Sunday Snippet: Automatic Failure

Whew. Even though the television pickings are fairly slim for the next week or so, still some great stuff to watch.

Orphan Black, once again, didn't disappoint. One of the things I love about this season is how nuanced the layers are. Every time something is resolved, a new snag reveals itself. The enemy of yesterday is the ally of today. Terrific writing and stellar acting make the entire show shine.

Wynonna Earp still makes me happy. I'm intrigued by the little seeds dropped here and there and look forward to more of the origin backstory.

The Last Ship starts next week and I can't wait to see where things go. I'm kind of holding out hope some underhanded tactics are being used regarding Rachel, but I won't hold my breath. This show loves to kill off my favorite characters. LOL

I'm sadly not overly excited about some of the other newer shows. Preacher didn't really grab me with the trailers and I never got into Fear the Walking Dead. I do look forward to the return of Killjoys and Dark Matter, which should provide some good fodder for my blog posts.

And that's it for television this week.

Tonight's post is from Automatic Failure, a novella with one of my favorite tropes—sibling rivalry. Throw in additional family drama and I can't wait to sit and type up a storm.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Piper Kemp, a flight instructor, moves aside to avoid letting her personal feelings influence a decision about whether to pass one of her students. But when he crashes and almost loses his life, Knox Petruci steps up to defend Piper and opens a can of worms because her student happens to be his brother.

And a sneaky peek…

Squaring her shoulders, Piper pushed the door open and breezed into his hospital room. The stony look on Abel's face said everything. He'd received word already. Damn. She'd hoped to break the news to him. She walked to his bedside and laid a hand on his arm.

Abel jerked away. "I don't want to see you." He glared in her direction. "You knew. That's why you stepped aside. You wanted to see me crash and burn."

Piper sucked in a harsh breath. "No, Abel, I didn't know for sure." Instinct didn't always win and she'd been proven wrong before.

Abel snorted. "You had a feeling then. And you fucked up my chances when you refused to participate." He crossed his arms over his chest and winced when the movement jarred his torso.

Piper back away, but defended her action. "I made the right call, Abel. I couldn't be impartial and you know it. Not when I'm dating you." He'd asked her out the very first day of class and she'd resisted until the final three weeks.

Still… she'd own the conflict of interest.

Abel stared ahead. "Yeah, well, your timing sucked. I tensed up because you made me doubt my skills." He swung a nasty look at her. "So I choked. Thanks for that."

Piper's temper flared. "Abel, you don't have the chops. I didn't know for sure, but I do now." She moved closer to his bed. "You busted the last three moves out of six. Ones you cleared in the simulator." Her tone lowered. "Being in the air is what trips you up." And almost got him killed.

Abel rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Piper. You don't have to worry about my failure or me anymore. Whatever we started is over now." His voice took on a mean tone. "I don't need you anymore."

Piper's mouth dropped open. After weeks of pestering her to go out with him and relentlessly pursuing something on a personal level, he whipped out the oldest reason in the books for why. She wanted to believe his cruel remark amounted to his way of lashing out due to the circumstances. But the truth easily wormed its way into her heart and mind.

Abel used her… or tried to. And she'd blown his plan to hell by not adhering to his playbook. How frustrating for him. And very enlightening for her.

Piper pasted on a smile. "In that case, I'll take my leave. Take care, Abel. I hope you're not laid up too long with the broken legs." Turning, she made her way to the door, tears of anger and humiliation burning her eyes.

She reached for the handle, but the door burst open and she collided with the flat surface.

The person on the other side righted her. "Sorry, Lieutenant." He introduced himself. "Knox Petruci. Abel's brother." He stuck his hand out.

Piper got a hold of her churning emotions and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you." Her gaze clashed with his knowing one.

He'd heard the conversation between her and his brother. Well, damn. The day couldn't get worse.

Piper pulled her hand away. "I'll get out of your way so you can visit with your brother." Darting around him, she quickly exited the room and dashed down the corridor. Embarrassment and shame washed over her and her eyes welled up again.

Wow, nothing like the utter humiliation of a public breakup, especially when it happens in front of family. Piper's a tough gal, she'll get over it. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye