The Sweetest Treat of All

by Veda Boyd Jones from the June 14, 2021 issue

Tagline: When the ice-cream truck rolls through his neighborhood one warm summer day, David is surprised to find new love on the menu.

*Stream of Consciousness Observations: Ice-cream trucks bring back such happy memories for me of the Big Sticks and the Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars I used to love. I'm sure they bring similar nostalgic feelings for other readers too.

Oh, I love David's strategy of tiring the kids out so they'd go to sleep that evening. Smart!

Aha! Jones cleverly gave the heroine the information that David was their uncle, not their dad, using dialogue. 

LMAO at this line:

He glanced at his watch to stop her from seeing him blush. "It seems like they've been gone four days, not four hours."

There's a little grey moment where David thinks his employee might have a prior "claim" on Maggie, but this is quickly resolved when Maggie says she's friends with the employee's girlfriend.

We have a sort of black moment when David thinks he'll never see her again. But I'm thinking, "Dude, your employee is dating a friend of hers. It would be very easy to make contact." So black moment for him, not for the reader.

I'm just as excited to hear the chime of the truck again as Josie was. LOL

Oh, David, you just ruined your plan of exhausting the kids with mulching by amping them up with sugar! LOL

Awww, sweet (pardon the pun) ending!

*This is an analysis in which I just record my thoughts as I read the story.

Photo by Rafael Moreno via Flickr Creative Commons License

In the Market for True Love

 

by Joan Dayton from the June 7, 2021 issue

Tagline: Jeff's trips to the supermarket have left him with a crush on cashier Sandra. But will his latest walk down the produce aisle prove a recipe for love?

Observations: This story was told from the point of view of an adorable older man who is nervous about approaching his grocery store crush. Most of the story is just him thinking about all of the wonderful qualities Sandra has--her silver-streaked hair, her crow's feet, her perfume, her empathy and all the things they have in common. He's so love-struck, you find yourself really rooting for him to find his courage and ask Sandra out. Because this is a Woman's World story, of course he does, even if he does stammer a little.

Simply adorable!