Well, the first
week of 2023 is in the books and we're off to a wild start. Here's hoping the
weird and bizarre world stage eventually settles in to what's supposed to be
the Age of Aquarius. I have my fingers crossed.
Had a busy work
week with multiple projects being added to my schedule. I'm excited to get
started on them! The weather did it's usually mild temperatures dropping down
to cold ones. I'm okay with the cold … if it stays cold.
Had an okay viewing
week. I'm still continuing my rewatch of Batman:
The Animated Series. I think I'll have it completed before HBOMax removes
it from screening. Then I'll probably start back on my usual schedule.
I finished up the
second season, which had a strong finish with "The Terrible Trio,"
"Showdown," "Catwalk," "A Bullet for Bullock,"
and "The Lion and the Unicorn," which is one of my favorites because
it dives into Alfred's backstory.
Season three begins
with "Holiday Knights," which is a favorite holiday-themed episode. I
do wonder and can't remember if it ended up being shown out of order in the
original run. I'm too lazy to check Imdb to find out.
I have some
feelings about the drastic change in animation style for season three. There
are a few things I really enjoy, but I'm not a fan of the reimagined villains
or the complete total makeover they gave Bruce. I am fond of the updated
storylines, moving Dick Grayson to Nightwing and adding Tim Drake. I left off
on "Joker's Millions" and should finish that episode this week.
That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from The Honeymoon Plot, a novella that got a start with a writing
community prompt.
Here's the
mini-blurb:
Wynonna Davis and
Gaffney Wesson, the maid of honor and best man for their best friends, hatch a
plot to send the couple on a surprise honeymoon for their first anniversary. In
the process of planning the fabulous getaway, Wy and Gaff find themselves
falling for each other, which may lead to another wedding.
And a snippety peek…
Wynonna Davis pulled
her newly married best friend Rose into a big hug. "Congratulations,
Rosie. I wish this could've been the wedding you hoped for." She eased
away to find tears shimmering in Rose's eyes.
Rose dashed them
away. "How is it possible to be so happy yet incredible sad at the same
time?" She shook her head.
Her husband put an
arm around her shoulders. "Because no one expected to lose your gram three
days before the ceremony." He pressed a kiss to her temple. "It's
only natural to mourn the loss, especially since she raised you."
The best man, Gaffney
Wesson, poked his head into the small chapel. "Byrne? I've got the car
waiting for the new Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair." He swept an arm toward the
steps. "And everyone wants to give you their best wishes."
Wynonna glanced
outside. Sure enough, the group of thirty guests, scaled way down from the
original one hundred, lined the walkway waiting for Rose and Byrne to exit the
church.
Wynonna gathered the
bouquets and led the couple to the door. Gaffney fell into step beside her and
they made their way to the vehicle while Rose and Byrne accepted well wishes
and congratulations. By the time they made it through the small crowd, Gaffney
sat behind the wheel and Wynonna had the back doors open for the couple.
Rose slid inside and
let out a watery sigh. "It's so weird that I'll be accepting condolences
from the same group in two days." She placed her head on Byrne's shoulder
when he got seated.
Wynonna took her spot
in the front passenger seat and slid her gaze toward Gaffney. He glanced in the
rearview mirror. "Sure I can't take you guys to the Waterton? Might be
good have a night to yourselves." He put the car in gear and started down
the gravel drive.
Wynonna silently
thanked him for broaching the topic. She'd suggested something similar. People
had been dropping by the Barrett house, offering sympathy and food, along with
leaving wedding presents. All in all, it had been a surreal few days.
Byrne met Rosie's
gaze before answering. "Appreciate the offer, but we're still finalizing
the arrangements and Rose has some pictures she wants to sort through."
Gaffney lifted his
chin. "I understand. We'll head to the house then." He glanced toward
Wynonna with an apology in his eyes.
Her lips curved
slightly. He'd given it his best shot. She didn't blame him for not making
headway.
Rose sniffled a
little. "Wy, I know you'd do the pictures, but I think it'll help me say
good-bye, you know? And Byrne's already losing the deposit on the honeymoon
package and his two-weeks off will be helping me figure out how to navigate
settling Gram's estate." She sucked in a deep breath. "Thank you both
so much. I'm not sure I'd have made it through the past few days without you
stepping in so Byrne could hold my hand through everything."
Wynonna met Gaffney's
gaze. He caught the fact Rose seemed to be rambling about random topics and
mixing them all together. He sent a silent message suggesting she change the
subject.
Wynonna turned in the
seat a little. "Gaff and I worked well together. You and Byrne have great
taste in best friends." The answering chuckles meant she accomplished her
goal of lightening the mood.
She'd met Gaffney all
of twice before Mona Barrett's death. But they had worked well together, splitting the list of people to call and
text, arranging to postpose the reception, cancelling the DJ, and putting the
caterer and bartender on hold. Gaffney didn't shy away from doing his fair
share and didn't grump or growl when he'd had to return several cases of
alcohol to the distributor.
Wynonna couldn't
imagine a better person to go through the trial by fire they'd gone through to
get their friends married.
And
he's easy on the eyes, which helps.
Rose laced her
fingers with Byrne's. "We do know all the best people."
He squeezed her hand.
"And they take very good care of us." He nodded toward the window.
"We're here."
After a brief flurry
of activity to get the couple into the house and a quick round of good-byes,
Wynonna stood on the porch with Gaffney. Her heart ached for Rose, but Byrne
would make sure she got through the night. Wynonna wished she had that kind of
support … an empty apartment would be the only thing welcoming her home
tonight.
Crap!
Her head dropped
back. "Damn. I'm such an idiot." She'd taken an uber with Rose to the
church and left her car at home.
Gaffney's lips
quirked. "No, you aren't." He nudged her shoulder. "I planned to
give you a lift." He crooked his elbow, ready to escort her home.
She sent a smile his
way and wrapped her fingers around his arm. "You really are the
best." At least one of them thought ahead.
This is a newly
started work and it's taking shape in a way I didn't expect. Looking forward to
seeing what Wy and Gaff come up with.
That's it for this
week. Happy reading!
Skylin
