Yellow Ceramic Mug and Red Silk Scarf in a Red Buick

bell above the glass door of the Oak Creek Paint Store gave a brassy chime.

The air inside smelled of chalk, fresh acrylic, and the metallic tang of the tinting machines.

Nicole was already standing at the counter, her voice rising to that sharp, breathless pitch she used when she wanted to move things along.

“Fifty gallons of the Dover Fog,” Nicole was continue reading …