Writing Prompt Short Story #1 (Writing prompts: Romance, Female POV, Oranges, Squirrels, All Outdoors)

 You can go watch the whole story behind the story HERE on my YT channel.  The hardest part, by far, was making every scene outdoors.  It definitely stretched me, but, in the end, the limitations helped me push forward with a short story instead of a full novella.

Here's my 4,615 word short story based on the prompts of Romance, Female Point-of-View, Oranges, Squirrels, and the scene being All Outdoors.  (I'm not claiming it's the best thing since sliced bread, lol, but it was a fun exercise in creative writing.)

Officially Untitled (Help me name it!)

Saturday

It was odd, uprooting my life, starting fresh.  And all for…what?  A free house?  I could have sold it.  I could have taken the money as an inheritance.  But as soon as gran and gramps passed, and I found out they left it to me, I knew it was right. 

               Them leaving the house to me, of all people, was really touching.  There were so many memories here.  Of course, all of them took place in the summer.  And I was here now, in the fall. 

Snow.  That was going to be part of my life soon enough.  Luckily, they left a shovel.  The place had been left pretty bare-bones, by the time I drove up.  My mom and aunts cleaned it out after the funeral.  I felt guilty that I hadn’t been able to take time off of work to come help.  But here I was, free as a bird.  Well…jobless.  But I’d work on that.  That’s what savings is for.

               I sat on the back porch, a blanket wrapped around me, a cup of warm apple cider in my hands.  I couldn’t help but love the scenery.  Everywhere can be beautiful, if you tend to it.  It may not be the Floridian palm trees that I was used to.  But these conifers; the vibrant, shifting colors of deciduous trees as the seasons change, they were mesmerizing.  It all put a smile on my face.

               What didn’t put a smile on my face, was my morning reverie being interrupted by power tools.  Broken from my train of thought, I glanced at my neighbor to the left.  Looking over the haggard fence, I watched as he hammered and sawed.  Whoever the mystery man was, he seemed to know what he was doing.  I couldn’t help but wonder what he looked like when he wasn’t dressed for messy work. 

               I think I surprised all of my friends and coworkers back in Florida, when I told them I was moving.  Idaho is actually larger than Florida, but it has seven times fewer electoral votes.  Internationally, who even knows where Idaho is?  No one.  But I was drawn to the smaller-town vibes I remembered on summer vacations as a child. 

               Sure, I replaced beaches with potato fields.  But I didn’t have to deal with tolls anymore…  Ok, maybe I was still trying to decide how I felt about my decision.  I’d probably really find out, after it started to snow.  And maybe after I got to know my neighbors.  For now, all I knew was that I had a noisy fixer-upper to the left.  He looked to be a few years older than me, and attractive enough, for wearing jeans covered in paint smears, and a dusty flannel shirt.

               Returning my focus to the trees in the backyard, I tried to drown out his noise.  I watched as a pair of squirrels chased each other.  One carried a large walnut in its mouth, the other, greedily following after it. 

               “Welcome to the neighborhood.” 

               The abrupt welcome startled me; my focus quickly shifted to my neighbor.  He was now standing at our fence line.    

               “Thanks.”  I smiled, standing up.  I pulled my blanket tight around me, walking up for a proper conversation.  “I’m Alyssa.” 

               “Garret.  I didn’t see a moving truck, you the new owner?”

               “Yep.  That’s me.  My stuff will be here in a week.  I just got here last night.  Me, a stuffed car, and some good music.” 

               He had friendly eyes, especially when he grinned.  “Sounds like a fun adventure.  Where from?”

               “Florida.”

               His eyes grew wide as he nodded.  “That’s going to be a bit of a shock for you.  Ever shoveled snow?”

               I chuckled.  “I have not.  But I’m a quick learner.”

               “Good to know.”  He tapped on the sad, old fence.  “I know you just moved in, but have you given any thought to replacing this old thing?  The last owners weren’t interested and I was hoping the new owner cared a bit more.”

               I pursed my lips, nodding.  He clearly didn’t know who I was.  “It’s seen better days.  How long have you lived here?”

               “Five years.”

               “Gotcha.  So, you knew the last owners, for the last five years?  And they refused to replace their fence?” 

