"I envisioned seeing myself through his eyes..." Her family has moved into a new house for a better life. But when Kate returns to the place she once called home to sell a piece of furniture, a cascade of memories and unresolved emotions come rushing in. A passing glance at the mirror of her soul reveals lingering disappointments as well as apprehension about the future, leaving Kate vulnerable to the uncomplicated charms of the handsome man who has come to take possession of her old dresser. A tidal wave of passion suddenly sweeps them both away from the safe shores of logic and self-control. As Kate closes the door and returns to her family, she must act decisively as the demands of practical reality collide with the consequences of her liaison with this stranger whom she had not sought out, but also did not resist. Will she bury the secret forged within the darkened rooms of the quiet house? "A Secret in the Quiet House" is a short story. Length: 2,800 words. "Now we were strangers again..."