Sunday Snippet: Not Again

My youngest kiddo is twenty today. I'm officially no longer a parent of a teenager. Wow. Feels like a milestone.

Had a long week of work projects but got a decent amount of television viewing done also. Sometimes running in the background and other times when I needed to shut my brain off for a while.

I caught two more episodes of The Alaska Triangle. Skagway featured as a gold-rush ghost town and an island with a possible colony of bigfoot ended up being really interesting.

Watched two episodes of The Muppets. The show is growing on me, which is kind of moot since it's only a single season, I believe.

Enjoyed two episodes of Harrow. I'm very intrigued by the backstory mystery. I want to know who Harrow is protecting because I don't buy into the idea he's the culprit. I'm leaning toward Fern at the moment.

Caught two episodes of Peak Practice. I'm liking season seven even if it's kind of messy at the moment. I also rather love the new doctor.

Dove into two more MasterClass lessons with Es Devlin. I love the way she describes her process and how she encourages collaboration. I think I'm going to love this class.

Started The Witcher: Nightmares of the Wolf and didn't finish it. I'm not in the right head space for the animation right now. I'll pick it back up at some point.

Enjoyed two episodes of Classic Rugrats. This is one of my background shows. I can put an episode on and enjoy while I'm digging into something else. I needed that this week.

Watched two episodes of Chicago Med. I'm very interested in the episode titles and like how they're all part of a theme. This show is so good.

I'm almost finished with the first season of Snoopy in Space. This is another background show that I can put on and enjoy when I need a break. The episodes are a quick ten minutes and very fun to watch.

Caught another episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I'll probably finish this show up and then have to wait impatiently for a new season. My one singular critique of this show is having Gina be so clueless about Mike's disinterest. It's been seven seasons and I kind of wish they'd address that dynamic at some point.

Started a new season of Silent Witness and while there's no Harry anymore, I like the changes. Should be fun to follow along now.

Finished up an arc of Classic Who and will usher in a new season this week. I'll be interested to see where the show goes from here.

Started a new mystery show with Paranoid and thoroughly enjoyed the first episode. I'll enjoy diving into this one.

That's pretty much it for the weekly update. Tonight's post is from Not Again, a novella where my main characters are reunited and have some issues to work through.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Drue Braddock and Xeno Howlett have a rocky relationship, but when Drue goes off on one of her many soul-searching quests, Xeno decides he's had enough. When Drue returns, she finally knows what she wants—Xeno—but she may not get her chance because he's got someone new in his life.

And a preview snippet…

Xeno put a lid on the to-go cup. "Coffee's ready." He poured a regular mug for himself.

Lydia strolled into the kitchen, her gossamer dress clinging to her curves. "What do you have planned to do all day?" She took a bagel from the toaster and spread almond butter over the surface.

He frowned. In the two months she'd been living in the apartment, they'd never made small talk before she headed out for the studio. She liked to focus and prepare for her day's work and he didn't mind the quiet beginning to his morning—he'd had those with Drue also. Lydia making conversation raised a flag.

He blew across the top of his mug. "I've never had to give you a rundown before." His eyebrow arched asking why now.

Lydia slid him a sideways glance. "Your ex just blew back into town. Forgive my curiosity about whether you plan to be seeing her or not." She nibbled on the bagel then set it aside, wrinkling her nose.

The gesture annoyed him … for no reason. Lydia often took two bites of something then decided not to finish. Something about wasting the food never set well with him. But he'd address that issue later…

Xeno placed his mug on the counter. "Let's get something straight, Lydia. I'm not down with giving you a line-by-line look at my schedule. At some point, it's inevitable I'll run into Drue. When that happens, I'll let you know." He'd never held anything back … why start now?

Lydia crossed into the living room. "I don't see a reason you need to interact with her." She grabbed her keys, a filmy cape, and her bag. "But, you're right, you'll eventually cross paths—she'll no doubt make certain you do." Her voice all but did an eye roll.

He didn't care for the snide tone. "Even if that's the case, it doesn't affect us." He entered the room and stood by the door. "I have a history with her. Hell, we both do. There's no avoiding that." He wouldn't try, except to make it clear he'd moved on.

She shrugged. "Maybe not. But we don't have to play the same song on repeat, do we?" She flung her cloak over her shoulder and sailed out the door.

Xeno narrowed his gaze. "I don't think I'm the one stuck in a groove here." Shutting the solid oak panel, he stopped by the kitchen for his coffee then headed for the office he used to share with Drue.

Sitting behind the desk, he heaved a sigh. "I've removed all trace of her, yet her presence looms large." Which made the dig about playing the same tune sting a little more.

He'd already cut Drue physically out of his life—if only to shake things up and help him not repeat past mistakes. He'd kept their interaction to a minimum, all but throwing her out of the place she'd called home for over three years. Eventually, the images of their life together would fade and be replaced with new memories … right?

His head dropped into his hands. "If not … there's gonna be hell to pay."

And he wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs.

Xeno is pretty much in denial at the moment but Drue won't let him stay there. I'm having a great time with this story.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye