Something Borrowed

by Debra McNally from the June 1, 2026 issue

Tagline

When Maddie is stranded before her best friend's wedding, the best man comes to her rescue--and they discover a connection that can't be ignored.

Off the Cuff Observations

So far, I like the modern feel to the story. The heroine is texting and the excitement of being involved in a wedding is palpable.

Maddie then realized she wouldn't recognize Mason when he arrived. She had only heard a few stories..." -- I like how Debra included the backstory about Mason.

He's really not an Old MacDonald type at all. -- LOL

I'm not sure why he had to sneak the bracelet to her. Doesn't Luke's grandmother know they're borrowing it? Maybe I'm missing something.

I get it...the Chicken Dance, because he's a farmer. LOL

I love how they ended up with cute nicknames. I can totally see them fifty years later still calling each other City Girl and Country Boy.

Photo by Naomi King via Flickr CC License

Love in Bloom

by Sandra Smith from the May 11, 2026 issue 

Tagline

When Evelyn stepped in to help at her daughter's flower shop, she never thought a last-minute bouquet could lead to a second chance at love.

Off the Cuff Observations

Sandra packs a lot of info into the introductory paragraph, letting us know that Evelyn is of a certain age, the time of year, and that she helps her daughter out at the floral shop. This is important when writing very short stories. Make every word count.

"...The other places I checked were too busy." -- LOL. If Evelyn were touchy, that could be a dig suggesting the floral shop was floundering.

We get a lot of the business interaction with some personal stuff thrown in. If I had been working on this story with Sandra, I would have encouraged her to beef up the personal stuff. Perhaps have Jack elaborate on what a great mom his late wife was or had them share memories of special Mother's Days in the past. Maybe things he did for his late wife were very similar to what her late husband did for her. Or maybe they share silly Mother's Day traditions like pancakes a la mode that sprang up with their kids were small. A little less of the business and a little more connection. 

The convo with Megan is, appropriately, short and sweet. All we needed was for Megan to notice and point out that Jack affected Evelyn.

Even though getting her tulips was an excellent and thoughtful move, he must have gotten them from a competitor... LOL

I like the callback to his cluelessness about flowers at the beginning of the story. This type of thing makes the story feel tighter and well plotted.

Also, I found a dialog punctuation error. Tell me in the comments if you see it.

Photo by Ruth Hartnup via Flickr CC License