               “That about sums it up.”  

               “Wow.”  My voice conveyed all the sarcasm he deserved.  “You’d think they were old people, trying to take care of themselves, instead of something as trivial as a fence!  I’m glad to know they had great neighbors in their golden years.”

               His eyes widened.  “Oh…um…well I didn’t mean…”  He frowned.

               I gave a disingenuous smile.  “They were my grandparents.”

               “Right.”  He looked down, pressing his lips together.

               “Well it’s been great getting to meet you, Garret.”  I turned around, grabbing my cup of apple cider, swigging the last few dregs, and heading inside.

 

 

Sunday

 

               The next day, I waited until the power tools took a break, before going outside.  I snuck out to my back porch in the afternoon, still wrapping up in a blanket.  I sat down with a pb&j sandwich, an orange, and hot cocoa. 

               It may have been frigid out there, but the cocoa warmed me on the way down.  I looked at my sandwich.  I really needed to do some serious shopping. 

               “Alyssa!”  Mr. Judgy-neighbor-to-the-left called.

               I looked up, less than amused.  “Hi.”

               “Mind if I come over?  I’ve got something for you.”

               I raised my eyebrows.  “Sure.”  Starting to get up, to head inside, he stopped me.

               “I can just meet you back there.”

               Taking the gate at the side of my house, he met me a couple minutes later on my porch.  He was carrying a paper plate covered in foil.

               “Peace offering.”  He smiled.

               I stayed tight-lipped as he sat it down on the table, next to my lunch.

               He nodded awkwardly.  “Mind if I sit?”

               It was a silly thing to get so worked up about anyway.  If I were going to stay here, it would be nice to like my neighbors.  I took the olive branch.  “Please.  And thanks.”

               Sitting down, he pulled the foil off of the plate.  “Brownies.  I mean, they’re not gourmet or anything, just from a box.  But I figured it was the least I could do.  To welcome you to the neighborhood.”

I smiled politely.  “Thanks.”

He grinned.  “I snuck a couple for myself, to get the taste of my own foot out of my mouth.”

I tried to suppress a chuckle.  “I’m sure we can get over it.  It is a rather hideous fence.”

He tapped a finger on the table.  “Yeah.  I guess I just got excited.  This is the first place I’ve owned, so just trying to make it look nice.”

“It’s good to take pride in where you live.  Looks like you’re doing plenty of that, with all of your construction work over there.  Is that what you do for a living?”

“Oh, that?  No.  I teach middle school.  But I did a fair bit of construction work to get me through college.  Just repairing some things before Thanksgiving.”

“Middle school, eh?  That’s pretty brave.”

He laughed.  “It’s some interesting territory.”

“So, any family?  I haven’t noticed any kids running around in the backyard.”  Maybe I was warming up to him, just a smidge.  His stubble and handsome smile, accompanying his apology, I didn’t hate it.

“Nope.  Me and a couple of furry ones.  You?  You said you traveled up alone?”

I smiled.  “Solo.”

He smiled in return.  “What do you do for work?”

“Oh, um…receptionist.”  I mean, I was recently…and I probably would be in my next job, unless I figured out that mysterious thing that I was more passionate about.

We chatted for a little while, mostly talking about the neighborhood and weather in the area.  Conversation flowed smoothly; I was glad to give him another chance.  Distracting me for a second, I noticed a small black cat jump on the fence and start to chase the squirrels.  I’d seen it briefly the day before.

“That stupid cat, again.” 

He glanced over his shoulder.  “Not a fan of cats?”

I shrugged.  “I don’t mind them.  I guess I just don’t like them as much as I do the squirrels.”

“Cece, get down!”  He ordered, the cat turning to look at him incredulously.  He looked back at me with a grin.  “She can be a stupid cat.  Stupid enough that she’s never actually caught one.”

I bit my lip; it was my turn to pull a foot out of my mouth.  “One of your furry ones?”

He chuckled.  “Yep.  She’s mine.  She’s a sweetheart when you get to know her.  But she can be a bully on the playground when it comes to smaller critters.”

I looked down at the table, my unpeeled orange sat there.  “Do you like oranges?”

He raised his eyebrows.  “As much as the next person, I suppose.”

“But have you ever tried one fresh from Florida?  I brought a whole box of them with me.  Give it a try.”

Picking it up, I held it out to him. 

He accepted the challenge and started to peel it.  “You drove all the way here from Florida, and you took up precious space in your car with a box of oranges?”

“You’ll sing a different tune after you try it.”  I smirked.

His eyes shot open at his first bite of perfectly juicy and sweet, fresh-picked citrus.  “That’s amazing!”

I grinned.  “Worth the space in my car?”

He nodded.  “I’d say so.  Your box of oranges is worth about a thousand times more than my box of brownies, at least.”

I smiled wider.  “I come with perks.”

Our eyes met.  “Well I look forward to getting to know you more, especially if you have perks as sweet as this.”

My cheeks warmed.  “Right.  Yeah.  So…”  I cleared my throat.  “Thanksgiving you say?  You have this whole week off, right?  As a teacher?”

He nodded. 

“Well maybe I’ll see you around.  I’m not working this week.”

He read my face.  “I’d like that.”  He looked down at his hands, holding half an orange, sticky in juice.  “I’m going to go get back to work.  Mind if I take the rest of this with me?”

“Be my guest.”

 

 

Monday

    I decided to go for a walk the next morning, just a short one around the neighborhood.  I almost didn’t even recognize Garrett as I approached.

“Oh, hey!”  I smiled, glancing down from him to the small little dog he was walking.  “Your second fur baby?”

He smiled back.  “Yeah.  Brutus.”

I chuckled as I crouched down, giving Brutus a scratch between the ears.  “If you ever need a pet sitter, let me know.”

“That would be great.”  He said.

“Yeah, no problem.  Really.  I love animals, just couldn’t have them in my last place.”  I stood back up, shoving my chilled hands into my pockets.

“Now that you have a place of your own, do you plan to get any?”

I took a deep breath.  “I don’t know.  Someday.  One step at a time.”

He nodded.  “Hey, I was thinking…and you can say ‘no.’  I’d totally understand…”

I raised my brows.  “Ok?”

“Well, just…  The fence.  No rush.  I know you’re just getting settled in.  It’s technically yours, but even if it’s not something we take care of right now, we could look at options together?  Splitting the fence on the property line?”

I liked the idea of getting to know him better, and of being a proud homeowner.  “Yeah.  Sure.  They say good fences make good neighbors, right? I’m going to be on my back porch, want to meet up once you’re done with your walk?”

He smiled.  “Would love to.”

We took off in opposite directions.  I cut my walk short, not wanting to make him wait on me.  Not long after I got home, he joined me in the back, carrying a laptop.

“I’ll admit, for a southern girl, you sure are embracing the cold weather.” 

I chuckled.  “Gran’s blankets keep me warm.  And I like the nature scenery here right now.  You just don’t get seasons like this down there.”

He smiled.  “No, you definitely don’t.”

“Plus.  I don’t have much furniture here, yet.  So, this patio gives me a break from the monotony of an empty house.”

He frowned.  “Do you want to go to my place?  I mean, you know, it’s warm, and fully furnished.”

I smiled.  “Sitting out here is immersion therapy.”

He shook his head with a smile.  “If you say so.”

  He pulled up different styles of fences and we discussed what we’d ideally like.  Matching with the neighbors around us, upkeep, design, height, we talked about it all.  We narrowed it down to a couple of styles we both liked.  Until I saw the price tags.

“Wow!  I didn’t realize how expensive fences are…”  I stared with wide eyes.

He bobbed his head back and forth.  “Yeah.  I’d have done it a while ago on my own, if school teachers in Idaho were paid better.”  He pursed his lips.  “But like I said, no rush.  It’s just nice to make some plans.  I don’t know what your finances are like right now.”

I gulped.  “Thanks.  Yeah, we’ll have to see.”  I continued to scroll around on his laptop, looking at the fencing website.

“Have you bought cold weather clothes yet?”  He asked.

I looked up at him.  “No.  I need to go to the store.”

He took off his gloves, offering them up.  “Loaners.”

I shook my head.  “Thanks.  I’m going to go tonight.”

He raised his brows, then reached out, touching one of my hands.  My cheeks warmed again.  

“Yeah.  Popsicle fingers.  Just use these.  I’ve got spares.”  He grinned and winked.  “Plus, I know where you live, if I need to come looking for them.”

I bit my lip, accepting them.  They were big for me, but the warmth of his hands lingered in them. 

“Right.  Well…”  He said.  “I should get back to repairs.  I’m hosting for Thanksgiving this year.”

“That’s nice.”  I smiled.  “And thanks.  I’ll get these back to you.”

He stood up, folding his laptop.  “No rush.”

 

 

Tuesday

I was grateful the next morning that I’d done some shopping the night before.  My fridge was full and I had proper winter clothes.  And…I had my first snow!  When I opened my blinds to see the landscape coated in white, I was actually giddy.

I might have gone overboard, putting on my new snow boots and everything.  But I went out there and proudly started to shovel my driveway and sidewalks.  Not much later, Garrett sauntered up, not dressed nearly as warm as I was. 

“Hey.”  He smiled, his breath forming a mist in the air.

“Hi.” 

“You know this is all going to melt in a few hours, right?” 

I stopped shoveling.  “Really?”

He nodded.  “Yeah.  This is barely anything.  We really don’t get that much that sticks around here.”

I frowned, feeling foolish.

“If we were in the panhandle, or the eastern side of the state, you’d have some serious shoveling all season long.  You lucked out that you’re in the mild part.”

“I guess the novelty will eventually wear off.”  I conceded.  “It’s just my first time with snow.”

He grinned.  “Well, there’s not really enough here for a snowman, but I know something else you could do, to celebrate your first time.”  He held out his bare hand.

I smiled, setting the shovel down.  “What’s that?”  I raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing too scary.” 

I rolled my eyes, giving him my gloved hand.  He led me a few feet over, then let my hand go as he laid down on the snow.  “Angels.”  He spread his arms and legs, starting to make a snow angel. 

Just because I’d never been around snow, didn’t mean I hadn’t seen a snow angel made on tv before.  I decided to embrace the cold and his playfulness, joining him on the ground.  It felt silly, but fun.  He sat up, watching me with a smile.  “You’re a natural.”

I chuckled.  “We know how to make sand versions where I’m from.  It’s a bit warmer.”

“Are you liking it here?”  He asked. 

I stopped, looking at him.  “So far.”

He looked down at his lap.  “Are you doing anything for Thanksgiving?”

I frowned.  “No.  Not this year.  Timing and distance won’t work out with family.”

He looked up, meeting my gaze.  “Would you like to come over to my place?”

I sat up.  “Well, that’s sweet.  But maybe a little weird…with all of your family?”

He shook his head.  “No, it won’t be too weird.  My siblings are all celebrating at in-laws this year.  So, as the only single kid, I invited over my folks.  And some others in the neighborhood that don’t have places to go.”  He bit his lip.  “So, you know, you won’t be the only neighbor there.  Though…if I’m honest, I’d be more excited to have you there, than old Mrs. Montgomery.”

There it was again, my cheeks warming.  He was sweet.  “I uh…I’ll think about it.”

He smiled.  “Fair enough.  You don’t need to bring anything.   It’ll be casual.  But if you’re going to live in Idaho, you really need to try real Idaho mashed potatoes on the biggest feast of the year.”  Standing up, he dusted the snow off of himself and then offered his hands to me.

I reached up, accepting the help.  Still holding hands, he gazed into my eyes.  “Well anyway.  I hope you come.”

I found myself wishing I wasn’t wearing gloves, that our hands were actually touching, despite the cold temperatures.  “I’ll be there.”

He grinned.  “Great.  3pm?”

I nodded. 

 

Wednesday

   That night, there was a huge wind storm.  A large section of my fence blew down into Garrett’s yard.  Sitting in my usual spot on the back porch, I stared at the sad thing.  This sucked.

Not long into my breakfast, I spot none other than Brutus, running into my yard through the opening.  I couldn’t help but smile as Garrett tried to call him back, chasing him.  Brutus was loving the new territory, the extra adventure.

I chuckled and Garrett looked up.

“Sorry, just let him out for a bathroom break.”

