Sunday Snippet: Midnight Cruise

Our fall-like weather remained with us … to the point we had record lows. I have to laugh a little because it's like a yoyo swinging up and down with record temperatures in both directions. It's nuts.

Had a very solid work week. Possible new projects that I'm excited about and finishing up a big one, which feels really good.

Not a bad week for viewing television. I didn't make it through two times like last week but had almost a full rotation of the shows I normally watch.

Enjoyed another Agatha Raisin episode. I'm settling in with this cast of characters and I love the village vibe. Looking forward to more episodes.

Started a new Silent Witness two-parter and I'm really interested in where this one goes and what's going on at the Lyle. The second half should be terrific.

Caught the finale for season two of Death in Paradise. I'm a little sad because the season three opener is obviously the loss of one of the main characters. But I'm excited to start in with a new character.

Watched another Fantasy Island episode and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm also happy to report Roark and Javier seem to be on better footing and the angst factor did not get amped to ten or above. A pleasant surprise. The whole deal with Ruby should be interesting to watch unfold. Not sure how I want things to go there.

Enjoyed another episode of The Batman. This one featured Firefly and I kind of loved the Bruce and Alfred banter in this episode.

Caught another episode of Classic Rugrats and loved it. One part had the babies journeying to the basement ala Indiana Jones style. The second one had the full set of McNultys for a birthday party. So much fun.

Started another episode of VIP but didn't make it all the way through. Too many interruptions to finish, but I hope to get the rest watched today.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Midnight Cruise, a holiday-themed novella for New Year's Eve.

Here's the miniblurb:

Once upon a time, Bessie Marshall met Cesar Wright and they had a glorious fling for the week of spring break their senior year of college. Fast forward five years and Cesar is back in his hometown to launch a new business venture and he wants his friends to help him make a test run on New Year's Eve. Imagine his shock when he bumps into Bessie—who moved to the riverfront city two years after graduation—and she wants nothing to do with him, which shouldn't surprise him considering he left her without so much as a good-bye.

And a snippety peek…

Bessie tilted her head to one side. "You bought a riverboat?" Why not lease until he knew if his idea would work?

Cesar shrugged. "Well, yeah. I can't create a floating dinner club without one." He settled across from her at the conference table.

Bessie huffed out a breath and shook her head. "Okay, true. But most normal people don't have the cash on hand to just buy a boat. Seriously. And you drop, what?" She did a quick mental calculation. "Seven figures? Like it's nothing." She really had no clue what that would even be like.

Cesar frowned. "No, not like it's nothing. It's an investment. One I'll make pay off within two years if all goes to plan." He straightened. "What's your problem with this?"

Bessie wet her lower lip, stalling for time. Because she didn't know how to answer. She knew nothing about Cesar Wright. Not really. And her brain struggled to mesh the low-key flip-flop and board shorts guy she'd spent the most incredible week of her life with and the mega-wealthy, impeccably dressed man sitting across from her. But she failed spectacularly because the incredible things they'd done together kept flashing through her mind.

Exhaling slowly, she finally responded. "Nothing really. Your idea is something I could market in my sleep, but I'm not sure working with you is a good plan. There's no guarantee we'd work well together. What makes you think we would?" She truly had no clue.

Cesar blinked. "Tell me you're not serious. Have you forgotten we spent a week together? What makes you think we'd have any trouble getting this project off the ground?" He folded his arms over his chest.

Bessie made a garbled choking sound. "I don't know, Cesar. Possibly because you don't know the first thing about me on a professional level. And it may be because this project has nothing to do with fucking each other, which is basically all we did for the duration of our time together." Okay, not completely true, but geez, seven days of sun, sand, and sex—with occasional meal breaks—didn't exactly qualify him to judge her work ethic or her anything five years later.

The man had no idea what her life looked like … or how badly he'd bruised her heart.

Cesar's lips twisted in a wry grin. "You still shoot straight and speak your mind. That hasn't changed." He relaxed his stance, leaning forward and placing his forearms on the table. "But you've made your point. So, let's come at this from a strictly professional perspective. Your work speaks for itself. You've managed to land a third of your team's new clients in the three years you've been with Thrust Marketing. Better still, you've worked with five difficult, ready-to-run accounts and retained four. The fifth wasn't worth the time and effort, but the company has nothing but great things to say about you." He sat back. "And that's why you're perfect for this project. I won't believe our personal history will keep you from being the consummate professional I know you are." He met and held her gaze. "Am I wrong?"

Bessie opened her mouth then slowly closed it because he'd done his homework. And, well, he'd pretty much rendered her speechless.

This story is in the beginning stages, but I'm so pleased with how it's coming together. Bessie is a fun character and Cesar is going to learn the art of groveling.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin