Well, 2026 is off
to a wonky start. It's like it looked at 2025 and decided to say, "Hold my
beer." Not sure that's a good thing.
Weather stayed very
cold, which I'm totally okay with. We got a bunch of snow on New Year's Eve and
I'm happy to have stayed in and enjoyed ringing in the new year at home. It
ended up being a super-busy week with a lot going on but at least I didn't have
the crazy back and forth temperatures to deal with. My sinuses really hate
that.
Another slower work
week, but progress on the three projects I'm working on at the moment. The
unexpected stuff kind of messed up my groove, but I got back on track. I'm
hoping this week is a little smoother.
Didn't quite make
it all the way through my round of shows, but I did get the remaining holiday
special in. I also have some new seasons of shows I'm excited about.
I started with Miss
Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and I'm almost finished with my rewatch. I think
I have two more episodes left. Then I'll probably watch the fan-funded movie,
which is quite excellent.
Finished up the
episode of Foyle's War and enjoyed it. I'd forgotten Andrew and Sam
split up in this one and I kind of mourn their breakup.
Caught the holiday
special of Death in Paradise. Such a good one! Having Selwyn in England
added a really nice layer to the whole mystery and tied the episode of Beyond
Paradise in nicely.
Started a new
two-part Silent Witness and it's a very twisty and turny case. Looking
forward to the second part to wrap things up. I also really enjoy the newest
addition to the Lyell.
I began season four
of Poirot and enjoyed the first episode. Interesting mystery and a lot
of fun with Hastings really wanting to talk about his shooting of the
alligator-like creature and no one being interested until the very end.
That's all I got in
this week on my television shows.
Tonight's post is
from How to Win a Fair Fight, a novella that got a start with a writing
community prompt.
Here's the
miniblurb:
Karla and Unger are polar opposites but share a tense
attraction. When a weekend discussion with their group of friends focuses on
what's considered a fair fight, Karla and Unger have differing opinions, which
leads to a wager about the rules and the difference between love and war.
And a snippety peek…
Unger waited until Karla and the
other girls went up to the house to refill the cooler and hit the bathroom
before nudging Tom. "What's the deal with your sister?" Did she
always start in attack mode?
Tom's lips quirked. "The
answer depends on why you're asking." He kicked back and arched an
eyebrow.
Unger sighed. "Does she
seriously believe the whole fair fight thing or is she just pushing my
buttons?" Maybe it didn't matter, but he kinda wanted to stay on her good
side.
Tom shot Mark a knowing look.
"And another one falls." He shook his head.
Mark smirked. "You might wanna
clue him in before you accuse him of being hot for your sister." He
grabbed a long branch and poked at the fire.
Unger sputtered. "Wait. What?"
His gaze slid toward the trail leading to the house. "How does asking if
she's serious about the whole fight thing equate to being hot for Karla?" He
snorted. "Never mind. You guys are the ones hulk smashing right now."
He laughed.
Mark chuckled. "Busted. But to
answer your question since Tom won't … she's definitely testing your
boundaries. Etiquette demands he stay neutral." He sobered. "I don't
have that problem because I'm only related to Janie." He tsked. "You
should've been here for the bizarre dance Tom and Janie did before they got
together." His eyes rolled.
A terrible thought hit Unger.
"You interested in Karla?" His attraction for Tom's sister didn't
have to go anywhere … he didn't know if he even wanted it to.
Tom barked out a laugh. "Mark's
homed in on Mellie. He just hasn't made that known yet."
Mark shrugged. "She just
dumped the freeloader she'd been going out with for a year. I'm not trying to
be rebound guy."
Unger winced. "Yeah, been
there. Talk about an unfair fight. That's definitely one." He fist-bumped
Mark.
Tom spread his hands out.
"Look, here's the deal with Karla. She wouldn't waste time pulling you
into a ridiculous debate if she didn't accept you as one of us." He looked
toward Mark who nodded. "She'd shrug and roll her eyes if she thought we
were wrong to try and break up the fight at Hatter's."
Mark chimed in. "I'll bet
she's already figuring out what to post to social media about the bar kicking
out paying customers who were trying to keep the peace when the management had
better things to do."
Tom laughed and dragged his phone
out. "My guess is that's part of the reason she went up to the
house." He scrolled on the device. "Yep. Right here. She already
blasted them." He turned the screen toward Unger.
Unger read her captioned post.
"Regardless of what you consider a fair fight, anyone who tries to keep
the peace should be celebrated instead of kicked out. Do better Hatter's."
His lips curved in a smile. "Guess it really didn't matter if it was a
girl fight or a guy fight."
Tom and Mark groaned and shook
their heads. Unger didn't care. He had a better understanding of Karla and what
mattered to her.
He'd file the information away to
examine later.
Not quite sure
where this one is going yet but I love the dynamic with this group of friends.
That's it for this
week. Happy reading!
Skylin
