Gunnar Olafsson 
Jenny Page Cassie’s Good Day Keeps Getting … Better?
I was being honest with Bernie – I really didn’t know what Bitsy and Wanda were plotting, though I was, of course, tragically curious. Those two in a booth, a…
Bernie Gets the Call. Two Calls, Actually.
It takes exactly 100 steps for me to walk from my desk to the Riverside – 103 if you count the steps from its front door to the bar. On…
Bitsy at one with being the windshield; eschews being the bug
I believe it was the great Mary Chapin Carpenter who once sang “sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.” These days, I am, of course, a windshield. Which is…
Cutting Ties: Carson sets Elyse up for life, but why?
My Dearest Elyse, I am still without words, for my love for you was the most real thing to ever happen to me. Now that it’s gone, the void in…
Turning on the heels of change without looking back
Mother used to watch soap operas – the Young & the Restless, Guiding Light, and One Life to Live were her favorites. I think she ducked in and out of…
Cloudy with a Chance of Confession: Paul, Revisited
It’s been a week since Silas and Merc first visited. I know because I can see the same clock I saw that day, and I can see that it’s 20…
Bitsy’s Mission to Restore Order in the Valley
I step outside the Riverside, and the pending winter greets me. The sun is down and the wind is gusting off the river. These walks do me good. I love…
Partnership: Cassie Wonders If It’s All That
Mid-morning behind the bar is a little slow. Not feeling particularly ambitions or energetic today. There’s not much for me to do without customers right now. So far, my achievements…
Sliding Doors: Elyse Opens One, Then Closes Another
I arrive at the Hughes’ porch and I hesitate. I ring the doorbell. Elyse answers immediately. “Come in.” She smiles, but I can tell she isn’t at ease – or…
Carson’s a Caged Animal and Wants Out
I feel sick. I could throw up. I look around this home that I live in, at these people I’ve taken pains to get to know and move among –…