The Unexpected Everything

—C. B. McCallister, “The Coin of the Realm.” Hightower & Jax, New York.

And then he leaned forward, or I did, and then his lips were on mine.

—C. B. McCallister, A Murder of Crows. Hightower & Jax, New York.

“It’ll all work out in the end.” This was Classic Palmer—she was hardwired for optimism and seemed absolutely incapable of not seeing the bright side. All the Aldens were like that. They didn’t dwell; they looked for solutions, made some snacks, and kept moving forward.

I’d been talking about Clark a lot to my friends—the way you can when you have a crush on someone you know absolutely nothing about.

Are you going to stay and watch the rehearsal?”

“No,” Bri, Toby, and I said in unison

We’re starting from the top of act two in fifteen.”

Palmer jumped up. “Fifteen minutes!” she yelled, as actors started to jump down from the stage and stream up the aisles. “Be back in fifteen, guys.”

“He just said that,” Toby said.

“I know. But for some reason, it’s my job to repeat times loudly.”

I was about to ask Palmer what the hell was going on, when the group continued. “He thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts!”

“What. Is. Happening?” Toby said from her seat next to me, her eyes wide and fixed on the stage, where the cast had begun to jump around in circles, chanting, “Red leather yellow leather red leather yellow leather.”

but there always seems like the possibility that something might change this time around

Or meet at home?

I stared at the last word he’d typed. I knew what he meant, of course. He meant the house we were both currently living in. But whenever I saw or heard that word, I always thought of the farmhouse first. Our house in Stanwich Woods was never the place that came to mind