Sunday Snippet: Come Here Often

Well, February has so far been a crazy mix of freezing, in the teens temperatures and mild almost spring-like weather. Mother Nature is in a mercurial mood right now and it's wild trying to figure out how to dress for the day. I miss being able to get my winter stuff out and not having to bother with warm-weather clothes for a couple of months.

Had a busy week with work projects and have a couple more lined up in the near future. I'm kind of happy they're all different types of manuscripts and none are in the same stage of editing.

Had a slow week of television. I'm still working to get everything from the old PC to the new one and ran into another snag with trying to set up my email accounts. Spent a large portion of the week trying to figure that out and get it working. Bleh.

I did catch the pilot episode of Pennyworth and really enjoyed it. I've heard great things and now that I know season three is the end, I'm going to attempt to watch before it disappears too.

I also watched the second part of the Battlestar Galactica miniseries with one of my friends. I'm so excited to have this rewatch party to look forward to each week. We'll be trying two episodes a week starting with season one.

Got a start on the latest season of Midsommer Murders. Barely got through the opening credits so I'll have to finish up this week.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Come Here Often, a novella that explores how a couple reconnects and moves forward after a troubled past of not being on the same page.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Neely survives a war but not without considerable emotional damage. When Ace offers her everything she's ever wanted, she turns him down, believing they can't pick up where they left off. Ace aims to prove they don't have to.

And a sneaky peek…

Ace had a reputation for digging in with his heels—and teeth—when a situation warranted the extra effort. Neely's freedom did.

Hence the heated discussion he found himself in with the base commander, Brett Jones.

Jones shook his head. "I'm telling you it's not going to happen." He folded his arms over his chest.

Ace laid his objection out. "Neely deserves her freedom. She's earned it." She'd gone through every test, every interview, every fucking thing the brass asked of her.

Then did everything all over again with the government delegates.

Brett sighed. "I don't disagree, but I'm also stuck. The peace accord is still new. Ink's not even dry on the page yet. I can't, in good faith, just let Neely wander around unsupervised."

Ace rolled his eyes. "Bullshit. You can do what you want." The guy had a set of iron-clad stones.

Jones lifted one shoulder. "To a degree, yes. But the delegates won't risk the hard-won peace by letting a former POW roam free to wreak havoc if the enemy decides to start up the fighting again." He made a disgusted sound.

Ace got his commander's dilemma, but he'd keep pushing. "Neely is slowly losing hope. She doesn't trust herself and half the battle of making sure she can't be used is making sure she's healthy on a mental level. Tell me you get that."

Brett jerked his head. "I do. And I agree with you, but I can't promise the delegates will."

This time, Ace folded his arms over his chest. "Who do I need to speak with to make this happen?" He'd go through all twenty-five if he had to.

Jones arched his brows. "You're serious?"

Ace gave a nod. "Completely." He only needed a name.

The base commander cocked his head. "Enough to guarantee you'll keep a constant eye on her?"

Ace schooled his features. "You want me to spy on her?"

The commander lifted his chin. "In a word? Yes."

Ace frowned. "She won't like that." He leaned forward. "Frankly, neither will I. It's a betrayal of trust." And he didn't want to jeopardize their current status by keeping things from her.

Brett rolled a shoulder. "It's that or she waits until the delegates, namely Rian Weylon, are certain she won't be used as a weapon."

Ace growled. "Shit. This sucks." He sighed. "Fine. I'll keep an eye on her and report regularly—but only to you." He'd figure out what to do about Weylon if necessary.

The base commander inclined his head. "Deal."

I like where this story is going. It's a bit of a departure from the norm for me and I'm pretty sure there's going to be a follow-up book once this one is finished.

 

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

 

ML Skye