Sunday Snippet: Midnight Proposal

A very long week with wild weather and lots of things going on, including back-to-school shenanigans, roadwork, and tons of laundry.

Kind of a repeat from last week with thunderstorms rolling through the state and a day or two of plain old rain, which is actually kind of nice … except for flooding, which we didn't have but other areas in the state did.

Work stayed busy. Still removing images from a manuscript to get it ready for a copy edit. But the good news is I should finish up today or tomorrow. I put the project aside when we had storms because I won't change losing all the work put in so far.

Pretty decent viewing week even with the wild weather. Made it through my full slate of shows and had a couple of binge watches of Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise.

Started with an episode of Marple and thoroughly enjoyed it. Very different from another version and a great cast.

Finished up Coastal Ireland and loved it. Especially enjoy watching someone who loves the country show their favorite locations.

Caught another episode of Beyond Paradise and I'm truly wondering how things will end up working out with Anne being on the committee overseeing the police. Here's hoping she finds a way to keep the team together.

Watched another episode of Poirot and, whew, what a very twisty mystery. And a great cast made it all work.

Elementary had another great offering. I enjoy seeing Sherlock not at his best but also watching Joan kind of rally behind him. And he's still got a leg up on everyone else even with the post-concussion stuff he's going through.

Caught another episode of Young Justice and quite enjoyed watching the team work together while defying orders.

Enjoyed another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and I'm so happy the lower deckers are back together. Also loved seeing T'Lyn going the extra mile to fill the gap Tendi left and then join in the celebration when she returned.

No backburner shows this week. We'll see if there's time week, but probably not as I have a long day on Saturday to meet my cousins for our annual get together.

That's the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Midnight Proposal, a NYE holiday romance.

Here's the miniblurb:

Lance Norris leaves the military just in time for Halloween and he can't wait to get home where he reconnects with Melba Johnson, his recently divorced high-school sweetheart and the owner of a popular hometown bar. Determined to win Melba back over, Lance embarks on a whirlwind courtship throughout the holiday season and plans to propose at midnight on New Year's Eve. The only stumbling block? She still has close ties with her ex.

And a snippet preview…

Lance ducked into the Jitter Bean coffee shop. "I gotta figure out what to say to Melba." He couldn't just pop in and say hello, right?

Yeah, no. He had some explaining and groveling to do if he ever hoped to get a second chance.

He put his order in and moved to the side of the line where a shelf with local sites and tourist attraction pamphlets were displayed. A guy in a fire department uniform of dark blue cargo pants and a red polo with the station insignia on the sleeve browsed the hiking trail map hanging on the wall.

Lance nodded a greeting. "Getting off shift or heading in?" The military base had a split schedule of twenty-four hours on with forty-eight hours off.

The guy's lips quirked. "I'm done. Had a quiet night so I'm gonna enjoy an Americano." He tilted his head to one side but quickly straightened.

"Jake Hawkins, your order's ready."

Lance did a double take when the guy lifted his chin and went to pick up his drink. Shit. Melba's former husband? What were the odds?

Jake snagged his coffee and a small bag and walked past Lance to head for the door.

"Hawkins?" Lance cocked his head. "That means you're—" He didn't really want to draw too much attention.

Jake nodded. "The ex-husband. Yeah, that's me." He thrust his palm forward. "And you're Lance." Statement, not a question.

Lance shook hands with Jake. "Yeah, the asshole former boyfriend." He huffed out a breath. "This isn't awkward or anything, is it." Seriously, how weird.

Jake laughed. "Only if we make it that way." He nodded toward a table. "First, I'm not the jealous type, which is kind of why we're not married anymore." He didn't wait to see if Lance followed and took a seat. "Second, I have no claim on Melba, except as her best friend." A grin spread across his face.

Lance sat. "Can't say I'm not jealous, because I am. You lived my dream with her." Would she consider trying that dream again?

 Jake's lips kicked up in a wry smile. "If I did, I made a poor substitute. Again, part of the reason we're divorced." He reached into the bag and retrieved a scone.

Lance blinked. "Wait. What?" Poor substitute?

Jake shook his head. "You should be talking to Melba." He bit into the scone and closed his eyes. "These are so good." After chewing and swallowing, he leaned in a little closer. "They're Melba's faves. You know, if you were thinking about stopping in at the bar to see her." His eyebrows rose.

Lance huffed out a breath. "This is too … I don't know … weird." He shook his head. "Then again, I'm not above taking suggestions from my ex-girlfriend's ex-husband." Tapping the table between them, Lance grinned. "Thank you. For not letting me make things awkward and for the advice." He had to give Jake credit for being an okay kind of guy.

Jake lifted his chin again. "You're welcome." He sobered. "One last thing. Don't crush her again. If you're not sure what you want, tread carefully." He leaned back in the seat and held Lance's gaze.

Lance didn't mind the scrutiny. In fact, respect for Jake kicked up a notch. He didn't go into testosterone overload … just quietly placed the facts on the ground in plain view.

Lance got to his feet. "Wise words. I'll keep them in mind." He nodded. "Nice to meet, Jake." Turning, he went to the pastry rack and selected two scones and paid for them when his name got called.

Next stop … Melba's apartment above the bar.

A kernel of hope unfurled in his chest along with a dash of caution. Jake's words echoed in his mind. Tread carefully. He would definitely be careful, but he had to at least test the waters.

This one is in the beginning stages but I'm having a lot of fun setting up the reunion.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin