For a little writing warm up, I've edited a flash fiction piece for your enjoyment. It'll have to satisfy you until I have something to report on Tiffany. Enjoy!
"Chocolate Curls" or perhaps "Table for Two"?
You decide...
You decide...
Ready to shop, Gina Davidson picked up her keys and headed for the door when her phone rang.
“Hello, Gina. This is Mrs. Humphrey from across the
street. Sorry to bother you, but Steven Hillcrest is here patching my roof. I
promised to feed him my lasagna as payment, but I feel one of my headaches
coming on. Would you be a dear and come finish preparing it?”
Her heart skipped a beat. Steven. Her brother’s best
friend. Her former roommate's ex. And ,unknown to
him, the love of her life.
She pressed her hand against her stomach hoping to stop
the flutters. “Sure. I’ll be right over.” Knowing this was probably another matchmaking attempt, she still couldn’t say no to the grandmotherly
widow.
“Oh, thank you, dear! I hated the thought of sending him
home hungry.”
“No problem. See you in a few.”
Running to the bathroom, she made sure her curls were in
place, added a dab of lip gloss, and touched up what little make-up she wore.
At age thirty-two, she still found herself wondering if Steven would ever see
her as anything more than Kevin’s baby sister.
~
The last shingle in place, Steven glanced at his watch. Perfect! Just in time for supper.
Heavenly smells wafted out the window and tantalized him.
He washed up in the mud room, entered the kitchen and said, “That lasagna
sure smells goo--”
Stopping in his tracks, he stared.
“Hi, Steven. Mrs. Humphrey isn’t feeling well. She asked me to come finish preparing your supper. I hope you don’t mind.” Gina glanced at him as
she spoke but returned her attention to tossing the salad.
“Um… no… sure… that’s fine.” Steven winced at his own awkwardness.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice.
“I hope you’re hungry. She cooked enough noodles to feed half the town,
so I made two lasagnas – one for tonight and a smaller one for your freezer.”
He took tentative steps toward her, stopped a few feet away and leaned
against the counter in an effort to appear relaxed. He felt anything but. Gone
was the frizzy French braid she wore since childhood. In its place was a mass
of glorious soft curls sitting on her shoulders, framing her lovely face.
“Your hair…When did you cut it?”
“Yesterday.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. It’s so much easier to manage.”
“It suits you,” he said
thoughtfully. “I’ve never seen such beautiful curls. They remind me of those
chocolate curls on top of the fancy desserts at Chambray’s.”
He watched in wonder as Gina’s
cheeks blossomed into a distracting rosy hue.
“Thank you,” she said just above a
whisper, her timid smile stirring his heart.
Taking advantage of her distraction
with the food, he studied her. It seemed like every time he turned around lately
Gina was there. And each time his heart reacted to her gentle spirit a little
more. Deep down he knew Gina was a till-death-do-us-part kind of gal, but
when a man’s wife runs off with another guy he tends to be cautious.
Time to put his mind on a safer topic. “Can I help you
with anything?”
She turned her big brown eyes on him and his brain went a
little fuzzy. “The plates are there in the cabinet behind you if you want to get one
down and the forks are in the drawer next to the dishwasher,”
Still mesmerized, he absorbed every
detail of her upturned face.
“Um…Steven.”
“Yes.”
“The plates… a-and forks… they’re over
there.”
He didn't move or take his eyes from her. “Will Mrs. Humphrey be eating?”
“Afraid not. I gave her some
medicine and tucked her into bed. She seems to be sleeping peacefully.” She turned and removed the bread from the oven.
He let a slow grin spread
across his face. “Well. I guess it’s dinner for two, then. You are joining me,
aren’t you?”
The pan of bread hit the counter with a thud and she turned to search his eyes. “I didn’t
come over to impose on your dinner.”
“You’re not imposing. Come on. You
wouldn’t make a guy eat alone, would you?”
“Well. I-uh…”
“In fact,” he lowered his voice as he took a step closer, “I’m
hoping this could... you know. Be our first date.”
“First date? A-as in a guy taking a
girl out kind of date?”
“Yes.”
She swallowed hard and her eyes grew
wistful, his heart so clenched it ached.
“Are
you sure?”
He tugged gently on one of her curls and watched it bounce back into place. Returning his gaze to hers, he said,
“Positive.”
Her face lit with a breath-taking
smile. “Well, then. Let’s set a table for two.”
~~~
So. Did you enjoy this little bit of flash fiction? And which which title do you prefer? I hope you'll let me know.
~ Linnette R Mullin
All Rights Reserved
*All pics found at Bing images.
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