Sunday, April 5, 2020

Sunday Snippet: Approaching Midnight


Gotta say it's so hard to have my youngest's senior year be put on indefinite hold. So far, the musical is canceled, which is to be expected. Prom is postponed for now. Graduation is up in the air as far as walking to get a diploma. She's handling it pretty well all things considered. I'm very proud of the level of maturity she's showing.

Not a bad week for television but slower than usual. I've been taking on as much work as I can in case the well runs dry there. Who knows how long the quarantine will last?

I can safely say I'm disgusted by the fact Hiram is a free man on Riverdale. And I'm beyond "meh" about a long-lost daughter showing up. I am very intrigued by the whole flash-forward cut scenes at the end of each episode. I'm very interested to see where those go.

Caught another episode of Danger Man, which started season two for me. I guess I didn't realize the second season went to hour-long episodes. I'm not sure I've seen any of those.

Watched the season two premiere of Roswell, New Mexico. I'll be brutally honest … I'm really not sure I'm down with the whole "let's kill Max" concept. For now, I'm trusting the creator but if I'm let down with where things go, I'll be done watching. I do love Michael's journey so far. I'm not thrilled Maria is still completely clueless about the alien angle, but I'll see how that plays out also. I love where Alex and Kyle are right now. Here's hoping I'm not completely let down by this show.

On a very happy note, I'm in the middle of watching Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears and it's so, so good. I'd read reviews that implied it didn't measure up to the series, but, in all honesty, I'm actually pretty pleased with I'm seeing so far. Considering this movie happened because fans were more than happy to crowd source the filming, I'd say the general public can zip it.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Approaching Midnight, a holiday-themed novella with the characters trying to decide if they really have a chance at romance or not.

Here's the mini-blurb:

It's approaching midnight on New Year's Eve and Greta Davis has to decide whether to meet Mick Caplin at the NYE ball or if it's too crazy to even think they have a shot at love. After all, they've only known each other since Halloween.

And a snippety peek…

“How did I get sucked into this again?” Greta Davis—Auntie Gee to her five nieces and nephews—trudged up the sidewalk with the costumed kids in tow.
Nobody would’ve caught her schlepping through the neighborhood on Halloween night a year ago. Twelve months ago, you were still with the douchebag. You’re better off without him, remember? Yes. She absolutely remembered Justin Hartman and every reason they were no longer together after almost a decade of coupledom, much to her family’s dismay. They loved Justin to pieces. Then again, he never showed his asshat side when they were around.
A tug on her sleeve reminded her she had five kids to keep track of. “Yes, Kenley. Go ahead and knock or ring the doorbell.” Her married siblings decided to take advantage of Greta’s new single status so they could all have date nights.
Kenley shook her head. “Auntie Gee, you need to be the one to do it. Remember the scary guy at the last house?” She shuddered in her fairy costume.
The scary guy had a gorilla mask on, which Greta found amusing. Kenley, on the other hand, freaked out and hadn’t gotten over it yet.
Greta slid a glance toward the other four. They each shook their heads, following Kenley’s lead. Okay, then.
Greta stepped up onto the stoop and knocked on the door. “Trick or treat.” She started to ease back but the occupant of the house greeted her in record time.
The sight before her sent her pulse into overdrive. Hello, handsome. Clad in jeans and a T-shirt, the dark-haired homeowner held a huge bowl of treats in one hand and had a wide grin on his face. Greta resisted the urge to fan her newly heated face.
The man stuck his free hand out. “Greetings, weary traveler. What a fine group you have under your wing tonight. I’m Mick, the chief candy wrangler this evening.”
Greta clasped his palm. “Greta, and this undercover bunch are my siblings’ offspring.” A zing of connection shot straight up Greta’s arm before she let go of his hand.
Oh, my. Very exciting.
Mick set the bowl on the small plant stand. “Have a go, kids. One for each of you.” He moved aside in the direction of Greta. “So … none are yours?” He nodded toward the grabby-handed quintet.
Greta laughed. “Thankfully, no. I don’t think my siblings thought far enough ahead when they concocted their plan to have Auntie Gee take the pack trick or treating so they could have date nights.” She leaned in and lowered her voice. “I get to drop off this crew promptly at nine and let their parents deal with the hopped up bunch.” She grinned.
Mick barked out a laugh. “I like your style. That’s totally something I would do … if I had brothers and sisters.”
Oh, he gets it. I like him.
Kenley’s brother Finn tromped over to Greta’s side. “Aunt Gee, we’re done. We gotta go … the other side of the street is waiting for us.” His military helmet tilted precariously to one side of his head.
Mick reached out and set it straight. “Sounds like you’re the man with the plan.” He tapped the top of the headgear.
Finn preened. “You know it. My mom says someone’s gotta keep Aunt Gee on her toes.”
Greta rolled her eyes. “Go wait by the sidewalk. And remind me to tell you something about your mom and who led who astray.” She turned her attention back to Mick. “There’s something to be said for being an only child.” Two more of her nieces went to wait with Finn.
Mick’s lips twitched. “The grass is always greener, right?”
“Mick? You ‘bout done out there? I can’t find the remote!”
Mick shook his head. “Yeah, Gramps. Be right there.” He chuckled. “I’ll lay odds the remote is right beside him.” He grabbed the bowl and tucked it under his arm. “Enjoy the rest of the trick or treating.” Opening the door, he paused and angled his head around. “This is spur of the moment and all, but have a drink with me.”
Greta’s eye widened. “Uh … tonight?” She actually hoped so … because she’d talk herself out of it if he wanted to meet any other time.
He nodded. “Yeah, if you’re free, that is. I guess I shouldn’t assume you’re not married.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m not. And I’m not dating anyone either.”
He grinned. “So, Planks on the Square? Around nine thirty?”
She nodded and backed away. "Nine thirty works for me. I’ll see you there.” She turned and grasped Kenley’s hand then waved to Mick. “Nice meeting you.”
He lifted a hand in farewell and entered the house.
Hot damn. She had a date.

This one is kind of fun. I love writing holiday-themed books and I get to hit four with this story.



That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

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