His Quiet Favor

Nathaniel Pruitt can't afford his daughter's surgery. His new neighbor Hollis Vance offers the money before Nathaniel finishes asking. The loan is small. The terms are never discussed. Soon Hollis is taking the night shifts, driving June to checkups, learning her allergies, keeping a key. When Nathaniel tries to pay it all back, Hollis produces a ledger — every ride, every meal, every hour, priced and initialed in Nathaniel's own weary handwriting. Nathaniel begins to see the pattern: the mail opens itself, the doctor knows Hollis by name, and June has started calling someone 'Dad' in her sleep. Three other families in three other towns had a neighbor exactly like this one. Getting free will cost Nathaniel the one thing he has left to sell: his privacy, his pride, and his right to be believed. A dark psychological thriller of debt, control and the favor that never ends.