Sunday Snippet: Veritas

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. It's a beautiful day in Ohio and I hope to enjoy the weather for a while.

Another terrific week in television. Gotham keeps working the crazy and I'm loving it. The blending of three or more plot threads is terrific and I hope we continue seeing a nice mix of all.

I missed most of The Flash. See crazy month starting for me last post. But, I'll catch up before Tuesday's new episode.

Arrow delivered another great episode. I love having Thea back even if it might only be for a little while. I'm not sure what's going on with Rene, but it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. Something tells me Chase might have something to do with why he didn't show up. I'm truly hoping the final showdown ends up being between Oliver and Talia with a little Nyssa thrown in.

Riverdale's season finale rocked! The first arc is finished and the second one opened with a serious bang. I'm honestly excited to see what the hell happens next. It'll be a major wrench in the Arch / Ronnie duo if her dad had anything to do with Fred's shooting. And something tells me that's a big possibility. Then again, I won't be surprised if that's a red herring and Mayor McCoy is actually the one behind the violence. Or maybe even Hermione. I'll have to wait not-so-patiently to find out. LOL

Last Sunday's Talking with Chris Hardwick turned out to be an excellent show. I'm a Charlie Hunnam fan and having him on for the entire hour was terrific. I love Chris's laid back style a lot.

Finally got caught up on Murdoch Mysteries and, wow, what a season finale. Definitely hope the show is renewed for an eleventh season.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Veritas, a novella that got a start with a two-word prompt of "hello world". What a fun prompt for something of a serious premise.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tillie Cruz has a moment of veritas when she shoots Faxon Jarvis in a friendly fire incident. The realization she wants a life with him may be too late because Faxon has a new relationship and Tillie doesn't want to mess it up. But she may not have to—her bullet may have done the trick.

And a snippety peek…

I get the job done.

Tillie's parting words echoed in Faxon's head at least once a day. But he didn't waste time making up arguments to prove her wrong. Okay, he didn't do it often. Not anymore. The first month of their breakup, he'd come up with dozens of counterpoint comebacks.

He snorted. "For all the damned good it did." Which, yeah, meant none at all.

She transferred to a new unit, effectively sending the message she didn't need or want contact with him. Fine. Hint taken.

Moving forward, he spent the second Tillie-free month going out with a variety of women. Nothing big, mainly testing the waters again. A good experience but not his thing.

Craving his morning joe, he ducked into the coffee shop and waited his turn in line.

A new barista smiled. "Hi, welcome to Jumpin' Joe. What can I create for you today?" She gave him a flirty look from beneath her lashes.

He like the package. A saucy ponytail swished behind her head. Dark hair and eyes and she made the bright blue apron, worn over her white collared shirt and khaki pants, look terrific. He definitely couldn't say that about all the employees who worked there.

Faxon took the bait. "An Americano with your name would be great." He flashed a grin.

She laughed and held up a finger. "Give me one sec. I'll make the most amazing Americano you've ever had." She bounced up on her toes. "I always get the job done." Spinning around, she got busy putting his drink together.

I always get the job done.

Faxon huffed out a breath. "It's gotta be kismet." If she gave him her name, he'd ask her out.

She turned back and handed him his order. "I hope you enjoy your joe." Her gaze dropped to the cup in his hand.

He glanced down. Maisie. She'd given him her name.

And better yet… she'd written in her number directly below.

Faxon paid for his coffee and thanked Maisie with a wink.

Exiting the shop, he hummed a jaunty tune and strolled down the block. The day looked to be shaping up nicely and, for once, he couldn't wait to be off shift to see what the night would bring.

I rather like how quickly Faxon is getting back out there. We'll see if Tillie feels the same way.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin