Tuesday Tales 2022-1-18 Picture Bookstore

Greetings! That term always reminds me of Starman, one of my favorite movies. When my son was little, we used to quote lines to each other, our favorite being “little bit jumpy” with the appropriate endearing hand gesture made by Jeff Bridges

It’s time now to enjoy a new episode of Tuesday Tales, where authors write excerpts based on word or picture prompts. The picture prompt I selected from our choices this week is bookstore. This snippet is from a very early section of my current Highlander Romance, before Lana makes her time switch. The title of the book has only changed a gazillion times so far. When done reading here, make sure to visit all the talented authors of Tuesday Tales.

The day got better after the reiki session. Since Gran didn’t drive, they scheduled an Uber to take them downtown. First was lunch at Romeo’s where they had Caesar salad and rolls. Gran insisted on dessert, deciding on creamy almond parfait. Lana turned up her nose at the house specialty of iced cranberry pecan brownies. After the cranberry vodka shots last night, she suspected the fruit would be off her menu until well after Christmas. However, she merrily scarfed down a double helping of bread pudding with a lit candle in the middle, accompanied by Tahitian vanilla ice cream. Blowing out the candle, she made a wish to help Gran with whatever job she was referring to and to not make a further spectacle of herself like some kind of maudlin orphan.

A walk along the pier followed, with noisy gulls and other seabirds as attendants. A picturesque wooden structure that had seen better days, the pier nevertheless gleamed impressively in the early afternoon sun. “It was Hurricane Oscar that did the deed three years ago,” Gran explained. “The whole far end was washed away. The council has plans to rebuild that part of it in steel.” Afterwards, they visited a thriving bookstore and found themselves in the midst of a rambunctious book signing. This was followed by a stop at a local history museum, with its focus on the early settlers of the area, leading right through to the middle part of the last century. Near the end of the day, they indulged in a little shopping. Upon returning to the cottage at dusk, both of them were laden with packages. Lana was shocked to see numerous cars parked beside the cottage and along the roadside. “What’s going on?” she asked, suspicion knotting her stomach.

“Come and see,” Gran replied, a twinkle in her eyes.

Jeweled tiki lights were ablaze, not only on Gran’s patio but on those of the two adjoining cottages. Dozens of chairs had been placed around. Lively music came from somewhere. Scads of people of all ages buzzed about on the elevated outdoor patio only twenty-five steps from the Atlantic. Uniformed young people resembling bellhops took their packages. Everyone greeted Gran, and Lana was introduced around.  Numerous Happy Birthday wishes came her way. A bar had been set up. Twin dimpled baristas slung drinks with animated sibling rivalry. The fire pit had been ignited, as well as several outdoor grills. Hot dogs, hamburgers, steaks, and seafood shish kabobs were sizzling.

I hope you enjoyed the snippet based on the picture prompt of a bookstore. Thanks for stopping by. Check out the other authors at Tuesday Tales.

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