Tuesday Tales: From the Word Simple

Welcome to this week’s Tuesday Tales. Our word prompt for this week is SIMPLE. I’m a few words over the 400, so bear with me. I’m continuing with my Contemporary Romance, Trouble with Eden. Enjoy.

She removed her work boots, put on the slippers she always left by the door, and went into the kitchen for her usual cup of warm milk before bed. The calming drink was one her mother had insisted on for as long as E J could recall, and Dad had continued the ritual.

Memories of sitting at the table with Dad, joking about Thanksgiving dinner, flooded her. God, was that really this weekend? Her eyes welled with tears. She would gladly forego the traditional turkey meal for Dad’s favorite macaroni and cheese if she could have him by her side once more. Dwayne had loved the simple things. Unfortunately, her life now was anything but easy and peaceful. Everything was topsy-turvy. How long before she had to face the possibility of losing this house and her job? It didn’t sound as if Jackson would insist on selling the business, but the house? Sure, they could share it while he was recovering, but once he was back on his feet? Two healthy adults cohabitating? Jeff would have a field day with that. No, she wouldn’t go there tonight. There’d been more than enough unpleasant surprises today. Why invent more?

Leaving the kitchen, mug in hand, she went into the family room and stood before the photograph of her mother, Dwayne, and herself on their wedding day. Mom had worn an ecru dress with a feather fascinator rather than a veil. She stood in front and yet between them, dressed in a long, pink gown, styled in the same fashion as her mother’s, the basket of rose petals she’d carried almost empty. A headband of rosebuds held back her hair. Dwayne, still in the army reserves, had worn his dress uniform. No one could doubt the love radiating from their faces, certainly not the little girl whose toothless smile was as broad as theirs. Would Jackson see the resemblance between her mother and herself? Between him and his father?

She frowned, slowly reexamining her reaction to her houseguest. Jackson was the first man who’d kindled any interest in her since the debacle with Jeff. No doubt her ex would say she was having “Daddy” issues again— spout some bullshit nonsense about transference. One of his pet peeves had been that she’d turned to Dwayne more than she’d turned to him. Why wouldn’t she? He was her father, a man who treated her as an equal and had put her happiness first.

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales