“Whatever. I think it’s cool,” Mara said.  “Me too!” Melissa said. “You have to be excited. You can’t act too cool for this.” Parth wore a smile he couldn’t take […]

Mara emerged from her room late enough that she figured some snarky comment was coming.  On the days when her mom did have the energy to be awake at what […]

Normally, Tommy didn’t mind wearing his chef’s whites on the walk home. Tonight was the night before his first day off, though, and he wanted to get into civilian mode […]

A midcentury lemonade glass and pitcher set. A new bracelet with a coyote on it. A faded heather t-shirt with a Goosebumps cover ironed onto the front. Melissa was adamant […]

At home, Tommy had a system. He didn’t eat anything too complex. He relied plenty on frozen vegetables and frozen fish. But he refused to eat poorly—anything could be improved […]

The smell of frying potatoes and onions. A server old enough to be his mom’s younger sister carrying a plate with a patty melt and a half-full coffee pot. Formica […]

Chapter 2:  Tommy thought it showed dedication, bringing his knife bag to a job interview. It showed that he cared for his own knives, that he cared for his craft. […]