A Lucky Stall

by Mina Beckett from the July 20, 2026 issue

Tagline

When Diane's car malfunctions at her daughter's high school fundraiser, the last thing she expects is a jump-start for her love life.

Off the Cuff Observations

a car full of dry cleaning -- Huh. I only dry clean my formal wear these days. But I was a stay at home mom for quite a while, so my wardrobe wasn't exactly full of office clothes. Even before that when I was an elementary school teacher, I didn't buy stuff that had to be dry cleaning. But maybe she's a lawyer or corporate exec.

She was a woman with a full calendar, a standing dentist appointment--and exactly one ex-husband. She wasn't the kind of woman who got randomly flustered when a handsome guy spoke to her. -- I'm puzzled by this. I understand the full calendar thing. But what does having a standing dentist appointment have to do with her not getting flustered? It shows she's...organized? And why describe the ex with "exactly one?" Meaning she might have had more than one? That's an odd thing to call attention to.

[His expression] was soft and warm, like a lamp coming on in a window. -- Love that!

"I'll call you," he said. Not a question. Not a performance. Just a fact he intended to make true.-- While I like how this helps to describe him as someone who behaves with honesty, this is the second time Mina mentioned that he wasn't "performing." Is this a thing now in the dating world? Someone enlighten me.

Man, this guy seems perfect. Why hasn't he been snapped up? LOL

This story is another reason I am LOVING the new heftier word count. The pace of this story was...normal. It didn't feel condensed or rushed. Do you know what I mean? It took its sweet time and it was refreshing and soothing to read.

Photo by Bradley Griffin via  Flickr CC License