Sunday Snippet: Get a Room

Well, we had a semi-nice weekend. Today is rainy and chilly but Friday and most of Saturday was sunny and beautiful.

I got a lot of television watched this week. Dipped into CW Seed's Vixen and thoroughly enjoyed the first "season". I'm almost finished with Blindspot's first season and I'm looking forward to starting season two. Watched another episode of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD this week. Not sure how much I like seeing Hank defanged on Chicago PD but I'm in for the ride either way.

Legends of Tomorrow delivered an awesome season finale. I'm thrilled with where the characters ended up and having Constatine and Gary drop their little gift on the team made me laugh.

The Flash had a decent episode. I'm actually ready for the season to be over and Devoe to be defeated. Still need to catch up on Black Lightning. I'm hoping to find time this week to watch the episodes I've missed.

I did catch an episode of Riverdale and, yeah, talk about uncomfortable. No one is having an easy time of it right now. Definitely concerned about Cheryl. Her mother is a piece of work. Fred running for mayor… that's gonna be interesting. Just saying.

I got another episode of Gotham out of the way and things did not go where I thought they would. Sofia is a piece of work. I did love the overall theme of getting people back together. "Reunion" is a perfect title for the episode.

Arrow truly continues to amaze me. I'm saddened Oliver seems to be breaking ties with everyone so he can focus on the mission, but I'm also pretty interested in how the rest of the season plays out. I'll go out on a limb and say the councilman is on Diaz's payroll, too.

I'm almost finished with season two of Jessica Jones and I'm truly thrilled we'll have a season three. That said, I hope it's a little more cohesive. It's nice to have Jessica's backstory but I'd like to see her truly throw down with a villain. Just saying.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Get a Room, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of building a scene around a tent, an ice cube, and pretending to sleep. I didn't quite stick to the whole thing, but I got the basic vibe.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Talon and Haim have a complicated past. When she returns and asks Haim for a favor, they're ready to act on their attraction again… except they keep getting interrupted.

And a snippety peek…

Talon Lance hung up the phone. "Argh! This couldn't have happened at a worse time." She got up and paced her office. "Not good. So not good." She'd reserved a block of cabins at a state park for a writer's retreat and a fire had torn through three, leaving them short and unable to accommodate the group. "I'm going to have to move the venue, because I can't reschedule the date."

Her client, Dana Morse, would freak. Dana coordinated her group of paranormal romance writers and had at least a dozen who were flying or driving in from other states. Talon landed Dana's account based on an online workshop she'd put together for a Regency romance writers' group. Talon dreamed of expanding her reach and working with other author associations, but…

She sank down behind her desk. "That might blow up in my face." She had to call Dana, but not before Talon came up with a way to salvage the situation. "Think, Talon. Where else can we do this?"

There weren't a lot of options that didn't include hotels and the group expressly stated they didn't want to be cooped inside a big building. They wanted something kind of off the grid. Great if they could get internet access for research, but cell phone coverage could optional. Somewhat close to the airport, but far enough out to have a "away from it all" vibe.

Right, not a short order.

Talon sighed and started a quick search on her laptop for alternative locations. "Dammit, the state park was perfect." The cabins were grouped together and the main lodge had a conference room for the large group discussions Dana wanted to have.

Talon had to find a place to accommodate between fifty and seventy-five authors for a long weekend, Friday through Monday. She drummed her fingers on the desk, scrolling through results and refining her parameters. She rejected anything over budget, which trashed about eighty percent of her options. She'd received a sweet deal on the cabins because she'd booked six months in advance.

Leaning back in her seat an hour later, she closed her eyes only to snap them open when her phone rang. Checking her caller ID, she cringed. Dana. What crappy timing.

Talon answered. "Lance and Talon. Hi, Dana." She put her client on speakerphone. "What's up?"

Dana launched into a tirade. "Are you serious right now? Where are we going to hold out retreat? I called the lodge. They don't have anything else they can give us. And why didn't you call me?" Her voice rose to something short of a screech.

Talon blew out a slow breath. "Dana, I'm already working on getting a new venue. I didn't call right away because I wanted to have some options before I did." Not that she had any… yet. "How did you find out? I only got the call an hour ago." And only my contact information is listed.

Dana gave a sheepish chuckle. "I've got a google alert set up for the state park. Opened my email to see the news about the fire."

Well, that explained a few things. At least Dana calmed down a little.

Talon rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Give me the rest of the day to find something." One idea came to mind, but, no… she discounted it before letting if fully form.

Even though the place would offer exactly what Dana's group wanted. No, just… no.

Dana pushed for assurances. "Do you really think you can pull off finding another place? We're two weeks out, Talon." She paused. "Maybe I should poll the group? If we lower the numbers, we might still be able to use the lodge and—"

Talon cut her off as kindly as possible. "I already asked to have the deposit refunded, Dana. It'll be in the account by the end of business today." The judgmental "hmm" coming from Dana kicked up Talon's defenses. "It's what you pay me for. Handling the details. I'll need the funds to secure another location and the sooner we do that, the better." Nothing like a buttload of pressure.

Dana sighed. "I think I'd feel better if I knew for certain you had something lined up. This is a big deal for me—us, really—since we each have goals we're shooting for with this retreat."

The gentle but not so subtle reminder of what Talon had at stake revved her anxiety up a notch.

Dana continued along… "I mean this is my first big event and I want it to become a yearly thing. And you need a win with this if you want other associations to think about doing something similar." She paused again. "You have to make this happen, Talon."

No kidding? The image she'd been fighting popped into her head. Hell, no. She couldn't, she really—

"I might know a place." Talon bit back a groan after blurting the words.

Dana cleared her throat. "Excuse me? Why didn't you say that in the first place?"

Talon gave a brief explanation. "It's a camp located in my hometown. I used to work there in the summers." Dammit!

Dana brightened. "A true blue camp? That sounds wonderful!" Her excitement buzzed over the phone.

A ball of dread settled in Talon's stomach. "Um, yeah, it's been years since I've seen the place, but I can make some inquiries, see if it's available." And then kick herself for making the suggestion.

Dana made a high-pitched squeezing sound. "Perfect! I'm loving this idea already." The sound of typing came through over the line.

Talon had no such love for the idea. "Look, keep this between you and me for now. It might take me a day or two to finalize the details. No sense in rushing announcements until I do." If she did.

And, yeah, no guarantees there.

Dana made a noncommittal response. "Sure, yeah. No problem." Her fingers still tapped on the keyboard.

Dammit.

Talon warned her client. "Dana, I'm serious. Please hold off until you hear from me."

Dana responded, "What? Oh, right. Yeah. I'll just let you get to it then, okay?"

A dial tone met Talon's ears. "Fuck." If she couldn't secure the camp—and big ass chance of that miracle happening—she'd lose her reputation and possibly her livelihood. "What the hell possessed me to mention the camp?"

Nostalgia. Easy answer.

Aside from the fact the camp would be perfect, she'd been thinking of home lately.

Home.

The place where Haim Roosevelt lived.

And the location of Roosevelt Roost, the camp facility his family owned.

God… she'd run from Chamber Corners—and Haim—ten years ago and hadn't been back for more than a quick pitstop or two since then.

Haim.

God.

She'd have to face him—and crawl on her hands and knees—to convince him to let her use the camp.

A phone call wouldn't work. No way in hell. He'd probably hang up as soon as he heard her voice.

Rising, she left her office in the basement of her condo and walked upstairs. She ducked into her bedroom and grabbed her suitcase. Packing enough clothes for the weekend, she followed with a shower and took only a little extra care with her hair and makeup. No way would she try too hard. But she had to at least look professional and in control when she knocked on Haim's door.

A bubble of nerves burst in her stomach. She hadn't been this stressed when she'd ended things with Tim. Or when she'd married him.

Her current anxiety rivaled what hit her when she'd sent the wedding announcement home to Haim's family. Coward!

Cringing, she grabbed her bag and suitcase and ran for her car. "Ready or not, Talon. You're going home."

Kind of longer than normal preview, but I ended up being pleased with how this scene turned out.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin