Merry Christmas! It's been a year. Enough said about that, let's have a little fun today!
Our last Round Robin Blog Fest for 2020 is always a good one. Write a short story, flash fiction, or use an excerpt from one of your books. One of the things I realized this year is that I only have ONE book set at Christmastime. In light of that, I pulled out a story I'd started last summer and just hadn't gone back to yet, but it's a story that wants to be told.
In a light-hearted Hallmark style, it's about a single mom with two kids. Her daughter has Down's Syndrome and her son is exceptionally talented in his own way. Kennedy Fowler has inherited a family home lovingly called The Doctor's Inn and has opened it as a bed and breakfast to be able to stay home with her kids. That is how they meet Mr. Bah-Humbug, actor Shawn Kyle who is in town to perform in a show at the local theatre for the holidays.
Here for your reading pleasure, is a rough version of a work-in-progress called The Doctor's Inn...
“But everyone
needs to have a Christmas tree.” Teagan stood and held out her hands as if
completely exasperated by the situation. Her slanted eyes were wide behind the
thick lenses of her glasses.
Her mom shook her
head. “Teag, not everyone celebrates Christmas the way we do. Some people have
different traditions or different cultures even.”
The girl’s eyes
grew impossibly wider. “No way.”
“Maybe Mr. Kyle is
Jewish.” Kennedy leaned against the door jamb.
“What’s Jewish?”
Teagan asked then turned to Shawn. “Are you Jewish?”
“No, but I have friends
who are.” He grinned. “They celebrate Hanukkah and have their own traditions
like lighting a menorah and having twelve days of gifts.”
“Twelve days?” Her
mouth dropped open. “Mom, can we be Jewish this year?”
Kennedy sighed. “That’s
not quite how it works, honey. How about if we bake some cookies this afternoon?
That will keep you from hounding our guests.”
Teagan hopped up
and down a few times and clapped her hands. “Cookies. Mr. Kyle, do you like
cookies? Maybe my mom and I can make you a Christmas cookie tree instead.”
“I’d like that.” Shawn
met Kennedy’s gaze. His smile softened.
The girl ran
toward her mother then paused before she turned to face him. “Do you want me to
decorate it too?”
He glanced at his
watch. “Since I have to leave for the theatre soon, that might be the best
idea. I’ll bet you’ll do a fabulous job.”
“Of course I
will.” She ran out of the room without another glance back.
“Sorry about that.”
Kennedy winced. “Usually she asks a few questions then keeps her herself. For
some reason, she’s taken a shine to. She seems determined not to give you any
peace. It’s okay if you tell her you need some quiet time. She might be
differently abled, but she can understand when someone needs privacy.”
Shawn stood and
stretched. He’d never heard someone call a person with Down’s Syndrome “differently
abled.” It suited Teagan perfectly. “It’s fine. She’s sweet. She’s also a lot
smarter and more confident than I was at her age.”
“Funny,” she said.
“I would have thought that as an actor you would have been the class clown and
full of more confidence than anyone could handle.”
“No.” His face
warmed. “I was the guy in the middle of the classroom with his head down and a
comic book to cover the outside of a classic novel. Sometimes I’d listen to the
teacher, but not always.”
Kennedy juggled
the laundry basket to get a better grip. “I’d better get this started or it’ll
be midnight before anyone has clean bedding today.”
The loud clatter of
utensils hitting a hard surface came from the kitchen followed by the scrape of
a chair across the floor and cupboards banging.
“It sounds like
Teagan’s setting up to make cookies.” He smiled.
“Oh no. She meant
right now, didn’t she?” Kennedy’s face paled as she dropped the laundry basket
on the floor. Sheets and pillowcases fell out while she raced toward the
kitchen.
Shawn followed and
stopped short when he spied the eight-year-old at the kitchen island with boxes
and bags from the cupboard sitting everywhere. She glanced up and grinned, her
teeth coated in brown from eating chocolate chips. In front of her sat a bowl
filled with various ingredients. He covered his mouth as he tried to stifle a laugh.
Kennedy’s
expression wavered between amusement and resignation. “Could you do me a favor,
Teag? Please don’t add anything else to that bowl until I get the laundry
going, okay? When I get back, we’ll start over to make sure they don’t taste
like smelly shoes or anything.”
“Okay, Mama. I’ll
wait.” Teagan bowed her head and stirred the current contents of her bowl. At
least she hadn’t added any liquids yet.
Once Kennedy left
to throw the bedding in the washing machine, Shawn strolled over to check out
the bowl. “What kind of cookies are you making?”
“Christmas tree
cookies.” Teagan held up a wooden spoon. “Want to taste?”
“I’ll wait until
they’re baked.” He leaned back slightly as he caught an overpowering whiff of
pine or cedar. He was never sure which tree was which. “What’s that smell? Did
you shove a whole Christmas tree in there?”
Teagan giggled.
She handed him a little brown bottle with a simple white label. “It is one of
mom’s special magic potions she makes. They make the house smell good, but I
bet they would make my cookies taste great.”
Shawn read the
bottle then frowned. “Cedar essential oil. I’m not so sure those are supposed
to be used in cookies. I think you should ask your mom so we don’t poison
anyone.”
“Did I do a bad
thing?” Tears shone in her wide eyes.
He placed the
bottle on the counter. “You were trying to do something nice for a friend. I
don’t think that’s part is so bad, is it?”
“Not unless I
poison him and make him sick.” Teagan wiped the back of her hand across her
face and left a trail of white flour from the far corner of her eye straight
across her button nose and rosy cheek.
Shawn chuckled.
“You have flour on your face.”
“Really?” This
time she wiped her entire arm across her face which smeared flour on her sweater
as well. Then she reached into the bowl and wiped her powder-coated finger on
his cheek. “So do you, Mr. Kyle.”
“Some friend you
are.” He huffed before he reached into the bowl to dabbed more flour on her
nose.
She copied him again,
this time using so much flour it cascaded down the front of his shirt. Their laughter
seemed to bounce off the kitchen walls as they threw flour at each other by the
handful. With each throw, the kitchen began to look like a snowstorm blew through.
“What are you two
doing?” Kennedy’s sharp voice came like a bucket of ice water.
Teagan and Shawn
both froze in mid-toss. They stared at each other with their mouths hanging
open and hands full of flour. Slowly, they faced Kennedy and winced.
She snapped a
picture of them both. “You two are so busted. That one’s going on the inn’s website.
I can’t think of a better way to show people how much fun we have around here
at Christmas, can you?”
Shawn swiped one
more smear of flour across Teagan’s forehead. “I know I can’t.”
The girl flashed
an impish grin. “At least we both smell like Christmas trees.”
“Yeah, and we look
like powdered jelly donuts.” He chuckled.
“Jelly donuts? I
love jelly donuts.” Teagan raised her eyebrows then began to giggle.
She went to slap
her hand down on the counter as she chuckled and hit the rim of the bowl.
Flour, chocolate chips, cedar oil, and chunks of walnuts flew all over the
countertop, the floor, Teagan, and Shawn.
As Kennedy howled
with laughter, her son Reese came running into the room from his bedroom. He
took a couple steps back as he gasped. Once his own giggles kicked in, he had
to lean against the wall in order to stand up.
Tears ran down
Shawn’s face as he held onto the counter for support. He had no idea when the
last time was he’d laughed so hard that his face and stomach hurt. His life
just hadn’t been that funny until now.
Kennedy took a few
more pictures then reached out to shake some of the flour out of Teagan’s hair.
She kissed her daughter’s powdered forehead leaving the imprint of her lips
behind. “Why don’t you go take a shower while I clean up, young lady? Reese,
could you help your sister turn on the shower. The tap’s been a bit sticky
again.”
“Yup. Come on, Cookie.”
Reese tried to keep his distance, but Teagan chased him down the hallway
determined to hug him.
Shawn started to
wipe the mess off the counter and back into the bowl before he glanced at the
clock. “I’d better do the same if I plan to make it to rehearsal on time. I’m sorry
about leaving you with the mess. I could call the director and—”
“I’m used to it.”
She flashed a smile. “I’m glad you’re not upset about being covered in flour
and whatever else she put in there.”
He took a whiff of
his shirt. “At least I smell good. All I need is some tinsel.”
“Like a cedar
forest or a Christmas tree.” She paused. “How did she manage that?”
Shawn handed her
the bottle of cedar oil. “Do cedars make good Christmas trees?”
“Spruce trees work
better. Pines are nice too.” She studied the little brown bottle. “I guess I’d
better move my oils before she starts making mad scientist potions with them
when I’m not around.”
He swiped his finger along the countertop. As he walked past Kennedy, he wiped it off on her cheek. “Have a fun day.”
HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!
Diane
Please drop by to wish these amazing writers Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, etc!!
