Sunday Snippet: Hazardous Curves Ahead

It's been a busy week. We're still kind of off-kilter after the loss of our doggo. Our younger one is adjusting and I'm thankful for that. Our vet office is amazing, and they've been wonderful throughout this whole process.

Ohio weather is being very Ohio right now. Warm up, cool down, something kind of in between. I had to clear snow off my car at the beginning of last week. It didn't stick around, which is okay with me. I don't mind snow, but I'm also not quite ready for it yet.

Work was very busy this past week. Had a terrific Zoom meeting with an author and two other members of a team I often work with. We're getting ready to hand over the project for the next steps. Also had another Zoom session with a different author and they're making headway on their memoir. Finished up a developmental edit and we're getting ready to hand that one off also. Had an older project pop back up and I think we have that one resolved. I also finished up a copy edit and started a new proofread.

Not a bad viewing week either. I made it through all of my usual slate of shows. The next two weeks are going to be a little iffy, but I'll make an effort to stay current.

I started with the season three opener of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. The introduction of her dad was fun, and I liked seeing Jack show a little jealousy.

Also caught another episode of Foyle's War and I'd forgotten how much of a role Andrew played in this episode. If I remember correctly, we won't see him again for a while.

Watched another episode of Beyond Paradise. I'm enjoying Archie and Esther's romance a lot. I loved Humphrey being in the uncomfortable position of having to question Martha as a suspect to clear her. And I'm so glad Anne finally spilled the beans about her biopsy.

Enjoyed an episode of Poirot. I love Hastings and Miss Lemon investigating and then chatting about Poirot. The lengths he went to to protect the countess kind of charmed me.

Elementary had a great episode. Discovering Joan has a half-sister is interesting. I also love how tangled up everything ended up being. Bringing Mycroft into the equation is a snare that will have some repercussions, I think. Especially with the NSA showing up again.

Caught an episode of Batman Beyond and thoroughly enjoyed it. I remembered it from my original watch. Getting Ace's backstory is great.

Also got to watch another episode of Lower Decks. The characters are starting to gel for me, and Mariner is way less annoying this season. Very glad I stuck with this one.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Hazardous Curves Ahead, a novella that explores meeting the wrong brother first. One of my favorite tropes.

Here's the miniblurb:

Sometimes love is a slippery slope and when Imma and Sef almost crash into each other on a hazardous curve, they end up going through physical therapy together. After several weeks of flirty banter, Imma thinks a relationship with Sef might be nice … until her boyfriend shows up.

And a snippety peek…

"Here you go."

Sef glanced at the card. "Imma Rusch?" He took a quick picture of her insurance information. "Sef Boltager. Nice to meet you … even if it's under really weird circumstances." He gave her the insurance card back.

Something about her intrigued him.

Seriously, what a way to meet someone.

They headed out the main doors.

A car waited for Sef in the valet area. "Ah, that didn't take long." He nodded toward the vehicle. "Part of my service package."

Imma's lips twisted. "I'll be scheduling a rideshare." She started tapping her phone.

Sef hated to make her wait, especially with those crutches. "Can I offer you a ride?" He hoped she'd say yes.

Imma narrowed her gaze a little. "Um, sure. I'm not far." She pocketed her device and grasped the crutches.

She accepted. Excellent. Sef helped get her settled into the car, and she gave his driver her address.

Once they pulled out of the parking lot, Sef awkwardly maneuvered to face her a little. "I really am sorry about the crash. I'll admit I was distracted and not paying as much attention as I should've been." He snorted.

Imma's eyebrows arched. "Tell me you weren't texting and driving."

He laughed. "No. I'm not that irresponsible." He shrugged his good shoulder. "I was angry about walking in on my former girlfriend with her new guy." His lips twisted. "We weren't even deeply committed … but, yeah, not what I expected to come home to." Serena didn't even have the decency to go to her own apartment.

Imma let out a low whistle. "Ouch. I'm sorry that happened to you." She focused her gaze out the window. "Were you away for work? Vacation?"

Sef nodded. "A bit of both. My stepdad sent me down to South America to scope out some possible business opportunities. I'm a facilitator. Go in, put feelers out, and do a vibe check." Then he got out of the way and let his brother handle the hard stuff.

Imma grinned. "I'm getting the picture now. You lay the groundwork." She lifted her chin. "The guy I'm dating does a lot of traveling also." She hesitated a moment. "We're pretty casual, but I think he might want more." Leaning back, she stared out the window again.

He'd be lying if he didn't admit to being disappointed. He'd have to find out her definition of casual. Maybe he had a shot if he played his cards right.

The car eased into a community of condos. Older but nicely built, the units were a triplex with two entrances facing each other at an angle to form the top of a Y and the third acting as the stem. The cluster had lots of greenery and nice fencing separating the yards.

Imma leaned forward and directed the driver to her driveway.

He pulled in and got out to help Imma exit the vehicle.

She got her crutched under her and ducked down toward the window. "Thanks for the ride. I appreciate not having to wait."

Sef lifted his chin. "Glad I could help." He moved forward a little when she started toward her sidewalk. "Hey, where do you think you'll do your physical therapy?"

She cocked her head. "Not sure. My PCP usually refers to Three Rivers."

Sef smiled. "Same. Maybe we'll bump into each other again."

Imma chuckled. "I'd like that. Thanks again." She shuffled up the walk to her front door.

Sef leaned back. He'd make sure his primary doctor referred him to Three Rivers Physical Therapy also. If nothing else, he wanted to see Imma again under slightly better circumstances.

I like how this story is coming together. It's a fine line to walk and I enjoy trying to make sure I fall off the tightrope.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin