A story set in the fictional town of Ardenthill.
Midday came with the apartment door banging open. Sarita looked up blearily from the couch and realized that Astra must have a key to her apartment. She couldn’t remember if she’d given Astra a key or not, but it didn’t matter. Astra having her own key meant that Sarita didn’t have to get up off …
The enormity of impending change on Sarita’s life left her listless on the floor until her phone rang. It was Astra, of course, with her unstoppable torrent of energy and plans. Sarita’s Angel bombarded her with excited ideas until Sarita couldn’t remember one of them. Not that it mattered if Sarita knew what the plans …
“I should go.” Nohemi was walking away before Sarita had processed her words. “Hemi, wait!” Pauline rushed to the table. By the time she’d set down the ice cream bowls and turned around, Nohemi was out of anything but shouting distance. “Are you really not going to give me a hug, Princess?” Astra held her …
It was fun for Sarita to be the one the bouncer recognized at the Green Fairy, even if it was by association with Astra. The night had wild energy that propelled Sarita to the coat check and out of her cover-up clothes in record time. Magic was in the air, far more than she’d felt …
The diaper decorating project loomed over Sarita, casting a darker shadow of guilt every day. In the end, she got it finished the way she always did, with panicked effort at the last minute. A light work week helped Sarita survive her late night decorating sessions. Dropping hours from her usual mid-thirties to mid-twenties was …