Sunday Snippet: Pushing Buttons

Whew. It's been a week. My washing machine saga continued, and I finally called it. Investing in a new machine, hopefully in the near future before my laundry pile grows exponentially into a mountain.

I finally finished the very, very long proofread and thankfully should have the final queries answered this weekend. I have a new holiday manuscript for copyediting and it's about halfway complete. Have I mentioned I love holiday stories?

Not a bad week of viewing. I got a few extra shows watched this week.

Caught the second episode of My Life Is Murder and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've mentioned how much I love the characters, but Madison had such a great role in this week's episode.

Watched another Best in Paradise. This episode introduced Martha and I enjoyed her run on the show with Humphrey.

Finished the two-part episode of Death in Paradise where Florence says goodbye for a while. Such a sad but great send off for her.

Started another episode of Elementary. Should have it finished up later tonight. I'm quite enjoying this second season so far.

Caught another episode of The Batman and remembered it from the first watch I did. Excellent story that dives into the symbiotic relationship between Batman and his rogue gallery.

That's pretty much it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Pushing Buttons, a novella that explores how the dynamic changes but also stays the same when a couple is under pressure.

Here's the miniblurb:

Chet Vondallson hates complications—integrating two crews when a space cruiser goes down sits at the bottom of his list of fun things to do. Parson Browd, one of Chet's top pilots—and his lover—likes to push his buttons and get a reaction, something Chet knows but finds hard to resist.

And a sneaky peek…

Parson leaned back in the chair and exhaled slowly, her mind spinning. "Your old man has an interesting perspective if he thinks this will work." Shit would get very difficult with the new structure.

And Chet would be in the line of fire as soon as he assumed command of the transition team.

Chet huffed out a breath. "Well, you've known him a long time. Did you expect anything different?" He leaned forward bracing his forearms on the desk.

She laughed. "Not really, no. But, damn, he basically just airlocked you into deep space. What's he thinking?" No doubt Frank had multiple thought processes running amok in his brain.

Chet shrugged. "My guess? He's thinking this is a steaming pile of shit and he wants someone he trusts to do the heavy lifting."

Her brows arched. "Even if it blows up in his face?" Or more to the point … Chet's face.

Chet nodded. "Even if. And, trust me, this deal will definitely blow up in his face. Multiple times." His hands mimicked exploding bombs going off.

She didn't envy Chet being the son of the new admiral. And as much as she loved Chet's dad, she also hated him in that moment. He wouldn't ask anyone else what he asked of his son right now. And Frank would know the toll it would take on Chet.

He'd need good people to help the transition go smoothly. He'd definitely need someone with more tact than she had. But she'd support him however she could.

Straightening, she scooted closer to the desk. "How can I help?" As long as he didn't put her in charge of grievances, she should be able to assist with carrying the load Frank dumped on his son.

Chet hooked her little finger with his. "In a perfect world, you'd be my number two, but…" His gaze met hers and his lips quirked. "Not sure that would work."

Parson shook her head. "Yeah, I definitely didn't think making me your 2IC will go over well." Crewmembers already talked about their relationship. "We both know I don't have the temperament to manage the headache you'll be dealing with." She laced the rest of their fingers together. "You need someone who can light strategic fires to make things happen when the bitching and complaining starts, and I'm a burn it all to the ground kind of girl." Except in the cockpit … there she ruled with elegant precision.

Chet chuckled. "You can be brutally blunt, but I love that about you." Keeping hold of her hand, he got up and moved to the front of the desk. "How about you work as my eyes and ears on the deck?" He pulled her up and forward, wrapping his arms around her.

She nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. Even if everyone will know that's exactly what I'm doing." Which meant stealth would come in handy and she had a lot of practice from meeting Chet on the downlow.

A loud clanging knock sounded on the hatch.

Chet rested his forehead against hers. "Wanna stick around while I break the news to Stingray?" He slumped forward for a moment.

Parson brushed her lips over his. "Wouldn't miss it." She eased away from Chet and propped a shoulder against the bulkhead next to the desk.

Chet squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. "Enter…"

Parson quietly braced for a fireworks show.

I love to explore how an external conflict creates waves between an established couple.

 

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

ML Skye