Sunday Snippet: Think Twice

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 Think Twice, a novella that brings a couple with super skills together.

Here's the miniblurb:

When Judd Millian asks Pru Watson to work with him to take out the evil invading their city, she doesn't hesitate to say yes. But when he wants something more, she's reluctant, unable to commit to an answer. The indecision drives a wedge between them, but Pru won't let Judd get sucked into the worst part of her past.

And a preview snippet…

Pru had no idea if deciding to follow Judd Millian would be great or tragic. But she couldn't resist the draw of meeting someone like her.

She grinned when she followed Judd down the spiral staircase from the rooftop. "This whole floor is yours?" The cavernous space had designated areas for living, eating, sleeping, and … conducting experiments?

Her gut roiled. Stainless steel cabinets and tables. Microscopes, glass slides, petri dishes. Her mind flashed back to waking up surrounded by those exact same items.

Judd tracked her gaze and held his hands up. "I should've said something. You don't have to go near my lab. I use it to monitor myself by comparing stats with the baseline I took right after I got away from the compound." He moved ahead and pulled a heavy curtain that hung from a wire frame around the equipment.

Pru's eyes widened. "You can do that?" She wondered if she should consider doing something similar.

But … she really hated being near the scientific gear.

Judd shrugged. "I can do basic stuff. Mostly I keep a data set of vitals and any changes that I notice. No idea what I'll do with the information, but it gives the illusion of controlling my fate." He huffed out a breath.

Pru tilted her head. "You think it's an illusion? I'm not sure I agree. If you're free from the compound, you have the control." Then again, she looked over her shoulder a lot.

Judd grunted. "For now. Who knows what'll happen in the future. I mean, I'm keeping the data logs in case something happens to me. Might come in useful if there are others…" He nodded in her direction. "And there seems to be."

She couldn't argue with that factoid. And she didn't say anything because she needed time to wrap her head around everything.

An awkward silence filled the space between them, but Judd managed to smooth the rough edges by moving over to his living area.

He turned toward her. "Would you like something to drink … um … what should I call you?" His brows arched.

She pressed her lips together, hesitating for a moment. Trust didn't come easily to her. But … he'd been open with her so far.

Squaring her shoulders, she gave an answer. "Pru. My name is Pru." She moved a little closer to him.

Judd thrust his palm forward. "It's nice to meet you, Pru. What can I get you to drink?" He opened his fridge and swept his hand over the options.

She asked for a beer and followed him to the sofa, settling in one corner. Judd kicked back at the other end, propping his feet up onto the coffee table. His phone pinged and he dug it out of a side pocket in his black cargo pants. After swiping and keying in his pin, he checked his notifications and pulled up a text message.

His lips twisted. "My CO is a mother hen, checking to make sure I made it home. Also wanted to know if I got a lead on our helper aka you." He thumbed a reply. "Told him I'm tucked in for the night and missed catching up with our talented assistant." He slid his gaze sideways. "I figured you might not like having your privacy invaded just yet."

Pru blinked, caught off guard. "Yet?" She didn't want her fragile peace invaded at all.

Which sucked on multiple levels. Being alone all the time took a toll. And Judd fascinated her … which could be very dangerous. She'd let a pretty face turn her head once before and it ended badly. That's how I became a lab rat.

Judd set his beer down and popped off with a wild question. "Yeah. Crazy idea, but would you be willing to help me get rid of the evil invading our city?"

Wow. Not at all what she expected. And she didn't know how to answer.

She rolled a shoulder. "It's not my city. I'm not a native." She had no idea how she'd ended up in the city.

Judd frowned. "Then why are you here?"

She huffed out a breath. "Good question. I woke up in a lab with a newfound ability to repel things." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And I can't leave until I find out why."

I'm very happy with where this story is going. Pru has a long road to travel and Judd will help her along the way.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye