TUESDAY TALES - WORD PROMPT "HOT" ANOTHER EPISODE OF "THE KICKER'S STORY"

 Welcome! This week we are writing to the word prompt "hot". We have another episode of "The Kicker's Story". Don't forget to read all the wonderful stories. You'll find them all HERE 

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After his shower, Tyler stood by his closet, pondering what to wear. Uncle Charlie moseyed in.

"You're as bad as a girl. Just put something on. Get dressed and be on time."

"It's not like in the Dark Ages, girls judge you by what you wear."

Charlie chuckled. "Maybe the Dark Ages were better. You gonna wear a tie?"

"Nope. They'd only make fun of me. Okay, Charlie. You can go now."

"What? You getting dressed? We're both boys. What's the big deal."

"I'm not a kid anymore. I like my privacy."

"Okay. I’m going." 

Tyler dropped the towel from his waist and got dressed. Facing himself in the mirror, he frowned. His hair never behaved. He combed and recombed, but the stubborn cowlick insisted on standing up.

Uncle Charlie poked his head in. "You're late. Come on, I'll drop you. You can walk home." Tyler grabbed a box of candy he bought and followed his uncle out the door. "Thanks."

 He walked up the stairs of the modest house and rang the bell. The familiar sound made him smile. How many thousands of times had he heard that? The door swung open.

"Come in, come in," Merrily said, tugging on his arm.

"Here. For your mom."

Connie Adams, wearing a worn apron and holding a wooden spoon came out of the kitchen.

"For me? Thank you, Tyler. You haven't forgotten. Chocolates. My favorite!" She took the box and returned to the kitchen.                                           

He noticed the small dining room table was only set for three. He raised his brows and faced Merrily.

"Courtney is going out to dinner at the Inn with Bryson Campbell."

"Who?"

"The marketing director for her publisher. So it's just us three. I hope you won't be disappointed."

Ty stifled a laugh. Disappointed? Damn, he couldn't express how relieved he was not to have to face Courtney's probing. A quiet dinner with Merrily and her mother was perfect. He sniffed. "Boy, something smells great."

"Mom's making corned beef and cabbage because it's your favorite. I'm tempted to force Bryson to give up the reservation and eat here," Courtney said, bounding down the stairs.

Her blonde hair curled gracefully around her shoulders. Her makeup was perfect. Her figure was curvy in all the right places. Damn, she was still the hottest girl he'd even known. Maybe - or maybe not. She grabbed him by the shoulders for a big hug. "You look great, Ty."

"So do you." The words came out of his mouth before he thought. When he glanced to his left, he couldn't miss the quick flash of disappointment on Merrily's face. 

That's it for this week. Thanks for stopping by. 

Tuesday Tales - The Kicker - Word Prompt "Angry" - and cover reveal!

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales. We have another episode of the story "The Kicker" and a cover reveal for this story! Don't forget to sample all the wonderful Tuesday Tales stories. Find them HERE

Thanks for stopping by! 

Tyler bundled his footballs together in the webbed bag and slung it over his shoulder. Trudging through the snow off the football field, he looked up, craning his neck to see the lake. Any chance Merrily Adams was out there skating again? Foregoing the short cut, he turned toward the lake. A few extra steps, a little more exercise, what could it hurt, right?

And if she was there, then it would be worth it. He slowed his pace to accommodate the bulky bag of balls and reached one of the vacant docks. Sure enough, there she was. He dropped the balls near the street. No need to lug them all the way down to the bench. Holding tight to the railing, he made his way down the icy wooden steps to the edge of the lake.

Plopping down on the bench, he leaned back and strained to hear the music. Unfortunately, it wasn't very loud. He opened his bottle of water and took a swig, never taking his eyes from the swirling figure. God, she was graceful. And beautiful. Her slender body moved easily into one position after another. When she raised her leg behind her and simply glided along on one skate, he was entranced. No way could he ever do that. She went more than halfway around the circle. He couldn't take his eyes off her.

Cold seeped into his bones. He couldn't sit there forever. How long could she go on before getting frostbite? He pushed to his feet. She stopped skating, bent down to grab her phone and skated toward him.

"Tyler? Is that you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Merrily?"

She nodded.

"That was beautiful. You're amazing."

She blushed and cast her gaze to the ice. "Thanks."

"Why aren't you a professional skater?"

"Long story. Look, Courtney has been bugging me to ask you. Can you come to dinner tomorrow night?"

"Dinner at your house? Your mom is a great cook. Sure. What time?"

"Six. Sharp. Mom gets angry when anyone is late. We'll eat at six thirty."

"I'll be there. And, thanks."

She nodded and skated to the bench where she'd left her clothes. Tyler climbed to the street level, but took his time rounding the bend toward his mother's house. Sure enough, Merrily caught up with him.

"How come I don't remember you from high school?"

                                

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