew louder by the moment and Olivia was still sat by herself, checking her phone in the hope of a message assuring her she hadn’t been stood up, but her notifications remained empty. Embarrassment prickled over her body. She’d brought a new dress for this at her friend’s insistence she start ‘putting herself out there’, but this was proof that the whole thing was a w...

The two men glared at each other through the mesh of the screen door. "Grant." "Scott." "Glad you could make it," the taller man sneered. "Only 2 hours and 45 minutes after you said you'd be here. Where are the boys?" "They ran around the side. They're getting camping gear from the garage. They're really stoked about your trip. Bear Lake. We used to go up there when they were little." "Yeah, I've heard. Look, I've got to...

The moment Jack pushed open the kitchen door, the hinges creaked softly. He strode in, his athletic frame moving with a confident swagger. Scanning the room, he quickly found what he hoped to see. Mia stood by the counter, her back to him, her long auburn curls cascading down her back like a waterfall of fire. She was leaning slightly forward, one hand resting on the edge of the counter, the other idly tapping the toaster...