Sunday Snippet: Dodging Bullets

This is going to be a super busy week. The best part is my daughter is graduating from grad school on Friday. I'm so excited for her. And very proud of her accomplishments!

Our weather did the warm up then plummet back down thing this week. Gorgeous, though. Everything is turning green and blooming. I love those first signs of new growth.

Got a lot finished up with work projects. I think I'm getting closer to having a work-life balance again. I hope so because I have a busy May and June coming up and need to get some things done around my house.

Pretty decent week of viewing. I ended up keeping Dark Winds on the back burner because one of my faves dropped new episodes.

I finished up the run of London Kills. I'm quite happy with where things ended up on the chance there won't be any new episodes. I will say I'm not keen on the other DI so I'm hoping that's not going to be a thing if there is more to this series.

Brokenwood Mysteries is back! Watched the premiere episode and it didn't disappoint. Kind of twisty and turny and a little bit bonkers, which is perfect. Also rather nice to see Mike's house again. It's been missing the last few seasons.

Enjoyed an episode of Death in Paradise. I'd seen most of this one and liked it. I'm interested in how things with Selwyn's daughter will end up playing out.

Caught another episode of Beyond Paradise. I'm almost finished with the second season and hope the third will be available soon. Really liked the episode. I loved the interactions with Esther and Zoe. And really loved watching Anne deal with the letdown of finding out her new man is married.

Watched another episode of Batman Beyond. I have vague memories of this one but don't remember enough to know if Blight will end up making a return. My money is on yes.

Finished out the week with an episode of Classic Rugrats and, again, both were new to me. Actually loved the crawl space one. And, weirdly, I really enjoy Taffy.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Dodging Bullets, a novella that explores the family dynamics around a couple that grew up together.

Here's the miniblurb:

Sable and Gage live on the same street and survive their childhood by having each other's backs. When they grow up, they're still looking out for each other, but instead of ducking verbal barbs and flying objects, they're dodging bullets instead.

And a snippety peek…

Sable didn't give Betty the courtesy of waiting for a greeting—she pushed her way inside Betty's house. "What the actual hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to get Gage killed?" She rolled to a stop in the living room and whirled to face Gage's mom.

Betty sputtered. "Get the fuck out of my house. You can't just shove your way in here and start yelling at me." She planted her hands on her hips and braced her feet.

Sable arched her brows. "Why not? You yell all the time." She folded her arms over her chest. "And you don't get to dictate terms this time. You're goddamned lucky I'm not hauling you in for interfering with the police." By rights, she could arrest Betty.

Betty's eyes went wide. "Garth told you?" Betrayal laced her tone.

Sable rolled her eyes. "Unlike you, he at least listens to reason. He's holding back and waiting at the diner to see if Megan is with the group of women in the warehouse." At least Sable hoped Garth heeded her warning.

Betty frowned. "As a paramedic, Garth has every right to be on scene. They'll need EMS services."

Sable bit back a string of expletives. "Are you serious right now? You have no idea what kind of shape those women will be in, but you've seen what can happen. If she's been hurt—or worse—how's he going to deal with that? Is that what you really want for Garth?" Anger roared through her. "You suck as a parent. Putting one son's career on the line and possibly exposing the other to a nightmare scenario because of your need to trash Gage's life because he's with me." She pinned Betty with a hard stare. "If anything happens to either of them, I’m going to hold you responsible and make sure everyone knows you’re the one who fucked up and put them in harm’s way." And heaven help whoever gave Betty the heads-up.

Betty got a little bitter. "You're just like your mother. You barge in—uninvited—make wild accusations and then threaten me about my boys. Bianca used to think she was better than everyone else, and you're just the same, kicking the shit out of everything because you can." Venom poured from her.

Sable blinked. "Excuse me. You're more like Bianca than I'll ever be. She ruined everything in her life. But look at what you're doing now. Manipulating your boys to satisfy a whim … all because you find me lacking. If that's not kicking the shit out of everything because you can, I don't know what is." The fucking audacity of the woman. "And you know what the truly awful part is? You wouldn't have a relationship with Gage if not for me. I ask him not to skip dinners with you and Garth, because I know what it's like to lose your whole damn family. A mom is still a mom even if they're not the greatest. And it hurts to not have one. So, I encourage him not to cut ties with you." Maybe she should finally rethink that idea.

Betty snorted. "Sounds like you’ve got my boy wrapped." She grimaced and rolled her eyes. "Just like your mom had your dad wound around her finger."

Sable shook her head. "You're so wrong. It's never about bending Gage to my will. It's about what we feel for each other. I love him, and he loves me. I’m sorry that's something you missed out on and didn't get to experience." She paused a moment. "But I'm done being your emotional punching bag. It's been a fucking journey with you, and this is my exit ramp." She met the other woman's gaze again. "I'll never keep Gage from having a relationship with you, but I'm finished trying to make sure he does. From this point forward, that's all on you." Sable kept her head up and strode to the door.

Once she exited the house, she resisted the urge to run like hell to get away from the toxicity of Betty Waterson.

This story is coming together in bits and pieces, but I'm pleased with how it's shaping up.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Bullets

It’s been a long and fun week. Left for vacation on Wednesday morning and we head home on Monday morning. I won’t have much in the way of viewing this week, so I’ll update next week with my regular schedule.

So far, I can honestly say the Grand Canyon is quite incredible. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. It’s been great to see family and I’m kind of glad my husband and I both have family in the state of Arizona now. Gives a reason to return in the future.

I’ll be keeping the post brief and only note that I’ve started a new show and I’m excited to discuss next time. The life update is mainly I’m exhausted in the best way possible and I’m thrilled we got to have some time way. But I also can’t wait to get home and hug the dogs and kids.

Tonight’s post is from Dodging Bullets, a novella that has a history between the characters that they don’t let get in the way of pursuing their future.

Here’s the mini-blurb:

Sable and Gage live on the same street and survive their childhood by having each other's backs. When they grow up, they're still looking out for each other, but instead of ducking verbal barbs and flying objects, they're dodging bullets instead.

And a snippety peek…

Gage waited outside the interview room for Sable to exit. "Looks like vice let you have a go at the suspect." He fell into step beside her.

She smirked. "I didn't take no for an answer." Making the turn into the bull pen, she crossed over to her desk. "And they were kind of happy to kick him over to major crimes since he connects to the trafficking case." She put her notebook in her messenger bag and grabbed her coat.

Gage grunted. "They offer an explanation about why they didn't give your division a heads-up?"

Sable shrugged. "Red tape. The usual excuse." She headed for the corridor that would take them to the parking area.

Gage followed along. "Right. How come vice always uses that one?" The squad did sweeps all the time and didn't seem to have an issue with blaring that information all over the place.

But when it came to takedowns, well, vice could be very tight-lipped.

Sable waited until they exited the building before responding. "First, it's a convenient fallback. Second, the gambling ring they targeted has some top-level hackers so they kept the whole deal under wraps." She paused by her car. "I guess that makes sense, but there's a reason we still have internal memos. They don't get viewed as quickly as an email, but they can't be traced electronically." Popping the door, she tucked her bag and coat inside.

Gage gave a nod. "So, your guy ended up being what? Hired security or something?" He'd done some checking and Blake didn't have solid ties with the rest of the group.

Sable lifted her chin. "That's what we're going with right now. The gambling ring suspects had no idea about Blake's involvement with the trafficking. Don't be surprised if your unit gets another callout soon. Our friend Jordan spilled some tea." She turned and faced him.

Gage leaned against the back door. "Should be fun. Will I see you at home later?" He had to do his monthly visit with his mom—something he rarely looked forward to.

Sable gave a nod. "Sure. I'm having dinner with your dad. He's cooking." She flashed a grin. "Which means we might be ordering out."

Gage laughed. "Or eating cereal." Which Sable experienced many times when they were growing up.

She chuckled and clasped his hand for a brief second. "Should be home by nine. See you there."

He squeezed her fingers then backed away so she could head out. They didn't do public displays at the precinct—they hadn't been official that long and kept the relationship private. Not that they'd be able to keep it that way for long—not when his mom and brother each knew.

He made his way to his vehicle. "Ugh. Can't wait to hear what way Mom will try to trash Sable tonight." He'd only have about ten minutes to prepare.

Betty Waterson could definitely give lessons in holding a grudge.

I have so much love for this story. It’s coming together and I’m finally finding the groove and vibe I want. Fingers crossed I can get this one ready to go early next year.

 

That’s it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Bullets

So far, June is shaping up to be a weird month. Work has slowed way down, which isn't an all bad thing. I've been very fortunate to have a steady flow when so many others have been furloughed or, worse, completely lost their job. That said, it's weird to have time on my hands so I'm hitting projects I've been putting off for ages. It's kind of wonderful and scary all at the same time.

Hit or miss week with television viewing. I haven't been watching as much as I normally do, mainly because I've been doing a good bit of writing. I did catch another episode of Danger Man. Almost finished with the second season.

I caught the penultimate episode of Arrow. Green Arrow and the Canaries ended up being more entertaining than I thought it would be. I'd watch the new version if it comes around.

Also started another episode of Riverdale. I'll be honest, I'm probably done after this season. Alice came such a long way and now she's back to being her obnoxiously overbearing self. I had so hoped she'd maintain her character growth. Bleh.

That's pretty much it for this week. Tonight's post is from Dodging Bullets, a novella that's coming along with main characters that have a long history.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Sable and Gage live on the same street and survive their childhood by having each other's backs. When they grow up, they're still looking out for each other, but instead of ducking verbal barbs and flying objects, they're dodging bullets instead.

And a snippety peek…

Sable couldn't believe Gage followed her. When Betty found out, she'd go batshit on Gage's ass. Then blame Sable.

Again.

She grabbed another box of T-shirts. "Your mom is gonna flip her shit when she finds out you followed me." She dumped the box and shoved half over toward Gage.

He shrugged. "She's been in full-on bitch mode for months now. This isn't going to make her any worse." He sorted through the shirts, lining them up in a pile. "I wish I knew why she spiraled all the time." Deftly, he folded the tee in front of him.

Sable had a solid idea why Betty Waterson hated her life. But … what would telling Gage accomplish? At fifteen, would he want to know intimate details about his mother's life before Prescott?

Knowing why his mom hated Sable could help him understand. Or … it could cost Sable the one person—aside from Bernie and Prescott—who helped keep her sane. Her gut said Gage wouldn't walk away … and she hoped he wouldn't.

Pausing mid-fold, she angled around, resting her butt on the workspace. "You might want to cut your mom a break." It almost pained her to say those words.

Gage stopped, his gaze flying to hers. "Why the hell would you want me to?" He grabbed a stool and sat upon it.

Sable shrugged. "My grandma filled me in on some things last night. You know my dad wrote most the The Bangers songs, right?" Ivan had a gift with words.

Gage folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah, so?" His eyes narrowed but he didn't say more.

Sable absently flicked specks of imaginary lint off the cotton fabric. "Their very first hit, the one that put them on the road to stardom, was 'Elizabeth is Calling'." She swallowed hard, kind of wishing she hadn't started the conversation. "Know who he wrote that one for?" Gradually, she raised her gaze to meet his.

His face showed confusion first, then a dawning realization, then disbelief.

He shook his head. "No effing way. You're saying my mom is the Elizabeth in the song?" He got up, pacing with agitated steps.

Sable nodded. "According to my grandma, my dad and your mom were a hot item back in the day. They broke up when Betty went to school because my dad put everything he had into the band and getting them a record deal and setting up live shows. He wrote the song as wish fulfillment or something like that." She paused, because her brain still struggled to imagine her dad with Gage's mom.

Gage stopped walking. "What does this have to do with anything?" He went back to striding back and forth.

Sable sighed. "Apparently, when the song hit big, your mom came home on break hoping to pick back up with my dad." She stopped again, hating the next part.

Gage huffed out a breath. "Sable, you can't not tell me the rest." He sat down again, bracing his hands on the edge of the stool.

