Croquet Kiss, a Flash Fiction story by Leslie DeVooght
Happy February. I’ve been busy writing a new book, so I’m re-posting one of my favorite stories. It was actually the first flash fiction I ever wrote. It is set on Jekyll Island, Georgia during the early 1900’s when the millionaires would take their winter holidays on Jekyll. I encourage you to visit Jekyll and take a tour of their “vacation cottages.” I hope you enjoy this story.
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Crouquet Kiss by Leslie DeVooght
Tap.
Clarice’s yellow ball rolled to a stop beside John’s black one. With her precise putt, she’d created an irresistible target.
John pulled back his wooden mallet and swung with gusto. His competitive spirit vanquished his manners.
Thwack.
John’s ball smashed against her ball, sending it sailing over the manicured lawn. It rested in the rough under a sweeping oak. His shot went beyond defense and social graces, but her ball couldn’t have landed in a more perfect location.
Rowdy cheers rose from the gentlemen, entertaining her friends on the veranda of the Jekyll Island Club House.
Clarice glanced to the spectators.
The ladies paused—their glasses of lemonade suspended. They breathed a collective sigh, while their wide brim hats swayed like sailing yachts on an undulating sea.
With a smug grin, John tipped his hat to his friends. His chest swelled, confident of his skill. Surely this surge of masculinity would encourage him to act on the sparks that flew between them.
Clarice bit down on her lip, a smile pushing at the corners. Before John caught a glimpse of her expression, she tossed her white, lace sunhat and marched across the croquet court. She swung her mallet like a drum major’s baton, feigning irritation.
Last night, she’d tarried with John in the beam of the moon on the stoop of her uncle’s vacation cottage. And when John leaned into her, she tilted her chin, lips puckered—ready. But instead of warm lips on hers, he’d lifted her hand and politely pecked the back of her fingers—merely childhood friends.
Ire rose in her, warming her cheeks—time to take matters into her own hands.