Sunday Snippet: Your Move

I'm so excited! We're getting our leaky roof replaced in the very near future. I've been waiting to do a small renovation in our bathroom because I need to make sure we won't have any more water damage in there. Can't wait!!

Not a bad week for television. Caught an episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries and, once again, enjoyed the four main characters and their bonding. Terrific female representation in this show.

Watched the penultimate episode of Riverdale's third season. So many revelations in this one and nothing I'm terribly surprised by. Edgar is just as creeptastic as I suspected. I do want to know if Polly is aware of Jason being… whatever the hell Jason is. My gut says Alice is not. Can't wait to find out. Veronica pulled a savage move on Hiram and I'm totally there for more of that. I literally hate that guy and actually wouldn't mind if he died in a fire. No such luck, I'm sure.

I caved and watched a season twelve episode of Peak Practice. I'll probably go back and forth on this show, catching the entire run while also sneaking in episodes with my favorite actor.

Caught the behind-the-scenes episode of Midsomer Murders and I'm ready to start season twenty-one. Looking forward to diving in next week.

I'm excited to watch the final season of Arrow in the very near future, along with the crossover event. I'm also thrilled to have some new super-hero shows on the horizon. Should be an interesting year for watching.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Your Move, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Reilly Mounts returns to her hometown after an impulsive marriage and a divorce that's turning ugly. Caden Bromley, her high school flame, wants to pick up where they left off, but Reilly needs some time to figure out where he fits in her life… and she has to deal with her soon-to-be ex.

And a snippety peek…

With his world tilting sideways, Caden waited until he could settle in his office, close the door, and focus on making a call to his brother. That meant checking through a large shipment of pretreated lumber and helping unload a tractor trailer full of hardware supplies.

He finally finished up around six, which worked well because of the time difference of his brother's location.

Cameron answered on the fifth ring. "Yo, Cade, I'm on vacation, remember?" Cameron moved somewhere with less noise. "What's up? You're interrupting a bona fide luau here."

Caden's lips quirked. "Sorry, bro. You'll have to send pictures after we're done." A kick of guilt hit his gut.

Hawaii had long been on Cameron's bucket list. Caden didn't waste time and got straight to the point. His brother would advise whether Caden wanted it or not.

"Reilly Mounts is back. For good, apparently. She's looking for a lawyer to handle her divorce." He paused a moment. "Asked if you can do the divorce thing and help her with setting up a corporation." There… all out in one go.

Cameron didn't respond. In fact, he stayed silent so long Caden wondered if the call dropped.

He had no desire to repeat spewing all the information again. "Cam? You there?"

Cameron finally replied, "Yeah, yeah. Trying to process that information overload you dumped on me." He shuffled around, probably grabbing for something to write with. "Where the hell do I start here? First, I wondered when she didn't contact me about selling the house if she'd be coming back. Sorry I didn't say anything about that."

Caden rolled his eyes. "Always the protective older brother. I can handle my shit now, Cam. You know that." He'd come a long way from the brokenhearted summer after senior year.

Cameron tsked. "Never said you couldn't. Didn't see a need to stir a shit pot unless necessary. The divorce I can take a look at. If she's got anything tricky, I'll refer her to Barnum Hentwhistle. I don't do the messy stuff. As for setting up a corporation, it depends on what she's looking for, but that's definitely my wheelhouse. For now, let her know we'll work something out. I take it she's looking for the family friend discount?"

How does he know?

Caden confirmed the guess. "You know more about what Wanda left her than I do, but Reilly did mention she doesn't have a lot to spend." Maybe the husband wanted a piece of Wanda's estate.

The idea irritated Caden more than he'd ever admit to anyone, including Cam.

Cameron grunted. "We'll figure that out too. I'll call her when I'm getting ready to fly out and work her into my schedule."

Caden nodded. "Sounds good. Thanks." He opened his mouth to sign off but Cameron cut in.

"Be careful, Cade. I'm not trying to be a dick when I say that. You're gonna do whatever you're gonna do and I'd be hard-pressed to ignore the girl of my dreams if she came back home, but you're not the same man and she's not the same woman. That's all I'm saying."

Caden appreciated the words of caution. "Thanks, bro. I'll be fine. Not like I'm looking for a hookup right now anyway. And that's all it would probably be."

Cameron snorted. "Yeah, and remember the reason. You stopped doing hookups a year ago because you said you wanted a long-term relationship. I'm just—"

"Looking out for me. Yeah, I know. Reilly isn't going to be that. She's still married for one thing and I doubt she'll want to dive back into a serious thing before the ink's even dry on her former marriage." When it became so.

Cameron added one last salvo. "Right… but the power of what-if is strong, my brother. Keep that in mind." The sound of drums got loud again. "I'm headed back to enjoy this luau. I'll call you before I head out."

The call ended and Caden shook his head. "Thanks, bro. I kind of needed Reilly's number." Oh well, he could stop by Wanda's house on his way home.

The power of what-if is strong.

His brother's words echoed all the way to Caden's truck.

I'm having a lot of fun with this one. I love the sibling relationship and second chance romances are fun to explore.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin