As November chill settles on the town of Oldham, CT, the world has shifted under the feet of Corrina and her teenaged stepson Ryan. Contending with tradition when nothing is the way it used to be is a challenge for the steadiest of relationships – and no one would ever define Corrina and Ryan’s relationship that way. But tradition is still staring them in the face, and they’re going to have to deal with it whether they want to or not. On a day when Ryan is too vulnerable to fight, he agrees to spend some time with his stepmother. Will it be the first stage in their recovery, or a final passage together before they go their separate ways forever?

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In the first of four novelettes about the Golds – who we first met in the national bestseller Leaves – Michael Baron further explores the nuances, complexities, and unique comforts of family and shows that “nothing will be the same” has a multitude of connotations.