Sunday Snippet: Your Move

More weird weather this week. And some great news for the daughter. She ended up with three scholarships and two awards for her sophomore year. Amazing!

Solid work week with ongoing edits on two projects. I'm doing some new nonfiction work and I'm enjoying it so much.

Pretty good week of television also. I finished up the second season of Snoopy in Space: The Search for Life. I'd be happy if they did another run of episodes with this show.

Caught an episode of Cuffs and actually enjoyed it a lot even though the personal lives of the characters are all falling apart.

Watched two episodes of Silent Witness. I'm beginning to really enjoy Jack's tenaciousness. He won't let go when his hunches are biting down hard.

Enjoyed two episodes of Classic Who. I'd forgotten how the quality of the show suffered so much during Seven's tenure, which isn't a bash on the actors. They do an excellent job considering what they're given to work with.

Finished up Aliens in Alaska and really enjoyed the season. Wouldn't mind if they did more later.

Caught two episodes of Hawkeye and I'm sold. Love the interaction between the characters and enjoy the overarching plot point. Great show.

Finished up the second season of Harrow and I enjoyed it so much. One thing that really hits hard is the fact that Harrow has now murdered two people and as much as I love the character, I kind of want him to suffer some consequences for his actions. We'll see if season three offers any up for him.

Watched the Peak Practice season seven finale. Looks like some big changes for the next season with a new location for the practice. I'm looking forward to seeing where things go.

Started a quirky series with The Laundry Guy. Enjoyed seeing what he uses to bring stained items back to life. I'm definitely going to learn a lot from this show.

Caught an episode of Blue Heelers and enjoyed it. Really feeling the topic of the week vibes during this season, but it's not deal-breaking.

Consumed another MasterClass with Neil deGrasse Tyson and liked learning about the scientific method. As with Nye, Tyson has a way of putting information out there that doesn't make me feel stupid.

Watched another episode of Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow. I'm very invested in this season already and I kind of love where things are going.

Enjoyed two more episodes of Classic Rugrats. This rewatch definitely lets me find my happy place.

Also caught another episode of Chicago Med and I'm kind of still hating the new head of the ED. We'll see if that continues. I love that Rhodes is actually on to Ava and isn't really being duped … yet.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Your Move, a novella that features a reunion romance that gets off to a shaky start.

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…

Caden pulled into the alley behind Reilly's house and hopped out of the truck. "Should be okay to store this flooring on the patio." He grabbed four boxes and stacked them neatly close to the house.

Several more trips and he had the hardwood unloaded. He wiped his hands off and decided to surprise Reilly with an invite to a late dinner.

Pulling the back door open, he stopped in his tracks. Nothing prepared him for the sight greeting his eyes.

Reilly in a hot lip-lock … with her ex. Son of a bitch.

Stung, he backed out quickly, quietly closed the door, and stalked to his truck, burning mad. Yanking hard on the door handle, he started the engine and headed out before he even got the door fully closed. His hands white knuckled the steering wheel.

"What the hell was I thinking … getting involved with her again?"

He started for home but, at the last moment, stopped at the yard instead. Anger had adrenaline coursing through him and the barn had a heavy bag he could work out his aggression on.

Stripping off his shirt, he took a few minutes to slip on a pair of gloves. "I'm so stupid." Punch-punch.

He'd stepped back at her request. "But to give her time…" Punch-punch. "Not so she could jump into the arms of Dougie the ex."

He pounded the bag and did his damnedest to not imagine Doug's face on the canvas. He pretty much failed spectacularly, but better to visualize here alone than traumatize three people by losing his cool at Reilly's. He'd also save Cameron the trouble of posting bail by taking frustration out on an inanimate object and focusing the blame inward. He had no one to blame but himself.

Thirty minutes later, sweat dripping off his arms and torso, he finally tossed the gloves aside and walked the perimeter of the barn to cool off a little. He still couldn't get the image of Reilly and her ex out of his mind, but the red haze of anger no longer colored the picture. Heaving a sigh, he grabbed his shirt and headed for the office. A long, hot shower before he went home sounded great at the moment.

Entering the office, he turned on the desk light and nothing else. "Don't need to advertise I'm here late." Normally, he wouldn't care but he didn't want to deal with anyone right now.

He shed his clothes outside the stall and turned the water on. When it warmed, he stepped under the spray and rested his head on the wall. The water would run cold well before his mind went numb, but he'd manage.

"And remember why what-if can get me into trouble."

Caden is not a happy camper and he'll make sure Reilly knows it very soon. But … all is not what it seems, which is always a fun vibe to play with.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin