Sunday Snippet: Good for the Soul

Bleh. It's been a week of frustration, and I can't really explain why. I hate it when I feel like everything is either standing in my way or that I'm stuck in reverse with zero forward momentum. Maybe August has just been a bit of a rough month even when there were fun things happening. Who knows?

Not a terrible weather week. The temperatures were fairly mild for August. I'll enjoy that while I can because it's supposed to heat up again this week.

I was supposed to head out for an annual get together with my cousins but ended up not being able to go because I didn't feel well at all. And next year I do believe I have a wedding on the weekend we usually get together so I'll be sending pictures from the ceremony to my fam!

Work projects kept me busy again. I finished up a copy edit and started a proofread. I also finally got all the images stripped from the developmental manuscript. Whew! There were a lot of them. I also scheduled a call with a potential new author and I'm excited to see where that goes.

Had an okay viewing week. I made it through all of my regular shows and binged Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise again. They're my comfort go-to shows at the moment. I also spend some time watching a documentary about Dolly Parton to help ease the sting of losing the wonderful light she spread around the world.

Started with Marple again and I really do enjoy this version of the show. It was interesting to have something of a different narrator for the episode. The mystery ended up being twisty as usual.

Began a new series with Britain's Most Scenic Counties and visited Kent. I think there are several more episodes in that county, and I'm looking forward to seeing them.

Watched another episode of Beyond Paradise. I love Martha and Esther's friendship. They're so much fun. I'm very interested in where things go with Anne and her cryptic mention of the delicate situation with Mr. Smith. I have a great fear she might be dating him and that will suck majorly. I do love that Humphrey basically unloaded about the situation. Looking forward to a resolution about that. Also … Kelby blasted Margo kind of broke my heart but kudos to him for standing up for himself.

Enjoyed another Poirot episode. The mystery ended up being super twisty and I love how Poirot got very emotional during the reveal. Betrayal never sits well but it really stabs hard when it happens to Hercule.

Elementary had another great episode. I'm really wondering what's going to happen when Sherlock realizes his support person is a murderer. Or maybe it'll be a big twist, and he won't end up being a murderer. Either way, I'm very interested in what happens next.

Watched another episode of Young Justice, and I don't remember any of this one. A truly gut-wrenching watch. Loved the little bits of random characters popping up!

Caught another episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and I'm going to miss this show when I'm done. I seriously didn't know if I liked the show in the first season and now I'd pretty much die for these characters if needed. Ther really should be more seasons for me to enjoy.

As mentioned, I watched the beginning of a documentary about Dolly, and I hope to finish it this week … unless it's been taken down. I also watched quite a few music videos. What an amazing woman.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Good for the Soul, a novella that explores the fallout from a character taking a dark turn and the redemption he finds with the love of his life.

Here's the miniblurb:

Dex Thurgood has ideals he upholds and wants to keep it that way. But when he's forced to confront a sinister underground trade leader, he has to face his darker nature to bust up the extortion racket, which won't be easy because Ramsey Markum knows one of Dex's deeply buried secrets. Lana Denman steps up to help Dex deal with the fallout of not being perfect.

And a sneaky peek…

Two weeks before the attacks, he'd walked away from Erica after she'd told him she carried his child. He hadn't been ready. Needed time to get his head around the idea. He never had the chance.

He didn’t think Lana would get where his head had been back then. Or understand the reason he'd told Erica he'd be financially responsible but couldn't—wouldn't—be more. And he was selfish enough to know he couldn’t survive the loss of Lana.

Yet it wouldn't be fair to hold back. "And it's Lana … if anyone understands screwing up so badly it's hard to live in your own skin, she does." Even if it would be damned uncomfortable talking about his demons.

But he took Darcene's advice and tracked Lana down.

He found her catching some rack time, but her curtain remained open, so he nudged her awake. "Are you still willing to listen? I have a story I need to tell." He held her gaze, refusing to give in to temptation and stare at his feet instead.

When she’d slid over giving him space, he crawled up into the bunk and sat at the opposite end facing her. Lana slid the fabric panels shut, closing out the bunkroom, and settled back to hear what he had to say. The intimate atmosphere cocooned them, giving him the courage to be brutally honest.

And just like she’d once confessed her sins to him, about leaving Mac behind because she didn't think he could handle field combat, Dex laid out all his transgressions for her. Every last one of them.

He started at the beginning. "Before Erica died in the crash, she told me she was pregnant. And I wasn't ready for fatherhood." He might never be ready.

Lana gave a small nod.

Dex followed with another revelation. "I gave up after I ejected. I purposefully let my oxygen run out because I didn’t think it was worth it to live in a world where murder was the way to deal with a superior officer." He paused. "My only regret is letting you down and not having your back." He should've fought for that reason alone.

Lana's eyes narrowed and her lips pressed together, but she didn't speak. She gave him the space to get everything out there.

Dex didn’t leave anything out. "After the medics brought me back, I … felt disconnected and sought something simple and uncomplicated. Human contact and physical release. I couldn't really handle anything else. Darcene filled that void. She made it easy to spill secrets and regrets." He huffed out a breath. "And, of course, that blew up in my face." He sighed. "Then I got the order to track down the leader of the black market. Running into Ramsey Markum and seeing the evil shit he did finally made me understand where Dad and Chancellor Robbins were coming from with the order to assassinate Zemicks."

His stomach churned with what he'd reveal next. But he wouldn't stop now. Lana needed to know it all.

He met her gaze again. "I'm the one that pulled the trigger. I shot him point blank and didn't care." When he finished, he waited for her to say something.

To tell him to get away from her.

She shocked him when she looked at him thoughtfully for a few moments before leaning closer and grasping his palms.

She finally spoke. "Feel better now?"

Stunned, he blinked a few times. He’d just confessed to killing a man in cold blood and she asked if he felt better. Nothing else?

He shook his head. "You don’t hate me?" Her lack of reaction gave him hope but also confused the hell out of him.

This one is getting closer to being finished, but it needs more polish. Dex and Lana are hard to write but their journey is so rewarding.

 

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

ML Skye