Author: Stephanie Gildart

The cedar jewelry box sat open on the cashier’s counter between Kerry and Sly. Sly was back on the cashier’s side, as she had been when Kerry came in, only now she was digging through the drawers of the dresser

 Downtown Paxwood came alive only during certain times of the year–typical of a town that thrived primarily on tourism. The biggest seasons were the winter holidays and summer break. Sometimes the tourism board managed to snag the opportunity to host

 Kerry spent the next hour enjoying fresh strawberry rhubarb pie–made with locally-grown strawberries and rhubarb–and catching Rowen up on everything that she knew about the process of buying Paxwood House, this house of historical significance that had once been the

 Maisey’s Diner was, well, a diner in the truest sense. Like most every business in Paxwood, it was locally owned and operated. They made their pies on-site, and most of their diner food was made the same as it had

 “You went to Paxwood House, didn’t you?” The question was not unexpected, but the way that Mx. Cardoso was looking at her when he asked it felt weird. Kerry stood in the lobby of Cardoso Auto, between Mx. Cardoso and their

 Kerry pedaled her bicycle harder than really necessary, hoping the burn in her thighs would at least distract her mind a little bit from the thumping and fluttering in her gut. The dropping sensation had returned almost immediately after she’d

When people talked about butterflies in their stomach, that churning nervous feeling that came from something uncertain and nerve-wracking happening in the world, it was always a sign that something good was about to happen. Kerry wished there was a

By the time Char’s parents picked up the phone, Kerry, Char, and Ms. Anholts were back outside the wall surrounding Paxwood House–this time through the front gate. Kerry held her phone in her hand, running her thumb up and down

A flash of recognition planted itself like a seed in the back of Kerry’s thoughts as she focused her sights on the black dog that held Cody pinned to the ground, jaws clenched around Cody’s shoulder. But she didn’t have

 Someone had to be first over the rubble that had once been a protective stone wall, and Kerry didn’t know why Char designated herself. Kerry kept one step behind her, careful to watch Char’s footing in case she stumbled, smiling