Hello 2025. I truly
hope this year is better than I expect it will be.
I have some goals
for this year, and one is to finally launch my side project. I've been putting
it off, and I think I finally figured out why. Instead of FOMO, fear of missing
out, I have FOFU, fear of fucking up or, a kinder version, FOMU, fear of
messing up. I need to get over that.
We're under a
winter weather advisory and I have to leave super early in the morning to pick
my oldest up from work. I'm debating whether I should fill up my tank now or
just wait and do it on the way. We're only supposed to have an inch of snow,
but I'm not sure about the freezing rain and ice. I'll monitor and decide soon.
Very light work
week. I'm working on a readthrough of a series for a friend and I'm so excited
for this project! I'm also hoping I have some new work starting this week. I
have tentative dates in my calendar, but nothing set yet.
Had an okay week of
viewing. I've been in a weird mood and haven't been watching as much as I could
have. That said, I have been getting a lot of writing done so I'm not
complaining.
Caught another
episode of Elementary. Much happier with where Joan and Sherlock in this
episode. The vibe is very different from the first two seasons, and I think I'm
okay with that.
I started a Batman
Beyond rewatch. I have a lot of love for this show and look forward to
diving back in again.
Enjoyed another
episode of Classic Rugrats. Once again, I didn't remember either of the
vignettes, so I had fun watching.
Watched an episode
of Mr. and Mrs. Murder. I hadn't seen any of this one and thoroughly
enjoyed it. I think there's one episode left, and I'll have to find a new show
to watch.
Almost through the
season three premiere episode of London Kills. This could end up being a
wild ride. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.
That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Your Move, a
novella that reunites a couple for a second-chance romance.
Here's the
miniblurb:
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…
Reilly plunged the mop into the
soapy, hot water then swiped it over the faded vinyl flooring in the kitchen.
"Nothing like a good old-fashioned clean out when I've got a lot to think
about." Deep cleaning often helped corral the chaos in her mind.
She looked at the house she grew up
in with new eyes. The place needed some major TLC. Some could be accomplished
with cosmetic updates, new paint, some throw rugs, and a good polishing of the
woodwork. She had the blueprint of how she wanted to display her product line
in the two front rooms of the house. A small bedroom would transform into a
treatment and consultation area and the kitchen would be for personal use. The
small bathroom would be for clients if needed. The large room adjacent to the
kitchen would eventually become a meeting area for classes and projects.
Reilly paused by the basement door.
"I'll bring the downstairs kitchen up to code to make my product."
Her gram used the space to can vegetables, make jam and jelly, and do all her
holiday baking.
She dipped the mop back into the
water again and started on another area of the floor. A rapid series of knocks
sounded on the back door. Propping the mop against the wall, she carefully
crossed the damp floor to answer. Twisting the knob, she tried to pull the door
open, but the latch got stuck.
Sighing, she jiggled the knob.
"Hang on. Give me one second." She yanked hard and the door jerked
open to reveal Caden on the other side. "Um, hi." Equal parts
surprised and embarrassed at the state of the house, she tilted her head.
"Sorry. The door keeps getting stuck."
His lips twisted in a wry grin. "I
can fix that. Hold on." He made a quick jaunt out to his truck and started
back with a tool belt draped over his shoulder and small roll-up bag.
Reilly closed her eyes, letting
memories wash over her. Her very first kiss had been on the covered patio. And
Caden had been the one to provide the lip-lock. She took a moment to cherish
that remembrance then focused on the here and now.
Caden set the bag aside and
strapped the toolbelt around his waist. "This shouldn't take long."
He pulled a screwdriver from its notch and started unscrewing the metal plate.
Reilly observed his actions, filing
them away for later use. "Thanks. You really didn't have to do this."
She leaned against the counter. "What brings you here?" Not that she
minded having him drop by … she just hadn't expected to see him again today.
Caden glanced up from his work.
"Got a hold of Cam. Said he'd call you on his way home and find room in
his schedule to see you." He removed the metal plate and stopped down to
look at the wood. "Gonna need to put an anchor in here. The wood isn't
holding the screws securely anymore. That's why the latch sticks." He
unrolled the bag and grabbed two anchors. "Cam said getting you set up as
a corporation shouldn't be difficult. The divorce will depend on how messy
things get." He met her gaze. "I didn't know what to tell him about
that, but he has someone he can refer you to if needed."
Reilly shook her head. "Doug's
not going to contest the divorce. This is a mutual decision." At least her
soon-to-be-former spouse promised he'd sign on the dotted line. "He knows I
want to live here and start over." Without the added stress of trying to
fix something that broke a long time ago.
Caden twisted the screws and tugged
on the plate. "That should do it. Let me check the door also." He
moved inside the house and checked the knob. "Eh, I'll tighten this up
also then you should be good to go … at least for a while." He cast his
gaze around the kitchen. "What are your plans for the place?"
Reilly smiled. "I'm starting a
homeopathy business. I'll be making and selling my product line here and
online." She winced. "That means using a ton of elbow grease and TLC
to get things ready. Most of my readily available capital will go toward
bringing the basement kitchen up to code." She shrugged. "I'm not
afraid of hard work but trying to make the upstairs into my residence while
getting the store area down here ready is a bit daunting." And a wee bit
overwhelming even if she couldn't wait to get started.
Caden cocked his head. "So,
you got three bedrooms and a full bath upstairs, right?" He propped his
shoulder on the door jamb.
Reilly nodded. "Yeah. I'll use
one of the rooms as my office, one for a living room, and the other as my
bedroom. The backstairs will make it easy to keep the kitchen as a personal
space." She'd be going with the bare minimum upstairs until she got the
store up and running.
Caden's head bobbed up and down.
"Sounds like a solid plan. You've got good bones here with the house. Mainly
fix-up stuff for the most part, right?"
Reilly lifted her chin. "I
think so. I'll need to do some updating, especially this vinyl flooring, but
that can wait for now." She glanced around the room, seeing her gram
puttering around while cooking something wonderful.
Caden made a sound of agreement.
"Small steps. Can't be easy coming back and living with the memories while
trying to forge a new beginning at the same time."
Reilly's breath caught. "Yes,
that's it. Exactly." He'd nailed the way she felt on the head. "It's
like having one foot in the past and the other in the future and straddling the
present makes me feel … vulnerable." Her eyes welled up and she blinked
tears away. "I miss her. But I think she'd be happy I'm moving back."
A laugh bubbled up. "I know she'd be thrilled about the divorce. She was
never a huge Doug fan." A fact Wanda made clear anytime Doug accompanied
Reilly home.
She should've listened to her gram
and owned the mistake a long time ago.
Shaking her head again, she gave
Caden a wobbly smile. "Anyway, thank you for calling Cam. I should let you
get home." She started to reach for the door, not wanting Caden to leave
at all.
But she really couldn't ask him to
stay … not after everything he'd done for her today.
Why would he even want to stay?
Especially when she walked away from him…
A bit of a longer
peek this week. I'm so happy with how this scene came together.
That's it for this
week. Happy reading!
Skylin
