“Rachel, my sweet girl,” I read, in the quiet of the office of Mr. Avery, with the green spiral notebook open on the table under my shaking hands. “The pills …

Green Notebook Read More

“Kyle, the money in the bucket is not the important part,” I read aloud, in the little back office with the wood paneling and the Vikings calendar, and my voice …

The Minnow Bucket Read More

“Kyle,” Sherry said again, and the pool filter hummed behind her in the sudden silence, “why is your name on the bank account of my mother?” He smiled the way …

The First Pink Bib Read More

“Hospitality Supply,” I said, and I looked around the backyard at thirty women in pastel dresses, holding plastic flutes of mimosa, “is the company that bought Fuentes Sleep from me …

Laundry Room Letter Read More

Mr. Fontenot slid the cassette into a black machine on the credenza, and my grandmother filled the room. Not through headphones this time, but out loud, in her warm, dry, …

Side B Read More

In red ink, in the neat tilted cursive I had known all my life, my aunt had written four words beside the signature. Doug. Truck. June fourteenth. I turned the …

The Red Pen Note Read More

“Barb,” I read, and my voice carried over the water the way the voice of Jim always did, “if you are reading this on the dock, then somebody has tried …

Read It on the Dock Read More

“Doug did not just want the business,” Gary said, and he set the stack of bank statements on my tray table, next to the red cap. “He wanted the building. …

Pat and the Red Cap Read More

“Brenda?” Dwayne said, and the voice I had loved for four years came across the concrete floor like warm syrup. “What are you doing in the hangar of Billy, baby?” …

The Fuel Sample Read More

The hall had gone so quiet that I could hear the fryer hissing in the kitchen. I stood at the end of the long table with my hand flat on …

The Fish Fry Letter Read More