Recipe Index

The iced tea had been sitting on the Formica counter so long the glass looked like it was sweating for both of us. A tiny U.S. flag magnet held last month’s electric bill to the refrigerator, its red stripes curled at the edges from steam and age. Sinatra drifted low from my father’s old radio…

The chandelier above me scattered light across the marble like a casino had been shattered and hung from the ceiling one crystal at a time. Laughter drifted out of the ballroom in polished waves, mixed with the clink of champagne flutes, the low hum of strings, and the expensive ease of people who had never…

The night was as beautiful as it was misleading. Silicon Valley glittered below the rooftop like somebody had spilled a jewelry box across the dark. The air smelled faintly of citrus from expensive candles and chilled champagne, and above the low hum of investors, founders, and people who liked to stand near power in tailored…

There was a sweating glass of iced tea on a cork coaster beside the mail, leaving a dark ring on the narrow walnut table Nathan O’Connor kept promising himself he would refinish when life stopped behaving like a legal brief. A small folded U.S. flag sat on the shelf above the counter beside a chipped…

There was a sweating glass of iced tea on a cork coaster beside the mail, leaving a dark ring on the narrow kitchen table like a bruise that had decided to stay. A small folded U.S. flag sat on the shelf beyond the breakfast nook beside a brass clock that had never kept perfect time,…

There was a sweating glass of iced tea on a cork coaster beside a stack of unopened mail, leaving a dark ring on Natalie Chin’s narrow kitchen table like a bruise that had decided to stay. A small magnet in the shape of a folded American flag held up a utility bill on the fridge….

There was a sweating glass of iced tea on a cork coaster beside a cream envelope thick enough to feel expensive, leaving a damp ring on the rooftop table that the server kept pretending not to see. A small American flag pick from a passed appetizer tray had blown under Mara Ellison’s chair and lodged…

There was a sweating glass of iced tea on a cork coaster beside a cracked socket wrench and a stack of unpaid feed invoices on my kitchen table, leaving a dark ring on the old pine like a bruise that had decided to stay. A small folded U.S. flag sat on the shelf above the…

There was a sweating glass of iced tea on a cork coaster beside a stack of unopened mail, leaving a dark ring on Nathan O’Connor’s walnut side table that he kept meaning to refinish and never did. A small folded U.S. flag sat on the bookshelf across from him beside a brass clock that ran…