Sunday Snippet: Stealing Hannah

December is flying by. I had a busy week trying to get things organized and moved around from the new furniture saga and also dealing getting one kid off to Disney with her grandfather and trying to help another kid during a flare up of his ongoing medical issue. Also had a couple of work projects thrown in.

Slower than usual week for television. I started out by finishing up the final arc of Five on Classic Who. I'd forgotten how much of a snarky snipe Six started out as. Started the first episode of his full arc to end season twenty-one.

Caught another episode of Mysteries of Apollo. I might have inadvertently watched two episodes but I won't know for certain until this week.

Watched two episodes of The Muppet Show. Jean Pierre Rampal and Paul Simon were the guest stars.

Finished up the first season of Fantasy Island. Man, I have to give kudos. I really enjoyed this first season. I'm looking forward to the holiday special next week.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice. It was a tough one to watch and had a lot going on. Erica held her own but, man, what a wringer they put her through.

Enjoyed another MasterClass lesson with Bill Nye. This one focused on how science changes your perspective. Pretty interesting.

Totally flubbed thinking I'd be watching The Ready Room for season one of Star Trek: Discovery only to realize the behind the scenes show didn't start until season two. So … I watched the first episode of the second season. Man, I'm really loving this show. So great to have the introduction of Pike and get some insight on Spock. Really looking forward to this season.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med. Lots of stuff going on but a solid viewing experience. Feels like everyone is kind of heading for a breaking point, Robin and Sarah, especially. Nice to see April and Ethan going public.

Caught another episode of The Madame Blanc Mysteries. Whew. Plot is moving forward in a big way. I think I have two more episodes and I'm kind of wondering how the main arc is going to be resolved. I'm also hoping for another season of this show. It's a lot of fun.

Finished up the second part of Silent Witness. Harry went through a rough ride. I'm not completely certain the police detective wasn't playing both sides but I liked that.

That's pretty much it for this week's television update. I'll be starting season two of The Witcher this week, which means I'll be putting Glitch on hold until I wrap that up.

Tonight's post is from Stealing Hannah, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt and, of course, took a direction I didn't expect.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Hannah Keane gets caught between Kane and Trent Canterman when their sibling rivalry heats up. Kane loves to push his brother's buttons by telling everyone Trent likes to steal girlfriends. When Kane introduces Trent to Hannah, Trent decides stealing Kane's girl is a good idea to settle the score once and for all.

And a sneaky peek…

Trent woke up with the exact same thought of stealing Kane's girl—or making it look that way. It became almost an obsession.

Kane liked, no loved, to tell people Trent stole all his girlfriends.

To date, Trent had yet to actually take one. And it didn't escape Trent's notice—that yet again—Kane had gone for an older woman.

The fact his brother obviously still held a grudge convinced Trent Kane hadn't matured much. When Kane didn't get or couldn't keep what he wanted … there was hell to pay. And Kane wanted to fly tiger cats like their dad, even if he might not be able to handle it. Hooking up with his flight instructor covered all his bases. 

His little brother still had some growing up to do. "And it shouldn't be done in a cockpit." Despite what their father thought, Kane didn't have the chops for flying. Trent felt it deep in his bones.

Kane could do the book stuff. He put effort into the coursework. And he might be able to fake it in a simulator—but Trent had that gut punch feeling his brother wouldn't pass muster in combat or under pressure.

And the final qualification trials would be harder than anything Kane had ever faced. "If they kicked my ass"—and they had—"they'll chew Kane up, spit him out, and walk away laughing."

His brother frustrated the hell out of him sometimes, but Trent didn't want to see him utterly humiliated. At least not in a tiger cat.

Better to face a little right now by losing his girl. "Two birds with one stone." Trent liked the symmetry.

And going after Hannah wouldn't be a hardship. He definitely found her attractive, if a little brash and arrogant. Then again, working with nuggets on a regular basis, she'd need to be.

And she seemed to like him. She'd drawn him into the home she let Kane crash in and made Trent welcome. Considering his brother had forgotten until the last minute to announce Trent's arrival—waiting until he'd knocked on the door—he wouldn't have blamed her if she'd been pissed.

Instead, Hannah rolled her eyes and told Kane he could cook dinner since he forgot to mention they'd have a guest. Awkward moment smoothed over and Hannah got out of fixing the meal. Trent admired her deft handling of his brother.

He jumped in the shower and decided to approach Hannah on a professional level to see how she'd handle it.

This really didn't go in the direction I thought it would. Trent starts down a slippery slope and faces a personal demon he didn't know he had.

 

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

ML Skye