Last fall, I discovered flash fiction and it make me even more excited about all the wonderful possibilities of writing. It's short story of 1000 words or less where the writer still tries to convey character and plot development. Talk about challenging and tight writing. I realized how "wordy" I am as an author and had to cut out quite a lot of them.
Up until this point, only my newsletter subscribers have had the chance to see my flash fiction work. However, I'm excited to share my first short story with all the readers of my blog, even though it makes me feel a bit more vulnerable, as now my entire blog audience will have access to it (but no pressure at all!). If you're interested in being among the first to read more of my flash fiction and fictional stories, you can sign up for my newsletter here.
Smoke and Embers:
A BBQ Reconciliation by Emilee Hill
Ruby
Beck two-stepped her way around the edge of the wooden dance floor in her mint
green knee-high cowgirl boots. Nothing ever changed in this small sleepy town
of Copper Creek Haven where she spent summers with her grandfather learning how
to make finger-licking good BBQ. The Fall Harvest dance and BBQ competition
were the town’s most celebrated events.
At
the opposite corner of the room, she saw him. Elliot King. The man she’d been
secretly carrying a torch for the past 20 years. Heart racing and knees
knocking, her feet refused to move as if they were permanently glued to the
floor. Elliot had seen her and was maneuvering through the maze of dancing
couples to get to her.
He
was by her side, crushing her in a bear hug, slightly lifting her off the
ground. Breathless, she returned his embrace. He felt solid beneath her hands.
“Ruby!
It’s great to see you!”
“Hi,”
she stammered. So much for sounding like a confident woman.
“Care
to dance?” Elliot held out his hand.
“Sure, but aren’t you afraid we’ll start World War III?” she asked, referring to their
grandfathers’ decades long feud over the BBQ competition.
Their
battle began when Ruby’s grandfather William accused Elliot’s grandfather
Harvey of stealing his secret recipe and publishing it in the local newspaper. The
lasting rivalry had trickled down to their children and grandchildren. Becks
and Kings didn’t usually associate with one another.
“I’ll
take my chances.” He winked at her and smoothly guided her onto the floor.
“We’ll give this town something to talk about.” Double twirling, he dipped her
in the middle of the dance floor as the final notes of the song ended.
Another
song started and Elliot made no move to release her. “That was only half a
dance. You owe me a few more dances,” he teased, referring to the time she stood
him up at the same dance when they were just 18.
“I
have no idea what you are referring to.” Ruby feigned an innocent expression,
her flushed cheeks giving her away. She could never let Elliot know the reason
she didn’t attend the dance was because it was the summer she realized she was
in love with him and didn’t know what to do with her feelings or how to deal
with her grandfather.
As
they swayed to the music, Ruby couldn’t help but steal a glance at Elliot. His
eyes twinkled in the dimly lit room, and he smelled faintly of the same cologne
he used to wear in high school. She couldn’t resist the urge to bring up the
one thing that had always connected them- the BBQ competition.
Ruby
made the choice to steer the conversation in that direction while she was still
in Elliot’s arms. “You know, Elliot, it’s been forever since we discussed the
BBQ contest,” she remarked, leaning in.
“My
grandpa Harvey adamantly denies having anything to do with selling your
grandfather’s recipe to the paper.”
“Hmmm…And
you believe him?”
“My
grandfather’s character has always been one of honesty and helping his
community. This town knows everything about everyone. Give me one other example
of when my grandfather was ever involved in anything lacking integrity.”
Ruby
sighed, “Maybe it’s time we put an end to it.”
Elliot
raised his eyebrows and with a look of surprise said, “How do you propose we do
that?”
“Well,
everything we learned about BBQ was from our grandfathers…What if we swap sous
chefs on the paperwork? I’ll be your grandpa Harvey’s assistant and you’ll be
my grandpa Will’s.”
Elliot
grinned; his gaze fixed on Ruby. “That just might work. Imagine the reaction of
the citizens of Copper Creek Haven seeing the Becks and the Kings working
together rather than against each other.”
“They’d
probably think they were in an episode of The Twilight Zone,”
Ruby chuckled.
Elliot
and Ruby finished hatching the plan to end the decades-long contention between
their families. It took some convincing from both Ruby and Elliot to persuade
their grandfathers that this was a good idea, but they did, and Ruby and Elliot
were positioned on opposite sides of the BBQ competition area. They exchanged a
nervous glance before getting to work.
While
the contest was still fierce, William and Harvey exchanged a nod of respect,
silently acknowledging the significance of the day, and seemed to have a glint
of pride in their eyes as they battled with their grandchildren.
And
when the winner was finally announced, it was William Beck who emerged
victorious with Elliot’s help. Ruby couldn’t help but smile and have hope fill
her heart as she watched her grandfather and Elliot shake hands in victory.
When
the competition was over, Ruby walked over to Elliot. She knew this was a
moment she couldn’t let pass by. "Elliot, would you like to take a walk?”
Shyness crept into her voice as the question left her mouth.
“That
would be great.” He cupped her elbow and steered her towards the downtown
square with country ballads playing on the speakers leading outside.
“Thanks
for helping my grandfather win the competition.”
“It
was a lot of fun.”
“Elliot,
I…I…” It was now or never. “I’ve been in love with you since I was 18,”
she blurted. So much for subtlety.
“What
a coincidence, Ruby Beck. I’ve been in love with you since then too.” Tenderly caressing her face, he slowly leaned
in for a soft and gentle kiss that had the slight tang of BBQ in it. A kiss
she’d been dreaming of for most of her life, and the wait had been so worth it.