She blew out a long breath. "She came home too late. Because the week before, my dad met Bianca and ended up marrying her and taking her on tour with the band." The one and only time Ivan got drunk, according to Grandma Zelma. "And that's why your mom hates—hated—my dad. And my mom."

Gage shook his head. "And, what? That gives her a pass to hate you too. Why should I cut her a break for that?"

Sable's eyes filled. "Because she's your mom and even though Bianca sucked at being a parent, she's never coming back and I wouldn't wish that on anyone." The tears overflowed and she dashed them away.

Gage came up off the stool and hauled her against him. "Dammit, Sable. I'm sorry for making you cry. But it's not fair. The way she treats you." He eased away, gently cupping her chin. "I'll try to be more understanding, though. Even when I want to smash things when she's yelling at my dad and us all the time."

Sable gave him a small smile. "Thanks. Trying is good." She held his gaze, tingles of awareness running through her.

A first for her. She hugged Gage and Garth all the time, but not like this … being held, comforted, and … cared for by Gage seemed so different.

The moment stretched out and the air in the room shifted. Gage's eyes turned darker and his grip tightened on her chin. His head drifted toward hers and Sable's breath hitched in her throat…

Garth burst into the room. "Gage, bro, you gotta get home. Mom's ready to call the entire precinct in to find you." He stopped short. "What's going on? Why're you all up close and personal with Sable?" He cocked his head to one side. "And why's she crying?"

Gage rolled his eyes. "Why do you think, dumbass?" His gaze met hers, a silent communication passing between them. "She's still a little sad about her parents." Pulling away, he squeezed her hands. "I'd better go, but I'll see you later." His tone held a wealth of promise.

Sable nodded again, unable to form words. She moved aside, letting Gage pass by her, and stood alone in the room when he left with Garth.

Her fingers brushed over her chin where Gage's had been. If Garth hadn't interrupted when he did, I would've had my first kiss. And she wouldn't have minded one little bit.

I love this story and how it's coming together. Gage and Sable are fun characters and the family drama is a treat to write.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Bullets

January 7, 2018

I hope 2018 is off to a great start for everyone. For myself, it's like an arctic tundra in Ohio but that gives me time to write, edit, and catch up on lots of television. Unless it's three a.m. and the dog has to pee… then it takes fifteen minutes to bundle up to go outside so we don't end up coming back in as popsicles. LOL

As mentioned, I watched Passionflix's The Trouble with Mistletoe last week and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Honestly, the adaption hit all the right emotional notes. There were moments that felt a little rushed, but I have to give props for being able to convey small story beats so masterfully.

Also got caught up on Riverdale. The winter finale tied up the black hood storyline… I think. That new janitor dude is very sketchy-looking so, yeah, not sure. I am looking forward to new episodes to see what new fresh hell Hiram has planned for Riverdale.

I'm almost halfway through season two of Chicago Fire. I'm still not wholly down with the entire McLeod arc. The resolution, while satisfying—watching Isabella shut Gail down was a thing of beauty—didn't exactly make up for not know why she had it in for station fifty-one. Her bonus notwithstanding, I didn't quite buy the whole vindictive nature.

I'm looking forward to the return of my regular network fare in the next two weeks, especially Arrow.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Dodging Bullets, a novella that sprang from an idea of having childhood friends who grow adept at ducking for cover.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Sable and Gage live on the same street and survive their childhood by having each other's backs. When they grow up, they're still looking out for each other, but instead of ducking verbal barbs and flying objects, they're dodging bullets instead.

And a snippety peek…

Sable Rich withdrew her weapon and crouched low against the back of the building—an old warehouse marked for demolition next year. Major crimes had a lead on a human trafficker working out of the location and Sable volunteered to follow up. Raised voices and an exchange of gunfire brought her up to the front of the brick façade. She darted around the corner and stopped short.

"Shit." She'd stumbled into an active takedown scene.

Damn her superiors for not knowing another squad already had dibs.

Her exclamation drew the attention of a tactical unit member. His head angled around and she breathed easier. Gage Waterson. Best friend. Fellow officer. And possibly more.