“No problem.”  I smiled as he finally got ahold of Brutus, picking him up. 

He looked back at the huge gap in the fence.  “Well, that’s a problem.”

I pursed my lips, nodding. 

“Mind if I join you?”  He asked.

“Yeah, come hang out.”  I pulled the other chair over, next to mine. 

He sat down.  “Any other damage to your place that you know of?”

“Mmm, not that I noticed.”

He nodded.  “That’s good.  I had a decent-sized branch come down, but it missed anything important.  A couple of shingles flew off, too.”

I gave him a sympathetic frown.  “Sorry, that sucks.”

He shrugged.  “That’s life.  I’m guessing it’s nothing like the hurricane adventures you’ve had over the years.”

I grinned.  “Yeah, adventures.  That’s one way of putting it.”

We chatted while watching Brutus run around wild.  Cece even made an appearance at one point.  I noticed how cold Garrett must have been, he wasn’t all bundled up, not expecting to come over and chat.

“Here.  This blanket is big enough for two.”  I smiled, shifting in my seat.

His soft eyes met mine.  “Thanks.”  Scooting his chair as close as it could be, he covered himself with the blanket.  The warmth of his arm next to mine made my heart beat harder.  I had to admit it, I was getting a bit of a crush on this guy.

“I uh…still have your gloves.  I can go get them, if you want.”  I offered after he cupped his hands to his face, blowing on them to warm them up.

He grinned, putting his hands back under the blanket.  “I’m ok.  It gives me a reason to come see you a different time.”

I bit the insides of my cheeks, trying to hide my grin as he placed his hands on his chair’s armrest.  I moved a hand over to touch his, they were freezing.  “You’re sure?”

His eyes met mine as our hands touched.  He took my hand between his.  “I’ll be ok.”

There was no way to hide my grin or blushing.  There was chemistry there.  My heart skipped a beat as he squeezed my hand and retracted his own. 

He folded his arms over his chest.  “About that fence.”

My twitterpation dropped back down to reality.  “That fence…”

“It’s not as common to get one installed in winter, but it might be cheaper, doing it off-season.”

I frowned, knowing I needed to be honest.  “I don’t actually have a job right now.  I’m still looking.”

“Oh.”  He nodded awkwardly.  “Well, that’s fine.  We’ll figure it out.  If you don’t mind Brutus hanging out back here sometimes, then we don’t have to be in a huge rush.”

I smiled.  “He’s welcomed any time.  So are you.”

His face turned a shade of pink, still looking in the direction of the fence.  “I’m glad to hear it.”     

               After some time in silence, he announced he needed to head inside to get things ready for the next day.  “Still on for tomorrow?  3pm?”

               I smiled.  “Definitely.”

              

 

Thursday

               My anxiety grew as I prepared to go to Garrett’s for Thanksgiving.  There was clearly something there, but I assumed it would all be pretty friendly, with his parents and other neighbors there.  Still, I made a little extra effort, getting ready. 

               He said I didn’t need to bring anything, but I wasn’t going to show up empty-handed.  Figuring it was a special day, I decided to sacrifice and share some of my treasured citrus goodness.  I planned to walk to his door like a normal person, but I heard commotion in the back yard and decided to go that route. 

               Carrying a bowl with a half dozen oranges, I met him and a handful of others in the back.  He smiled when he spotted me on my way.

               “What’s the commotion back here?”  I asked. 

               He gestured to a pot a few yards away.  “Deep frying it this year.” 

               A nicely dressed older woman walked up.  “This is my mother, Katherine.  And this is my neighbor, Alyssa.”

               We gave each other a smile.  “Nice to meet you.  How about I take that inside for you?”  She offered.

               “Oh, sure.  Thanks.”  I handed her bowl.

               “Oranges.  For Thanksgiving.  That’s new.”  She smiled before turning and heading inside. 

I watched her place them on the table after walking through the sliding glass doors.  That was stupid.  Why did I bring them?  Especially if they wouldn’t even appreciate them. 

“Come meet my dad.”  Garrett said, gesturing with his head.  He introduced us and we shook hands. 

“So, this is the new owner next door?”  His dad asked. 

 “Yep.”  I looked over at my fence, still assaulting Garrett’s private property.  “That’s me.”

After some conversation, I found out that Garrett’s dad was a CEO of a major grocery store brand.  He came from money.  It all felt that much more awkward.

A couple of new neighbors approached the growing backyard crowd, and I got to meet them for the first time.  It helped calm me, and was actually a nice way to meet them.  I was starting to relax.  Until I heard Garrett’s voice say my name, behind my back.

“She doesn’t have a job right now.” 

I looked over my shoulder, astonished.  Did he feel the need to blab that to his parents, to explain why I brought over the oranges, instead of some other fancier contribution?  That was so trivial.  If nothing else, he was probably excusing my fence ruining the aesthetics of his precious backyard.  No matter his reasoning, that was uncalled for. 

I shook my head, excusing myself from the other neighbors and heading through the hole in the fence.

“Alyssa!”  Garrett called, following after me.  “Where are you going?”

I turned around, reading his face.  “I…have a migraine.  I’m going to go lay down.”

He frowned.  “Really?  I’m sorry.  Can I help?  Bring by a plate of food?”

My jaw clenched.  He could be a real sweetheart sometimes, but all I saw in him at that moment, was the same presumptuous jerk of our first meeting.  He was the guy who insulted my grandparents over a stupid fence.

“No.  Just leave me alone.”  I took a deep breath, not wanting to get into it.  “I mean…I’ll be fine.  Enjoy your time.”  I turned around and headed inside.

 

 

***

 After a good deal of seething, I decided to go for a walk that evening.  As I was nearing my house, Garrett came out of his front door. 

“Hey, you’re feeling better!”  He smiled.

I rolled my eyes.  “Something like that.”

He frowned.  “What’s wrong?”

“Maybe you need to learn to think before you speak, and think of others’ feelings.”  I chastised.

He furrowed his brows.  “What are you talking about?”

I scowled.  “Why would you tell your parents I’m jobless?  That’s the most tactless thing ever.”  I huffed.  “I liked you.”

He frowned.  “And I like you.”  He shook his head.  “And you think, what?  I was judging you?  That’s why I saved you a plate of food?  That’s why I invited you in the first place?  That’s why I’ve been looking for opportunities to see you?”

I looked down at the sidewalk.  He was a mixed bag of tricks, and I wasn’t sure I was up for that kind of drama.

“My dad is looking for a new executive secretary in his office.”  He said.  “I figured, since you said you were a receptionist, that you might be qualified.”

My heart rolled over.  I was the idiot, the judgmental jerk.  I looked up with an apologetic frown.  “Really?”

He pressed his lips together, raising his eyebrows.  “If you would have waited a couple of minutes, we could have talked about it.”

I couldn’t look him in the eyes.  “I just figured…I don’t know.  The fence thing.  Your parents probably have a really nice place, and you want to, and if I can’t help pay…”

He stepped closer, holding my hands.  My eyes shot up to meet his.

“We really need to get to know each other more.”  He said with a slight smile.  “If money’s a big deal, I don’t mind doing the work myself.  I’m no stranger to working with my hands, you know that.”  His smile grew into a grin.  “It might sound corny, but the idea of building something with you sounds like a fun adventure.” 

I couldn’t help but smile.  “I don’t know, poor Brutus seemed like he enjoyed the freedom of two backyards.”

He smirked.  “Then maybe we should add a gate in the fence, so it’s easier for us to go between yards.”

I took a deep breath.  “That adds an extra half grand to the total.”

He squeezed my hands.  “Some things are worth the investment.”  He winked.  “How about you come over?  We’re all just relaxing.  You can talk to my dad, if you’re interested in the job.”

My mouth hung open with indecision.

“You shouldn’t spend Thanksgiving alone.”

I gave him a half-smile.  “Sure.  I guess so.”

His face lit up.  “And maybe, sometime tonight, we can talk about going out…”  He raised an eyebrow.  “Like, a real date?”

My heart leapt, screaming what I barely said above a whisper, “I’d really like that.”   

So, there you have it!  What would you have done differently, if you'd drawn those random prompts?  Want to see the kinds of books I'm writing and actually proud of?  LOL.  Go check out my author website: jhouserwrites.com