Tuesday Tales 2023-9-12 Silly

Welcome to Tuesday Tales, where writers use word and picture prompts in our stories. This snippet is from a cozy mystery set in Glisten, Georgia. The week’s word prompt is silly. When you finish reading, make sure to visit all the talented authors of Tuesday Tales.

Heads popped up, and eyes widened. Kitty had replaced her working attire with a pair of black jeans and tank, topped by a fuzzy pink sweater.  Her curly hair bounced as she made a beeline for the thin blond man who had come in late.

He offered a silly, lopsided grin and stood to pull out a chair for her.

Naomi Upshaw’s face showed a scowl of displeasure. “Miss Varner?”

“Kitty?” Dovie said, blinking and looking perplexed.

“I received a text inviting me to the meeting,” Kitty explained cheerfully.

“I asked Kitty to join us,” the kind-faced, fluffy woman named Dulcy spoke up and made a half-hearted gesture toward the blond man. “She is helping my son and me with logistics and cleanup.”

So the thin blond man and Dulcy were mother and son? They looked nothing alike. He must favor his father. Also, from the way Kitty was gazing up at him with a “cat with the cream” smile, there might be more to the story than a working relationship. I glanced at Robin. She gave me a quick eyebrow lift that said something was going on.

“Cleanup?” Naomi Upshaw’s question demanded an answer.

Dulcy continued. “Kitty kindly offered Twinkle Cleaning for the morning after the Pumpkin Run. I didn’t have a chance to fill you in, Naomi. Anyway, my son and I thought she should attend today to see what’s what.”

“Very well.” Naomi Upshaw’s scowl had not receded. She gave a narrow-eyed look to Kitty but said nothing else.

Dulcy cleared her throat. “It will be a load off our minds, since city services decided not to assign staff to the job.”

Vance Wardlow objected. “It’s not that the city didn’t assign staff, Miss Tolliver. They agreed to a crew for street cleanup the following day. They merely couldn’t spare manpower for janitorial. That was our weak cog. The city is doing their part, and the boys club will help with loading and unloading where needed before and after, right, Spike?”

“Yep, and their advisors, the senior boys.”

Dulcy Tolliver hadn’t finished her point. “Well, we certainly appreciate Twinkle Cleaning stepping forward to help. Thank you, Kitty.”

“You are welcome, Mrs. Tolliver,” Kitty replied, with a self-satisfied smile.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed the snippet inspired by silly. If you haven’t done so already, check out the other excerpts at Tuesday Tales.

Cheers & Happy Reading!

Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Spirited Stories

All rights reserved, copyright @ 2023 Flossie Benton Rogers