Sunday Snippet: Mistletoe Madness

Welcome to Spooky Season month! I love October even if we're having unseasonably higher temperatures. Fall is such a fickle season in Ohio, but I'm hoping for an actual cooling down before winter snow comes calling.

Super busy work week with little projects, which actually gave me some time to write and organize. I'm hoping to launch a new venture in the next couple of weeks and having that extra time is helping.

Not a bad week for viewing television. The timing of my work projects overlapped a lot this week, so I didn't get to watch as much.

Watched the first of a two-parter Silent Witness. This one is very twisty and I'm afraid Nikki is headed for heartbreak. I love the premise of the case, though.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise. The contrast between Richard and Humphrey is fun. Richard was very tight-lipped and refused to be vulnerable. Humphrey is super vulnerable almost from the word go. He's also much more in tune with people in general.

Started season three of Only Murders in the Building. Gotta say, I'm not quite as riveted as I was for the first two seasons, but I love that we get to dive into Oliver's world. We kind of started in Mabel's even if we didn't know that fact at first, and season two brought Charles's past into the picture, literally. It's fun to see Oliver interact with the theater crowd.

Watched another episode of The Batman. Rather enjoyed the take on the puppet master Scarface in this 'verse. And Alfred setting up Bruce's dating profile always makes me chuckle.

Started season six of Classic Rugrats. Introducing Dil with two episodes of how life is different was a good choice. Loved Spike saving the day in his episode.

Caught another episode of VIP. Lots of fun and they nailed the trash TV talk-show vibe of the late nineties / early aughts.

Started another episode of My Life Is Murder and I'm enjoying it. Alexa is a tough nut to crack sometimes and I kind of like that. I do get a little annoyed when she's callous and treats others like they're a waste of her time. Hopefully that smooths out at some point.

And that's pretty much if for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Mistletoe Madness, a holiday novella featuring a trio.

Here's the miniblurb:

After burying her mother right before the holidays, Delaney Nixon comes back home to deal with the estate and decide what to do with her future. Two former beaus offer condolences and help, each hoping the spark might reignite even if they've agreed to leave old feelings alone while getting Delaney through the merry season.

And a snippety peek…

Westin Ames rolled out from under the vintage pickup when the buzzer sounded over his head. "Who's here at this hour?" He'd closed up shop for the day.

Wiping his hands on a grease rag, he went out to the small lobby of his garage and unlocked the door. He did a double take when he opened it. What the hell did Scotty Landon want?

Wes stepped back. "Gotta say, I didn't expect to find you on the doorstep of my garage." They weren't exactly friends, even if Wes used Scotty as his insurance agent.

Then again, Wes had heard the buzz about Joanie Nixon passing, which meant Delaney might be coming home. Scotty probably wanted to tell Westin to fuck off and leave her alone. Wouldn't happen, but he'd hear Scotty out.

Scotty rolled a shoulder. "Got an email from Delaney. She's coming in to settle her mom's estate." He stopped there, saying nothing else.

Westin motioned for Scotty to enter then closed the door. "And what? You're here to give me a news flash or something else?" Like warning Wes off.

He didn't have to be a dick, but he couldn't think of any other reason Landon would be here.

Scotty frowned. "Something else. Thought maybe we could go over and offer Delaney any assistance she might need." He propped a shoulder on the wall.

Wes blinked in surprise. Of course, he should've expected Scotty to go bigger man and act like they wouldn't be rivals. Then again, maybe that's the point. Going together would highlight the glaring differences between the men.

Wes snorted. "Let me guess, you wanna go together to show Delaney she'd be slumming if she hooked up with me again, right?" The chip on his shoulder rarely reared its ugly head, but thoughts of Delaney brought it out of hiding.

Scotty's brows furrowed. "Uh, no, actually. Why would you even go there?"

Westin snorted. "You're fucking with me, right? Mr. College Degree turned the only insurance game in town versus veteran bad-boy biker mechanic?" He shook his head. "What's she gonna see in me?" He often wondered if she wanted the polar opposite of what she had with Landon back then.

Scotty frowned again and pushed away from the wall. "I don't know, Ames. Maybe a guy who served his country then came home and started his own business, giving deep discounts to vets like himself." He shook his head. "She'll see what everyone else sees … someone she can respect." He waited a beat. "If you don't get that, you never really knew her." He folded his arms across his chest. "And you sure as hell don't deserve her."

Westin huffed out a breath. "Dammit. I really wanted to keep not liking you, Scotty." But the guy had never been anything but decent during their interactions.

Scotty's lips twitched. "Sorry I'm not a raging asshole." He sobered. "Look, it's the holiday season. Losing a parent sucks anytime, but it's gotta be worse right now." He shrugged. "I figured we can be there for her. Give her a shoulder if she needs one." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

Wes gave a nod. "Yeah, we can. And we should agree to have a truce or whatever the hell it is when two old boyfriends join forces to help their ex-girlfriend out." Could he sound more like an idiot.

Scotty lifted his chin and thrust his palm forward. "Deal."

Wes cracked a smile and clasped Scotty's palm. "Give me a minute to shut off the lights." He made his way to the garage and flipped the switches.

Scotty opened the door and paused just outside. "What if she's got someone with her? Like a current guy?" He withdrew his keys and popped his door open.

Wes grunted. "If she does, it's too bad for him." He headed for his bike.

Scotty's lips kicked up in grin and he started the car.

Westin shook his head. "Gonna be an interesting night."

I'm loving this story! Scotty and Westin are fun to write, and I can't wait to bring Delaney into the mix.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin