Sunday Snippet: Lucky Man

Had a very busy week with work projects and family stuff. I'm kind of exhausted but not in a bad way. My sleep schedule is somewhat all over the map and that doesn't help. Insomnia is a definite pain in the butt.

I had a pretty solid week of viewing television. I got another full round of shows in and might be adding one or two in the next week.

I picked back up with Suspects and enjoyed the episode. This show is a little chaotic and I like that. I also rather like the characters.

Caught another episode of Cannes Confidential and thoroughly enjoyed it. I have one episode left and I'm not ready for the season to end. I truly hope there's more to come from this show. It's so good!

Watched the penultimate episode of Peak Practice season nine. I'm bracing for impact for the finale. Then it's on to season ten!

Started a new two-parter of Silent Witness. Very interesting episode and I'm not sure where part two is going to go. This isn't a bad thing.

Enjoyed another episode of Death in Paradise. This is such a fun show even if there's always a murder to solve.

Caught another episode of Fantasy Island and, yep, my biggest pet peeve happened. Take a couple and tear them apart for stupid reasons. I'll finish out the season and see what happens, but I'm cranky now and that probably means I won't watch anything else if it has another season.

Started a rewatch of The Batman. I rather liked this series. I might also be able to finish my rewatch of Batman: The Animated Series. For whatever reason, it seems to be available again.

Watched another Classic Rugrats episode with two eps I'd forgotten about. Season five seems to have quite a few of those.

Missed watching Battlestar Galactica this week. My viewing partner had a family commitment and we're picking up again this week.

That's it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Lucky Man, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the miniblurb:

Brent Allison thinks his best friend Peter is a lucky man. He's got a great life and a beautiful woman, Sonja Waters. When Pete and Sonja break up, Brent feels bad for his friend but less guilty for being attracted to Sonja. But when Peter dies in an accident several months later and Brent bumps into Sonja while going through Pete's belongings, the guilt comes roaring back and Sonja finally understands why Brent always kept his distance during her relationship with Peter.

And a snippety peek…

Brent Allison gaped with his mouth hanging open. "What the hell are you thinking, Pete? Sonja's the best thing that ever happened to you." Truer words couldn't be said.

Peter Norris lifted one shoulder. "Yeah, man. I get that. I do." He leaned back in the booth, folding his arms across his chest. "But we need some time apart. I mean, we dated all through college and since graduation and moving in together, we've been struggling to find a happy place." His mouth twisted in a wry smirk.

Brent narrowed his gaze. "You're an idiot. You've got someone else on the hook, don't you? That sexy ED nurse? The one that drops in all the time when you're not busy taking CT scans." Pete mentioned the emergency department nurses frequently, but zeroed in on the one that couldn't seem to stay away from him.

Pete cocked his head. "Maybe. I don't know if I have her on the hook, but we're having coffee before our next shift." He spread his hands out. "We'll see where it goes."

Brent shook his head. "Are you moving out? Is Sonja? How's this going to work?" His brain spun with too many emotions to process.

The main one being guilt … because Brent would give his left nut to have a woman like Sonja. She loved crunching data, just like Brent did. The biggest difference? She had a degree in computer science. Brent learned analytics in the navy. And now he wouldn't be able to get his geek-speak fix from her anymore.

Pete snapped his fingers. "Dude. You totally zoned there. Yeah, I'm moving out for now. A rad tech I work with needs a roommate. We're on opposite schedules so we'll never see each other." His head bobbed up and down. "Sonja's gonna keep the apartment. She makes more than enough to cover rent." His fingers drummed a staccato rhythm on the table.

Brent grunted. "Sounds like you're set then." He mustered some support for Pete. "Gonna need help moving?" Pete didn't travel light, unlike Brent.

Being in the navy taught him to be ready on the fly. And his current consulting gig meant he didn't stay in one place for long. His apartment had the barest of essentials.

A wide grin spread across Pete's face. "Thought you'd never ask. Yeah, man. If you're not busy this weekend, I'll be moving the heavy stuff."

Brent lifted his chin. "I'll be available. What should I expect from Sonja?" Pete rarely read the room, usually because he did his level best to be the center of attention, so he didn't have to.

But surely, he wouldn't suck Brent into a tense situation.

Pete sobered. "She probably won't be there. Going on some work retreat. Timing's kind of perfect." He picked up his mug of coffee. "Don't get me wrong. She's okay with me moving out and everything. But it'll be easier to get in and out if it's just you and me."

Brent couldn't argue the point, even if he'd like to decide for himself whether Sonja came down on the being cool with the breakup side or not.

He gave a nod. "What time did you want to get started…"

This story is just getting started, but I'm excited about where it's going. Brent and Sonja have a few hurdles to leap over but they'll figure everything out.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin