Sarah Cole, 32, is relaxing on the front porch swing with her partner, Robert Fitzpatrick, when her phone buzzes.
It’s a text from their friend, Tim Higgins, inviting them over. Tim and his partner, Aaron Head, live just across the street.
The spring breeze ruffles at least half a dozen different windchimes strung along the porch ceiling of the sprawling Victorian fixer-upper where Sarah and Robert have lived since they moved to town late last year. It’s the first home Sarah has ever bought.
She unfolds herself from her place on the swing and calls to their dog, Chubbs, who’s snuffling around the yard. He’ll try to follow them to Tim and Aaron’s house like always.
Their homes nearly face each other on Main Street near the heart of Greensboro, Ala., population 2,300.
The four friends aren’t originally from Greensboro, the picturesque seat of one of Alabama’s least populous counties. Rather, they abandoned the hustle of living and working in a big city – Pittsburgh for Sarah and Robert, Nashville for Tim and Aaron – to pursue their dreams in a tiny Southern town.