Had a less than
productive week after having two teeth extracted. It's strange because they
really weren't difficult to remove—well, one of them ended up being a little
harder than the other—but it still threw me off. I think because they were on opposite
sides with one on top and the other on the bottom, which made eating a tad
challenging.
I also took time
away on Friday to meet my daughter so we could do early voting. Very happy to
have that done! I voted to raise my taxes for the school and emergency services
levies.
Work stayed busy
with some cleanup on two drafts and two copy edits. I also checked changes on
two proofreads. Those were kind of dropped in on the fly.
Didn't quite make a
full round of my usual shows this week, but I did get through about half.
Watched another
episode of Mr. and Mrs. Murder and it was one I'd seen at least part of.
Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Caught another London
Kills and I'm liking this show. The overarching mystery of what happened to
the DCI's wife folded into the two cases is interesting to me. I'm a little
worried about the trainee DC. Things could go really sideways for her if she's
not careful.
Enjoyed another Death
in Paradise episode. I kind of feel like this is the season where Commissioner
Patterson gets a lot more screen time. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I
enjoy him.
Finished the second
half of Silent Witness and, whoo boy, what a ride this two-parter was.
I'm going to be very interested in seeing if there's any fallout from
everything that went down.
That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from It's Academic,
a novella that brings polar opposites together as a couple.
Here's the miniblurb:
Chaos and control don't mix, but Kari Pride and Thorn
Summers must find a way to balance the two or drive each other mad when they
become roommates. By the end of the semester, Thorn tempers Kari's sloppy
habits and she makes him yield his ruthless organization for some much-needed
spontaneity. When their relationship gets personal, they have to figure out how
to navigate new territory.
And a preview snippet…
Thorn narrowed his eyes when his
roommate retreated out into the hall.
He turned and met Markum's gaze.
"Thanks for personally showing me to the dorm." A nice gesture even
if the elder wanted to impress Thurston more than anything else.
Arnold inclined his head.
"Your stuff will be arriving any moment." He looked upward then
around the room.
Sure enough, Thorn's neatly packed
boxes and suitcases appeared in the space.
Markum chuckled. "That word
your grandfather asked for before he left?" He lifted his chin toward the
items. "That's what it was about." With a bow of his head, he turned
and left Thorne to get settled.
Happy to have his personal items
without having to make several trips, he started organizing. He hung clothes
and put them in the built-in dresser along the wall then broke the boxes down
and stashed them in the closet to use at the end of the semester. He made the
bed up and folded his towels and added them to the cubicles above the drawers
along with his shower stuff. His books and other belongings were precisely laid
out on the coverlet.
Taking a moment to study the
shelves next to the cubicles, he rearranged a few of the stacks. "Let's
see if I can do this…" And not get caught.
Practicing magick before classes
began could get him into trouble. But he might as well take advantage of being
a legacy student. If Thurston Summers could break rules by conjuring Thorn's
boxes to his dorm, why shouldn't Thorn push boundaries also?
He pictured where he wanted things
to be and uttered an incantation. Opening his eyes, he made a quick dash to
keep one of his books from falling off the edge of the shelf. He placed the
heavy tome on top of the dresser.
Moving back, he gave a nod. "Okay,
not quite perfect but damn close." And he really shouldn't be practicing.
"My roommate could've returned at any moment." But he'd saved a lot
of time by taking the chance she wouldn't.
Satisfied with everything, he sat
on the edge of the bed. "I'm rooming with a woman." The idea didn't faze
him, but he wondered how they'd get along.
And he didn't know what to make of
his roommate—other than thinking she had striking features. "Especially
her eyes." The color reminded him of the dense forest surrounding his
grandfather's house.
She also had a slightly pointed
chin, high cheekbones, and a mane of dark hair that framed her face. Her
clothes were functional, which intrigued Thorn. A pair of olive-drab cargo
shorts, a red tank top, and a long-sleeved multicolored cotton shirt tied
around her waist. A pair of flip-flops rounded out the outfit. His mother would
feign a stroke before being caught wearing anything like Kari's ensemble. Thelma
Summers had a preference for boring monochromatic clothes.
Thorn grinned. "Gonna be nice
to have some color in my life now." If nothing else, having Kari as his
dormmate would challenge his status quo, which he welcomed because he'd come to
Stonebridge to escape the trappings of normal life.
Kari definitely piqued his
curiosity. She claimed to be showering after moving all the boxes, but she
didn't have a drop of perspiration on her.
He huffed out a breath.
"Interesting." Leaning back on the mattress, he viewed his side of
the room again—very happy with the pristine state of his stuff.
A couple of knocks sounded on the
door and Kari entered, her hair still damp and tousled. "Figured we should
have a two-knock warning until we figure out comfort levels." She tossed
her damp towel on the footboard of the bed.
Thorn grunted. "Probably a
good idea." He got up and thrust his hand out. "Nice to meet you, by
the way."
She slid her palm against his and
gave a firm shake. "Same. Sorry I cut out earlier." She let go and
walked over to one of her boxes. "I'm a little lost in this huge building.
Wanted to explore a little and get my bearings." Pulling out a pair of
capri-length leggings, she went back to the container and grabbed another tank
top in a turquoise shade.
Turning her back to him, she
slipped the leggings on then dropped her robe and slid the shirt over her head.
Thorn did his best not to stare and
failed. Sleek muscles and rounded curves drew his gaze. If he had a type—and he
didn't think he did—he might have to consider her.
She sat on the edge of her unmade
bed. "So … Thorn? Unique name. When I first saw it on the check-in list, I
wondered if you had siblings?" Her mouth twisted in a wry grin. "And
if they had interesting names, too. Like Briar or Bramble."
Thorn laughed. "Uh, no. I have
one sibling, and his name is Thrace. The whole T-H thing started with my
great-grandfather Thrummond. My grandfather is Thurston. My mom's name is
Thelma."
Kari leaned forward, putting her
elbows on her knees. "A tradition. That's kind of nice."
Thorn rolled his eyes. "It's
kind of pretentious." A lot like his pompous grandfather.
Kari chuckled. "Sounds like you
don't take it too seriously."
Thorn shrugged. "Not really,
no. How 'bout you? Any siblings or weird familial quirks?"
I'm enjoying this soon-to-be
couple. I love writing forced proximity when the duo doesn't have a lot in
common with each other.
That's it for this
week.
Cheers!
Skye