The exercise had been three long, busy weeks of planning, and all of it would culminate tomorrow with the start of San Lorenzo’s first war game. Eliot, Tomas, and General Flores had worked tirelessly for days, making sure there were no unaddressed details, and no dangerous situations they had not foreseen. Now all they had … Continue reading The War Games Job →

Author's Note: This is my favorite of these stories. Literally nothing in it is real, but I enjoyed writing Mikel Dayan (last seen in the 2 Live Crew Job). At several points in the draft process, Eliot glared off the page at me and said "You gotta be kidding." Also: Christian Kane signs his autograph … Continue reading The Royal Theater Job →

Author's Note: Have a little short story to celebrate the new year! In this story, which was cut in its entirety from the Terrace At Night Job, we find Ophelia and Eliot in a small outdoor cafe in Monaco, having an excellent lunch while not talking about her parents.  Eliot is not willing to let … Continue reading “Life is too short to learn German”-Mark Twain →

As Eliot had hoped, Ophelia and Devil had quickly adapted to life in San Lorenzo. Nearly every morning found them at the lagoon, swimming laps or playing with a Frisbee. As her tan deepened, her hair had lightened; she was nearly transformed. Not that Eliot minded, as long as she was happy. After playing and … Continue reading The Terrace at Night Job →

The days when she would be occupied for some or all the day were running short, so he had to move fast. Wednesdays were her longest day at school; she was barely out the door when he made the call. “General Flores,” he said. “I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.” “Spencer! … Continue reading The Hitter, His Wife, Her Dog, and the General Job →

“I don’t suppose you want to go to an exhibit next Saturday on the treasures of the British monarchy?” Ophelia asked one morning over breakfast. She was reading her emails while eating pancakes; since Eliot had made the pancakes, the emails didn’t stand a chance of claiming more than half her attention. “I don’t,” Eliot … Continue reading The Ranch Hand Job →

(Author's Note: Huge, huge, gigantic thanks to @Hedge_Bette from Instagram for her reel from which I stole the running gag in this story. I am both grateful and still willing to join her cult.  Tell her I said so, if you know her.) It was her first day back to work since getting married.  She … Continue reading The Doctor’s Husband’s Job →

(Author's Note: If you are even an average consumer of the news, you need to know that I put the phrase "wedding-industrial complex" in this story in about 2020. I am at least an average consumer of news and therefore refuse to give anyone the satisfaction of changing my story. I stole the concept from … Continue reading The Home Improvement Job →