Sunday Snippet: Selling Tickets

Got a solid week of TV viewing in because the weather has been so back and forth it's easier to not plan anything. LOL

Caught another episode of Chicago Fire and, wow, it was terrific. The whole creepy buildup to the reveal played out really well. I have some thoughts on Brett and Casey but won't hold my breath to see what I want there. Loved seeing some good interaction with Kelly and Stella.

Watched the premiere episode of Daredevil's third season. Not a bad start at all. Enjoyed Karen and Foggy the most and liked seeing Matt try to come back. I'm not completely down with him being all pissy about everything but then again why wouldn't he be?

Enjoyed Frankie Drake Mysteries third episode. I kind of miss Frankie having different guys revolve in and out of her life, but she's got chemistry with the detective… even though I'd kind of like Mary to hook up with him.

Riverdale does batshit crazy better than just about any other show out there. As much as I like Mark Consuelos as an actor, I truly loathe Hiram and seriously see nothing redeeming in his characterization. That's usually when I start to lose interest. Here's hoping that doesn't happen with this show.

Watched several more episodes of Blue Heelers. I can't quite decide if I like the detective or not. And Wayne's wife Roz annoys me sometimes. That said, I love the show. Glad I picked it to watch.

Arrow managed to surprise me with the Brothers and Sisters episode. I'm very intrigued with Adrian Paul playing a bad guy. I can't wait to find out what his connection is to Emiko… I have several thoughts about how it might tie into how Oliver spent some of his time in earlier seasons and who he spent that time with. We'll see if I'm right.

Caught the finale of The Murders and it did not disappoint. I so hope this show gets another season and, if so, it needs to have Nolan. Just saying.

Watched another episode of Classic Roswell and enjoyed it again. I like how viewers can almost see the moment Valenti shifts his perspective on possible alien residency in Roswell.

Speaking of Roswell... New Mexico added the actress who plays Rosa as a series regular for season two. I admit this concerns me. Not because I didn't enjoy the actress; more because this is already a huge cast and I'd rather not have my favorites lose screen time. Maria was woefully underused and my hope is Rosa will help bring her into the fold. If not, I might be saying "so long" to Roswell, New Mexico… which actually saddens me because the first season is still eating my brain.

Caught another episode of Painkiller Jane and it's one I didn't remember. I liked seeing how Jane's situation ties into the whole neuro craziness while at the same time is a completely different beast altogether.

Durham County is so damn hard to watch sometimes. I mean that in the best possible way. It's such a raw emotional look at the big and little things that make people who they are. Ray senior has got to be one of the worst examples of humanity and I want to know how the hell he got to be such a waste of life. Hopefully there's an answer in the series somewhere.

Watched another episode of Midsomer Murders and it was really terrific. Sometimes, especially with a show that's been on so long, episodes feel like they're a rehashing of previous seasons. This one was definitely not.

Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and Classic Who. There's something fun about watching black and white television. Maybe it's the nostalgia factor?

In the Dark ripped a huge band-aid off Murphy's life and, boy, did she react. Sometimes I get frustrated with her prickly demeanor but her flaws really are front and center and Jess always has the best way of presenting why it's easy to overlook some of Murphy's abrasive personality traits.

Last but not least, I watched another episode of Blade and I'd remembered it from the first go around. I can't say seeing Marcus's origin story really made me sympathetic to him but I can see how Krista got sucked into the scenario of maybe seeing some shades of gray there.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Selling Tickets, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kurt Trevarthan owns a popular night club and trusts Winnie Clay, one of his oldest friends, to keep things running smoothly. He never dreams he'll have to rely on her when his old man shows up—after a decade away—on the anniversary of Kurt's mom's death, but Winnie comes through and keeps the Trevarthan men from killing each other.

And a snippety peek…

Maybe head out for a couple of weeks.

The words played on repeat in his brain.

"Are you leaving me, Win?"

Where the hell had that question come from?

Winnie rolled her eyes. "Of course not." She tilted her head to one side. "Why would you think I'm not coming back?"

Honestly? He had no idea. But once the notion hit, it stuck like fucking Velcro.

He shrugged. "You know what this date means to me. I thought maybe there was significance behind the timing." She'd been with him for the anniversary so many times.

Winnie's mouth dropped open. "Don't do that, Kurt. Don't pick now to read more into this." She gave him a pointed look. "You're the one who keeps telling me we are what we are and not to expect more." Her tone held no censure, only truth.

A kick of guilt hit him. He did remind her on a regular basis he couldn't—wouldn't—be more than a bed and business partner. Watching his parents pretty much throw away what they had and pretty much destroy the concept of love made Kurt wary of repeating their mistakes.

He couldn't walk the same path if he never let love rule him.

But… he relied on Winnie. Had for more than a decade. And she never failed to come through. He'd be a total ass to give her a rough time for wanting a break.

He cared enough for her to give her what she needed. Except the one thing she really deserves from you.

Pushing the thought aside, he tugged her forward and dropped a kiss on her nose. "You're right. You caught me off guard." Which maybe said more than he wanted to examine right now.

Draping an arm over her shoulder, he tucked her into his side then led her outside and down the steps to his office.

Okay… more like his sanctuary. Soundproof and outfitted with major indulgences, he could probably live in the seven room suite. In fact, he often stayed overnight with Winnie while they worked to make his dream nightclub a reality. He'd finished the renovations down here before he even started the place upstairs.

Keying in the entry code, he let her precede him into the space before he closed the door behind them.

She kicked off her shoes. "I love this place." The plush carpet practically swallowed her bare feet when she walked into the living area.

Pride filled him because he loved it too. "You outdid yourself here, Win. It's pretty much perfect." Her talent never failed to amaze him.

The flow started in the living area, which could double as a reception point if needed. His office sat to the left with a large window of frosted glass beside the door. Winnie included everything he could possibly want… a media room, full kitchen, a home gym, and a spa bathroom. Two rooms lined the back of the building, his bedroom and a space just for Winnie. She never slept on the daybed, preferring to share his, but she'd lined the walls with shelves and used the room as a studio where she puttered with different art forms.

He'd showcased her work in the other two clubs he owned. Clubs she helped get off the ground. Kurt encouraged her to expand her horizons and didn't put limits on her creative endeavors. Yet… concern over her requested time off kicked in again.

I'm going to miss her.

Surprise punched him in the gut. But when he thought about it, they hadn't spent a lot of time apart in the last twelve years. She'd been by his side for so long, he blindly expected her to always be there. Accepted she would be.

And he liked having her there.

Shaking off the wariness, he toed his boots off and followed her into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her. "We should call it day. Have some dinner." He hoped she didn't have other plans.

She would have told me, wouldn't she?

Kurt is about to get a much needed wake-up call and he's not going to like it. Here's to making that scene work on the page as well as it does in my head. LOL

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin