The Scent Keeper

by Erica Bauermeister

Home isn’t perfect. Oh, but it can be. I’d known perfect. Against my will, my mind went back to my time on the island with Fisher. Lying in bed, our smells blending in the sheets. His hand on the small of my back as I cooked.

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In the end, it wasn’t the flavors or the alcohol that made people relax—it was the experience of being seen and understood.