Short & Sweet (Short Stories & Novellas)

France, 1963.After losing out on the opportunity to be the first cat to make it to space, Jaclyn can't help hoping for another chance. When she hears her erstwhile rival is out of the picture, she rushes to a nearby French village in search of answers-and a fast track to the stars.Along the way, she runs into a street cat with his own humble dreams and finds that her lofty ambitions may not be so dreamy after all.With the help of an old friend, she interprets the events in her past through a new lens, which leads her to realize that maybe the adventure she seeks could be a lot closer to home.And maybe she doesn't have to take this journey alone.

Rachael, a hardworking single mom, juggles the chaos of making ends meet as a waitress at the beloved restaurant The Charred Grape and always strives to be the best mother she can for her young son, Leo.When the restaurant is bought out and taken over by a new owner, Rachael and the rest of the staff are understandably more than a little nervous. Will they lose their jobs? Will new management be so unbearable they'll be forced to quit? Will their loyal customers accept this change of hands?Those nerves turn into something else entirely as the days pass and Rachael learns more about her new boss and also becomes friends with the new chef. What starts as an easy and carefree back-of-the-house and afterhours friendship quickly seems to be turning into something else, but can Rachael find space in her busy, high-stress life for romance?This short story originally appeared inRecipes for Romance: A Sweet Valentine's Day Anthologypublished by And You Press, an imprint of Nicole Frail Books, released in January 2025. This ebook contains small edits from the author.