He cocked an eyebrow and sent her a look—one that said shit just got real—and she heeded the warning. She dove for cover right before a hail of bullets rained down from an upper level window. From her position, she had a line of sight to the second floor and she didn't hesitate. She fired her weapon and the automatic rifle fire ended.

Gage shot a thumbs-up in her direction then everything went back to standard operating procedure. The tactical unit fanned out, rounding up two suspects outside while simultaneously breaching the building to find the others. Sable hung back until the all clear then made her way to the unit commander, hoping like hell she didn't end up with a reprimand for jacking into their op.

The lieutenant shook his head. "Detective Rich, we weren't expecting you." He motioned for the uniformed officers to start loading the criminals into the van. "If we had been, you wouldn't have had to dodge so many bullets."

"She's been dodging bullets since grade school." Gage stopped by her side, his helmet tucked under his arm. "You winged the second-floor shooter. He'll be patched up then escorted to jail with the others." He directed his comment to Sable but spoke for the benefit of his commanding officer.

Sable appreciated the gesture. Might save her ass.

The lieutenant leveled his gaze on Sable. "That was you?"

She shrugged. "I had a good vantage point. Didn't know if you needed him for questioning. I tagged his shoulder so he couldn't keep firing."

The lieutenant inclined his chin. "Nicely done, detective. And it makes up for you being somewhere you shouldn't have been. What's major crimes' interest here?"

Sable held up her hands. "In my defense, we didn't know you planned a takedown tonight. We caught a lead on our human trafficking case and I came to make inquiries about Jordan Blake—"

Gage cut her off. "That's the guy you put out of commission."

Sable met the lieutenant's gaze head-on. "I'd like to talk to him when you're through."

The lieutenant lifted a shoulder. "You'll need to get with vice. They're the ones who requested our unit for the operation."

Sable gave a terse nod. "Thanks, I'll do that." She also tried to end on a positive note. "Sorry about the mix-up. Vice neglected to inform our division they had an active operation."

The lieutenant waved her off. "Sometimes the work moves faster than the red tape." A uniformed officer approached him and Sable took the opportunity to make an escape.

Gage fell into step beside her. "Nice to know we've still got that silent communication thing going."

Sable cracked a smile. "And that I can still duck for cover faster than most normal people."

Gage nudged her shoulder. "You've had a lot of practice." He would know… he'd been there for most of her crazy childhood.

But he missed the very first time Sable had to duck and run.

I truly love where this story is going. Now I need about four more hours in each day to really dig in and finish it.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Bullets

*sigh*

Sit back and get a little comfy. I'm going to blather on about my disappointment in the new season of Doctor Who, which feels almost sacrilegious, but necessary. Maybe if I purge myself, I'll enjoy the show more.

So… as mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of Capaldi as the Doctor. This has nothing to do with his acting. I enjoy his work. But… here's the thing… I just can't get past the fact he's been two other characters besides the Doctor in the Whoverse—Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii and John Frobisher in Torchwood: Children of Earth. But wait! What about Eve Myles? She played a character in Doctor Who before being in Torchwood. Why doesn't that bother me?

One simple reason. The character she played in The Unquiet Dead, Gwyneth, by rights, could have been an ancestor of Torchwood's Gwen, so… my brain has no problem wrapping around the idea. But Capaldi's characters? Not so much. Wanna know why?

Because THE DOCTOR doesn't have ancestors on earth. Even if I bought the idea Caecilius could be John Frobisher's ancestor, I can't buy the idea they're somehow related to the Doctor. EVER. It's just a big, fat NOPE.

Do I take this Whoverse stuff way too seriously? Oh, hell yes, I do. LOL But… I miss the continuity of the earlier Davies seasons. The sweeping emotional arcs we got in even a single episode. And Moffat is more than capable of writing that way. I mean Blink is one of the most emotional roller coaster episodes I've EVER watched on TV, so he's got the chops to connect with me on that emotional level… when he's not trying to be too quirky or clever or whatever the hell he's trying to be with the gimmicky shtick he's been throwing out lately, especially with the two opening episodes of this season. They were disjointed and messy and I'm honestly not sure what I was watching, but it's not the Doctor Who I love.

And no worries if anyone vehemently disagrees with me. I'm totally okay with the rest of the planet loving the Doctor as much as they always have. I'm just not quite there yet—maybe I never will be—but I'm hoping Moffat rises to the challenge of keeping me as a viewer.

Whew. I feel WAY better now. Thanks for letting me vent. LOL I think I'll rant a little more on my sister blog, or you know, copy this and post it there, too. :D

I could go on about having new episodes of Lost Girl to watch, but I'll save it for a later post.

Moving on… Tonight's post is from Dodging Bullets, a novella where my main characters have a long history together.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Sable and Gage live on the same street and survive their childhood by having each other's backs. When they grow up, they're still looking out for each other, but instead of ducking verbal barbs and flying objects, they're dodging bullets instead.

And a snippety peek…

Gage slammed out of the house and slumped into the chair on his front porch. His mom and dad were going at it again.

Betty screeched. "You're always going over there. She's got a grandparent who's perfectly capable of handling her."

Prescott spoke with a calm voice. "That girl has a name. Sable. And her grandmother asked me to take Sable to lunch occasionally. She just lost both of her parents, as you're well aware since you worked the scene. What harm can it do? Fourteen is hard enough without being orphaned the way she was."

Betty made a rude noise. "Maybe if her mother hadn't been strung out and driving close to ninety miles per hour, little Miss Sable wouldn't be an orphan."

Gage clenched his fists. His mom always said bitchy things about Sable and her mother. And, geez, when she got started on Sable's dad, she went off the deep end. Gage might only be fifteen, but he knew enough to get something had gone down between Betty and Ivan. He didn't know what, exactly, but something serious.

His dad defended his actions again. "Look, Betty, it's not a problem for me to spend a little time with Sable. She's a sweet kid who suffered a hard loss. And, hell, she lives across the street, is friends with the boys, and doesn't need anything from me but time."

Betty made another snide remark. "Well, of course, not. Ivan left her a fat life insurance policy. That girl will never know an honest day's work. She'll end up like Bianca, always chasing her next bottle or high—"

The thump of feet on the steps drew Gage's attention. Shit. Sable paused midway, her hand gripping the railing, her eyes filled with shock and sadness. Sable put the carryout bag she had in her free hand on the porch and tripped down the stairs, taking off down the block. Gage cursed his mother's nastiness, grabbed the bag, and shoved it inside the house, letting the door slam shut. He took off after Sable, following his gut instinct and heading to The Aardvark. Sable always went there when she didn't have anywhere else to go.

And right now, his house had so much toxic bullshit, he didn't want to be there.

He made the short walk to the store. When he entered, Bernie jerked his head toward the back room. Gage ducked around the counter and into the closed off space to find Sable hunched over the work table sorting t-shirts while sniffling.

He laid a hand on her shoulder and she tensed. "I'm sorry, Sable. My mom's a bitch sometimes."

She relaxed and choked out a laugh. Gage settled on the stool next to hers and grabbed a pile of the shirts. He started stacking his on the piles she'd already created. Sable continued to work on her grouping and the silence stretched out between them, but not in a bad way. Sable would talk when she wanted, not before.

When Sable does talk, Gage finally learns why his mom has so many issues with Sable's dad.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Bullets

Hello!

Okay, getting the TV stuff out of the way first, as always, but did you watch the Arrow mid-season finally? If you didn't, why not!! Seriously, the show keeps getting better and better, and it was already pretty damned great. :D

Sons of Anarchy finale this week and whoa. I seriously have no idea how anything will play out. Sutter never quite goes where I think he will and that's part of what I love about the show.

Walking Dead gave me a very satisfactory finale even if it killed off one of my favorite characters. Can't ask for more than that, right?

I'm hoping to start Almost Human in the near future and catch up so I can watch in real time. I've heard very good things about the show.

Tonight's post is from Dodging Bullets, a novella featuring characters who've grown up together and still have a connection.

Here's the tagline:

Sable and Gage live on the same street and survive their childhood by having each other's backs. When they grow up, they're still looking out for each other, but instead of ducking verbal barbs and flying objects, they're dodging bullets instead.

