Zeke stood in the parking lot staring at the back of Darlene’s car. His brothers were on either side with their arms draped over his shoulder. The men remained silent until the car turned a corner and could no longer be seen. The neon sign for Rainy Daze Café buzzed in the humid, dawn air. Crickets called to one another. The sun’s light was just filling the sky with yellow rays. Inside the café, patrons watched through the plate glass windows. Some shook their heads, others whispered to...

Sophie’s mind kept drifting back to the scene at the café she’d witnessed at breakfast and the fact that Zeke was free again. A condition he found himself in more often than not. She wished her heart would settle down, but figured it wouldn’t anytime soon. The rebellious organ sped up every time she saw Zeke Hart, and it had done the same thing since she was five and met him on the playground for the first time. He’d had that dimple in his left cheek back then, and the smile th...

Going home to the empty house put Zeke into a foul mood. He hadn’t imagined that Darlene would take the sheets off the bed. He’d found that little tidbit when he’d pulled back the spread to find a bare mattress. He grumbled as he searched the hall closet for a fitted sheet to match the flat sheet he’d found. When that seemed futile, he opted for a bright pink one. He wondered why she hadn’t taken it with her. What did he want with pink sheets? Women, he thought, as he pulled...