The Salt and the Storm
The first time she saw him after the fire, he was kneeling in the sand, tracing letters in the wet ground. Clara’s boots sank into the dunes as she approached, the wind tugging at her coat. The lighthouse loomed behind…
Second Chances
Read MoreThe Salt and the Storm
Salt and Sky
The first time she saw him again, the sea was a blade of silver under the sun. Clara’s boots sank into the damp sand as she walked past the rusted fishing boats, their hulls listing like old men too tired…
The Aroma of Us
The first time Clara saw him, the air smelled like burnt sugar and diesel. She was slumped against the counter of her father’s bakery, wiping flour from her hands, when the bell above the door jangled. A man stepped inside,…
The Last Light of Summer
The salt-kissed air tasted like memory as Clara stepped off the ferry, her boots crunching on gravel. The dock creaked beneath her, a sound she hadn’t heard in a decade, and the sun hung low over the water, bleeding gold…
The Last Light of Summer
The salt air bit at Clara’s cheeks as she swept the cobblestones of Harbor Lane, her broom scraping against the stones with a rhythm only she seemed to hear. The town had always been a place of quiet routines, but…
The Salt and Sugar of Us
Clara’s hands moved instinctively, kneading the dough as if it were a language she spoke fluently. The kitchen smelled of yeast and cinnamon, the air thick with the warmth of the oven. She glanced at the clock—8:17 p.m.—and sighed. The…
The Last Light of June
The bakery smelled like cinnamon and regret. Clara pulled the oven mitts from her hands, leaving them on the counter where they’d been since dawn. Outside, the sun slanted low over the rooftops of Willow Creek, painting the cobblestones in…
The Last Light of Summer
Clara’s boots sank into the damp sand as she walked the shoreline, the salt air sharp in her lungs. The sky hung low, bruised with storm clouds, but she kept moving, feet pressing against the tide’s slow retreat. She hadn’t…
The Last Light of Summer
The day the storm rolled in, Clara Bennett was knee-deep in dust and deadlines, her fingers smudged with ink from cataloging books at the Willow Creek Library. The rain came without warning, a deluge that turned the gravel parking lot…
The Last Light of Summer
Clara’s boots sank into the damp sand as she approached the edge of the cliff, the salt-kissed wind tugging at her coat. The ocean stretched before her, a vast expanse of gray and blue, its waves crashing against the rocks…
The Last Light of Summer
Clara’s boots sank into the damp earth as she stepped off the bus, the gravel crunching under her feet like whispered secrets. The air smelled of pine and rain, a scent that clung to her skin and seeped into her…
The Last Light of Summer
The salt-kissed air hung thick with the scent of brine and blooming jasmine as Clara stepped off the creaking ferry, her boots sinking into the damp sand. The harbor smelled of oil and old wood, a fragrance that clung to…
Saltwater and Static
The first thing Clara noticed was the smell of salt and diesel. It clung to her clothes, sharp and relentless, like the town itself. She stepped off the ferry onto the dock, her boots clicking against the weathered planks. The…
The Last Light of Autumn
The salt-kissed air hung heavy with the scent of brine and diesel as Mara tightened the straps on her worn leather guitar case. The pier creaked beneath her boots, a familiar groan that had once sounded like a lullaby. Now…
Salt and Sky
The first time Clara saw Daniel since the summer of 2012, he was kneeling in the sand, tracing letters into the damp earth with a stick. The air smelled like salt and burnt sugar from the carnival rides across the…