And a snippety peek…

Sable unhooked the back gate just in time to dodge the pepper grinder being lobbed at her dad's head. He shot her a look and she turned around, beating a hasty retreat to the nearby novelty store. He'd long ago made Sable promise if she got the raised eyebrow she'd go straight to shop and wait. Ivan would pick her up after Bianca cooled off. Until she did, Sable would hang out with Bernie, the owner and a good friend of Ivan's.

Sometimes her parents acted more like they were twelve instead of Sable. Okay, her mom did. Bianca threw more temper tantrums in a week than Sable had her whole life.

She skipped around the corner and waited for the light to change then darted across the street and made a left. The Aardvark's neon sign shone like a beacon of welcome in a torrential downpour of well, words she shouldn't know or say.

She pushed the door open and shouted. "Hey, Bernie! How's it hanging?"

Her dad's friend shook his head. "Sable, you know that greeting is inappropriate. You're almost a teenager." He came around the counter and nodded towards a couple of customers. "Do you want me to get arrested for contributing to your delinquency?"

Sable snorted. "It's just Gage and Garth. They're not customers. They're a pain in the butt."

Bernie sighed. "No they're not. They hang out here as much as you do." He lowered his voice. "But their dad is a cop and you need to remember that."

The light bulb went off and she nodded. "Sorry, Bernie. I'll just say hi next time."

He grinned and went back to his post behind the cash register. "Do you need a snack? I've got peanut butter and graham crackers."

She cracked a smile. "You got chocolate sprinkles left?" She loved the mix of peanut butter and chocolate.

Bernie chuckled. "You know I do." He jerked his head towards the back. "Keep an eye on things out here. I'll go get it ready."

Sable bounced around the counter and climbed up onto the metal stool Bernie kept stashed just for her. "I got this." She waved Bernie away.

Settling down, she turned her attention to Gage and Garth Waterson. The brothers lived across the street, three doors down from her house. Gage a year older than Sable, Garth a year younger, they often ended up walking home from school together. Other parents picked their kids up, but Bianca Rich couldn't be bothered. Betty Waterson worked as a paramedic for the city's fire department and trusted her boys would get home without incident. With a beat cop for a dad, they knew what to look out for.

"You can't buy that shirt, Garth. Mom will freak out and kick your ass." Gage grabbed the shirt from his younger brother.

Garth slugged him. "You better stop cussing. You'll do it in front of mom and she'll kick your ass." He snagged the tee back and held it out of Gage's reach. "I'll wait 'til she's working a twenty-four and only wear it then." He smirked at his brilliant idea.

Gage rolled his eyes. "Fine. But when she goes apeshit, don't come crying to me." He threw the shirt in the plastic basket and moved over to the ball caps.

She wondered why Gage got so bent over Garth's choice. Maybe the garment had one of the more offensive slogans on it. She shook her head. Gage shouldn't have caved. Garth would forget and get busted wearing the shirt then Gage would take the heat from whatever their mom tried to throw at Garth. He always did.

Her curiosity getting the better of her, Sable slid off the stool and made her way over to the boys. Maybe she could talk Garth into picking something else. She hated how mopey Gage got when their mom started slinging verbal barbs.

She tapped Gage on the shoulder. "Hey. What's going on?" She cast a furtive glance inside their basket.

Well, shit. Gage's reason for concern smacked Sable in the face. Garth didn't choose one of the questionable sayings. He'd opted for a silkscreen of a local band—

The Bangers—her dad's group.

Sable huffed out a breath. "Garth, man, you don't wanna take that shirt home. You'll be lucky if your mom doesn’t set it—and you—on fire."

And then have to call her co-workers to come and put the flames out.

Garth heaved a sigh and went to hang the shirt back on the display rack.

Gage nudged Sable's shoulder. "Thanks, Sable."

Sable nodded and met Gage's gaze. "No problem. I feel bad for Garth."

Gage tilted his head. "Why?"

Sable shrugged. "Because it's not his fault your mom hates my dad."

Sometimes I love writing characters who have a rich history yet can't see what's right in front of them… but Sable and Gage get it and keep their connection, even when they're grown. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin