Spring has sprung, and with it, smiley faces. When yellow crocuses bloom all over town in the shape of an emoji during April’s first warm days, reporter Nero Storm is sent out to discover their meaning and origin.<br><br>Nero has little to smile about himself, what with dysfunctional family drama and a tragic love life. The previous fall, it seemed as if he might have finally met the man of his dreams in dog daddy, ride share operator, and charity organizer Z. Though the two spent but ten morning and evening car rides together, sparks flew. Unfortunately, at the end of that time, Nero witnessed a crime, and Z disappeared.<br><br>Now, as the rest of the world looks forward to a new beginning promised by spring, Nero is left to wonder. Are the smiley face flowers a message for him, and will he ever see Z’s smile again for real?

21 Smiles

“Just a cold front barreling through,” I said. “Back to chilly nights for a bit.”


“You still share a dressing room with a weatherman?”


“And got your haircut.” Z ran his hand over the short, soft bristles, and I shivered.


“It’s different, but oh so mucho guapo. Good for warm weather…for summer.”


“Your flowers, the faces, they inspired Carmen and me to pitch a series on climate change. One of the people among the first to see the faces thought they might be a statement about that, how we should be paying more attention. We’re talking to specialists, researchers, some all the way up in Antarctica. We’ve gotten a lot of hits on the site, so hopefully, people care and are willing to do something.”


“I found out seventeen of the eighteen warmest years on record have happened since 2000, and that coastal ecosystems the size of New York City are destroyed every year. Every year, Z.”


Chapter 41