Sunday Snippet: Stone-Cold Sober

July kind of flew by in a series of weird weather and crazy work schedules. I'm oddly okay with that. The weather is what it is… and will probably keep acting like an angry toddler. My work calendar is bursting at the seams and I'm excited about my new projects.

But… my television viewing is sporadic, which isn't a bad thing. I'm just so used to doing rundowns each week I feel like my blog is naked if I don't have a full slate. LOL

I did get a few shows watched. I started with Midsomer Murders and got a holiday episode. There's a new detective sergeant or maybe it's detective constable, but either way, I'll miss Jones. I loved that character. Which isn't to say the new guy won't grow on me. He's not bad. Good mystery also.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers and it's rather different and I like it. I'm not sure how long the first season is, but the series is something like fourteen seasons and it's nice to have variety in format.

Caught two more episodes of Peter Gunn and Classic Who. I'm kind of excited to watch a live-action episode with Two. So far, it's been six animated episodes.

Finished the final episode of Blade. I have to admit to still being disappointed with the outcome on my rewatch. Sometimes I can have a change of heart when I've got a few years of distance when viewing a show's run.

Frankie Drake Mysteries had a great episode. I'm starting to like Grayson a little more and it'll be fun to see if Frankie's mom sticks around.

Watched the fifth episode of Daredevil and, eh, this is something of a slow-moving season. I do like where things are going and it's great to see Karen kind of have to face what she did in a previous season. That said, I'm enough of a Fisk non-fan to really not want to watch a bunch of scenes with him. And the FBI agent annoys the crap out of me. I actually think he's too smart to be playing things so stupidly. So, yeah, I hope the rest of the season evens out.

Started Riverdale's Bizarrodale episode and hope to finish it later today. This season has been dark and twisty and I like it.

New episodes of Killjoys have started and I'll be hopelessly behind on those, but I can't wait to watch this final season.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Stone-Cold Sober, a novella that started with a scene prompt from my writing community.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Tansy Jons meets West Tamesin, they have an instant connection, but she's dating one of his oldest friends. A drunken evening and almost hook-up with West has Tansy examining what she feels as soon as she's stone-cold sober.

And a snippety peek…

Tansy stood at the stove, keeping an eye on the stir-fry sautéing on the burner. Her lips curved in a grin when the key rattled in the door. David never got the quirky lock to open on the first try. A string of muttered curses soon followed.

She laughed and backed away from the stove, crossing the living area to pull open the raised-panel walnut wood slab. "You have to insert the key, jiggle it twice, then turn." Pivoting, she went back to the stovetop and shook the pan to keep the heat distributed.

David chuckled. "Or… I could get you a new lock." He tossed his jacket on the antique coat tree.

Tansy swung her head around. "And ruin the character of my front door? Don't even think about it." Switching the burner off, she divided the food between two plates.

David grabbed a couple of glasses and silverware. "I'm just saying. I'm pretty handy with stuff like that." He filled the cups with water and added some ice.

Tansy carried the entrees to the table and settled in her seat. "No, you're not. But you're handy with everything else." They had a running joke about her DIY skills outpacing his and his laundry and cooking talent topping hers.

Simple stir-fries were her only accomplishment involving a stove.

David sat down and dug into his food. "I got a call from West today and I need a favor." He chewed and swallowed. "Damn, this is terrific." He scooped another forkful into his mouth.

Tansy shook her head. "You need a favor? For West?" David talked about the guy frequently, but Tansy didn't know West at all.

She'd moved to Granite Hills five years ago, well after David's elusive best friend had left town.

David nodded. "Yeah. He's coming back for a while and looking for a place to rent. Something quiet and out of the way, if possible." He stopped eating. "He sounded burned out on the phone, probably because his last operation totally went to shit but only because the head of the company had to stick his nose in where it didn't belong." He rolled his eyes and took a drink of water.

Tansy quirked an eyebrow. "Which means what exactly?" According to David, West did consulting work for civilian contractors in former warzones.

David frowned. "It means even though West isn't the one who screwed up, he's done working for a guy whose pay grade gives him the opportunity to fuck shit up." David's tone went hard and his eyes held a flash of anger.

Tansy always got a little lost when David mixed military lingo in with regular conversation, but she wanted to understand what happened. "The head of the company sounds like a total jackass." She'd had former managers who fit that mold to a T.

David finished his last bite of stir-fry. "More than that. He's an irresponsible dickhead whose actions cost lives not to mention put a lot of people in the hospital. If he'd followed West's advice, which he pays a lot of money for, no one would have died." He pushed his plate away and drummed his fingers on the table. "West is gonna need to decompress and get some distance away from work. He left the company and wants to consider new options."

Tansy nodded. "I might know of at least two places that would suit him. I'll need to check availability and I can put some feelers out for anything else that might be coming up." She slid back and gathered the plates. "How soon will he need something?" One of the two properties she had in mind might not be ready for at least a month.

David got up and helped clear the table and started rinsing their dishes. "Probably within the week." He handed her the cups to put in the dishwasher.

Tansy's eyes widened. "Wow. Okay. I'll make a few calls this evening."

David smiled. "You're awesome. Thought maybe we could plan something next week. You're gone Monday and Tuesday, right? We could do a margarita night with Mexican takeout on Wednesday if that works for you." He finished loading and started the dishwasher.

Tansy gave a nod. "Sure. I'll pick up the fixings for margaritas on my way back." She reached out and grabbed David's hips, tilting her head to one side. "I'm finally going to meet your best friend. I was kind of wondering if he really existed or not." Her lips quirked in a grin.

David laughed. "I think you'll like him even though he's nothing at all like me. We're the definition of polar opposites."

Tansy chuckled, trying to picture the antithesis of David. "Well, I'm looking forward to meeting him." She backed away and grasped David's hand to tug him into the living room. "Let's take a quick walk then I'll start making calls."

This is one of my favorite tropes, meeting the right one at a very wrong time. It's so much fun to write how characters navigate their various minefields to find a happily ever after.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin