Sunday Snippet: Monumental Headache

It's so weird to be almost halfway through the month already. Time is weird. Last week felt like it dragged on forever but also had a lot of stuff jammed into it.

Weather ended up being crazy with a tornado warning that thankfully went north and east of us but did touch down in several places in our county. We've got more volatile weather headed our way this week. Maybe. It makes me bonkers how not accurate the weather reports are now.

Work projects ended up being a little exhausting this week. I had a project that should have been simple but spiraled into a bit of a mess. We finally got that one all figured out, I think. I finished up a copy edit and started a new one. And I got to dive into a new nonfiction book project that I'm excited about.

On a small side note, I've been feeling the pull to get my side project launched and ready to go. To that end, I'm working on some Halloween shorts that I hope to have ready to go in October. Fingers crossed!

Had an okay viewing week. I did make it through my regular list of shows and did more binge watching of Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise.

Thoroughly enjoyed an episode of Marple. There were so many twists and turns but I loved the ride.

Caught another episode of Britain's Most Scenic Counties and continued the exploration of Kent, which I'm enjoying a lot.

Watched the finale for Beyond Paradise season four. So happy with everything. My frustration with Anne turned out to be for naught. She really kicked everything on its side. So glad Smith is not going to be around anymore. Truly loathed that guy. Thrilled to bits that Esther and Archie are giving things a go and that Kelby has a sweetheart. I cried when Zoey left on her adventure, but I loved her maps bringing Esther and Archie together.

The Orient Express episode of Poirot hit weird for me. Such a stellar cast but things felt a little off and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about the ending, which is quite probably by design. I think visually filmed plays out differently than the visual that reading creates. I don't know.

Elementary had another interesting episode and I'm wondering how the escalation is going to go with Sherlock's meeting guy. Very glad the captain and Detective Bell are aware of what's going on with Sherlock's concussion situation.

Caught an episode of Young Justice that I vaguely remember watching during the show's run on television. With so much going on with three different story points, I actually enjoyed the action.

Watched another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and, once again, thoroughly enjoyed the antics of the crew. A lot of fun seeing them confront past issues on Starbase 80.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Monumental Headache, a novella that explores what might happen after a one-night stand that turns into something more.

Here's the miniblurb:

Cadee Walsh has a high stress job and needs to blow off steam. She spends the night with Worth Pettigrew, recharging from the incredible sex. Imagine her mortification when she finds out he's her new boss.

And a snippet preview…

Cadee wanted to hunt Matt down and punch him.

She inhaled slowly and met Worth's gaze. "To be clear, I am not prone to workplace romances. In fact, you're the first and only one I've ever had." Her fingers flexed on the table. "And it's not like I knew I'd literally run into you two hours after you left my house." She exhaled on a long breath.

How could she get Matt to understand she had zero interest in him?

Worth broke open one of his rolls. "I don't think anyone had that one on their bingo cards." He spread a little butter on one half.

Cadee huffed out a laugh. "True." She sobered. "I'm really not sure what to do about this whole Matt situation. I've never encouraged him. I'm clear when I say I don't want to go out with him." She sighed. "This sucks. Even if I wanted to see you outside of work, it would only give him ammunition to create drama and make life hell." Grabbing her fork, she stabbed a pile of lettuce onto the prongs, picturing Matt while doing so.

Worth placed a hand on hers. "Hey, the salad didn't do anything to you." His thumb brushed over her skin. "But I get it. Murdering a pile of lettuce is better than committing actual homicide on a coworker." His lips twitched.

Cadee rolled her eyes. "You're awful. But you make a good point." She set the silverware aside. "That said, I can't deal with having a guy act like he's my boyfriend and warning off other men I might like to go out with because he thinks we're in a relationship." She paused. "Which we are not." Her teeth ground together.

Worth cocked his head. "Would you? With me?" He shook his head. "Sorry, what I mean is … you said warning off other men you might like to go out with. Am I one you might consider?" His fingers stilled on her hand.

Cadee pressed her lips together. "Damn. That kind of slipped out unexpectedly." She straightened and squared her shoulders. "I won't deny I've thought of you since our night together, even when you're being a pain in my ass at work. But … don't you think Matt will make anything and everything difficult?" She hated even saying those words out loud because doing so gave more power to the guy trying to make her life hell.

Worth lifted his chin. "It's possible. Mainly wanted to see if there's a chance here." He settled back against the booth cushion, picking up his fork again.

Cadee narrowed her gaze. "Meaning there's a possibility you'll be sticking around?" Did she want him to?

She took a moment and turned the thought over in her brain. Yeah. She wouldn't mind getting to know him. But working together might make things difficult even without Matt's interference.

Worth lifted one shoulder. "I've been thinking about it. I loved the travel when I first started but I'd like to settle and I have connections here." He met her gaze. "I know we'll have to navigate some choppy waters, and I can't promise I won't be a pain sometimes, but I'm interested in seeing where things go with us."

Cadee smiled. "I think I'd like that."

This story took a path I didn't expect but I'm rolling with it because I love it.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin