Happy Mother's Day
to all the moms, mentors, and mother figures out there! Enjoy the day, and if
it's a hard day to celebrate, take care of you.
Another wildly busy
work week but a lot of projects moved ahead and some were completed. One
contrary work thing took an unexpected turn and I'll be trying to figure that
one out later today.
Had a decent week
of viewing despite the busy schedule. I made it through a full round of my
shows, minus one—Dark Winds—because it's not on the streaming service I
have anymore. I think it's on another one, but I've been too busy to track it
down.
Started the week
off with Brokenwood Mysteries. This one ended up being a lot of fun with
a couple of interesting secrets being revealed. Truly hope to see more of Trudy
and Ray's mom.
Watched another
episode of Death in Paradise and enjoyed the mystery. Really not sure
what Neville's DI friend is doing on the island but have a feeling it's not
going to mean anything good.
Loved the Beyond
Paradise holiday special for this past Christmas. I'm looking forward to
diving into the rest of the season when it's available in the US.
Enjoyed another
episode of Elementary. Interesting to get some backstory of Sherlock's
time under the influence. Also intriguing that he stayed somewhat in the
background. I like that kind of character progress.
Watched another episode
of Batman Beyond and didn't really have any recollection about this one.
I did enjoy seeing Terry use his Batman moves while out of the costume.
Caught another
episode of Classic Rugrats and enjoyed both vignettes. I didn't remember
either of them so more new-to-me stuff.
That's pretty much
it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Why We Fight, a
novella that puts a spin on the enemies-to-lovers trope.
Here's the
miniblurb:
Emmett Barley, an embedded investigative reporter, pushes
Pier Luphen, the squadron leader, for honest answers about the war they're
fighting. She tries to take the status quo, but Emmett won't have it. He's
heard the military party line his entire life and he wants the truth or
nothing. He also wants Pier, but she's not willing to compromise her mission
regardless of how she feels about Emmett.
And a sneaky peek…
After a full week with
the unit, Emmett had some ideas for stories. "Right. Filling half a
notebook is more than a few…" Of course, some of his notes could be
considered fiction about a certain liaison officer.
When a knock sounded at
his door, he tucked the booklet into his satchel.
He blinked in surprise
to find Pier outside with two dinner trays. "Um, hi." Stepping back,
he motioned for her to enter.
She flashed a quick smile.
"Thought I'd return the favor and bring supper." Handing one of the
entrees over, she arched her brows. "Unless you had other plans or would
rather eat alone."
He shook his head.
"I'd like company. Thanks for this." He cleared space on the small
desk and pulled up an extra chair.
Pier took a seat and
removed the cover from her plate. "I didn't interrupt anything, did
I?" Her gaze landed on his open satchel.
Emmett's lips curved.
"Not really. I was going through my preliminary notes, trying to settle on
a topic for my first report." The aroma of baked steak wafted from his tray.
"Ah … this brings back memories of joining my dad for meals at the base
mess hall whenever my mom had other plans.
Pier chuckled.
"It's probably the one meal every branch of the armed forces makes just a
little bit differently, but they can't possibly screw up." She nodded
toward his notebook. "What are some of your ideas for stories?"
He took a bite of food,
trying to decide which one to discuss first. "I'd like to do a series about
how the joint forces keep track of everything. You know, receiving supplies, filling
the orders, then scheduling the transports to get goods delivered." The
sheer magnitude of allotments, from food, clothing, and weapons to hospital
supplies and aid station equipment, could be mind-boggling.
And this hub handled more
than half of the requisitions. Not to mention the protection of the base,
personnel, and transport units en route to the various substations and ships
they were supplying.
Pier's brows furrowed.
"Not exactly scintillating stuff." She stuffed a forkful of green
beans into her mouth.
Emmett shrugged.
"Maybe it's not guts and guns, but if something happens here to halt
getting the supplies out, the ripple effect could be catastrophic." Which
made for an interesting story with a human-interest angle.
Pier cocked her head to
one side. "I'm a little pissed I have to revise my opinion on reporters
because of you. You're definitely not like the jackass glory-seeking hound we
just got rid of."
Emmett huffed out a
breath. "Um, thanks. I think." He jabbed at her a little.
"Pretty sure it wouldn't take much to improve your low opinion of
reporters though."
She laughed.
"Okay, true. But seriously, you already got points for not bringing a
wardrobe of flashy clothes to the middle of a warzone."
Emmett rolled his eyes.
"When the reporter puts themselves at the center of the story, they're no
longer reporting. They're playacting on a stage." His dad and brothers
would flip if Emmett ever dreamed of doing something so stupid.
Pier gave a slow nod.
"Very aptly put."
They dug back into
their dinner and ate in companionable silence.
Once they finished, he
cleared away the dishes and set them by the door. "Do you have to report
for duty or are you free for a while?" He hoped she'd stick around.
Pier shook her head.
"I'm off for the night." She took a spot on the small two-seater
couch.
Emmett retrieved a
bottle from his footlocker. "Would you care for some?" He held up a
glass.
Pier shrugged.
"Sure. I don't report until the afternoon watch." She kicked her feet
out and crossed them at the ankles.
He placed a tumbler on
the camp stool to her left, and he settled next to her. "I heard some
rumblings about the action moving closer. Will that affect your incoming or
outgoing shipments?" He mainly wondered if the closer proximity would
throw a cog in a well-oiled machine.
Pier studied him for a
long moment. "Can I request to be off the record?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"You still don't trust me?" So much for making headway.
She tsked. "It's
not that. It's because I trust you that I'm asking for it to be off the record."
She waited a beat. "What I'm going to share is classified."
Well, hell … he didn't
see that one coming. "Consider yourself off the record."
She leaned in and
pitched her voice low. "The shipments won't be affected. Part of what we
do on our transport runs is gather intel and fortify our perimeters. We don't
deviate from our schedule for that reason." She met and held his gaze, saying
the unspoken part with her eyes.
They weren't just a
supply hub. They ran covert ops from this location.
He exhaled slowly.
"Shit." Amazed that she did trust him, he let the truth sink into
him. "Okay. No wonder you wanted to be off the record. I don't blame you.
That's a powder keg of information." And he'd have to sit on it for the
time being.
She made a bit of a
promise. "It is, and if this ends up in some sound byte I'll come for you.
Doesn't matter where you are or who your family is." She picked up her
drink and drained the glass. "Just saying." Putting the tumbler back
on the stool, she held his gaze again.
He read a lot in her
eyes. She put herself on the hot seat. He could break this story and lay open
the true purpose of this facility for the entire planet to see. But he understood
the importance of the mission too much to do anything underhanded like that.
And he respected her and the trust she'd placed in him to not violate his promise.
Taking a chance, he
cupped her face. "I do not break confidences." His thumbs stroked her
cheeks. "Or go back on my word." Leaning in, he tested the bond
further by brushing his lips over hers.
He didn't mean for the
kiss to spiral out of control, but she opened her mouth, and he slipped his
tongue past her teeth. She made a low moan and fisted her hand in his shirt. Okay,
he hadn't imagined the crackle of attraction between them.
He didn't know who came
up for air first, but he dragged oxygen into his lungs and leaned in again.
She backed away and
held up a hand. "Sorry. That should not have happened." She got up
and paced back and forth.
He narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not sorry it did."
She worried on her
lower lip. "I'm not either. I'll admit my curiosity got the better of
me." She met his gaze. "But this isn't a good idea. I'm responsible
for your safety and getting involved more than we already are can muddy things
up." A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.
He pushed back a
little. "So, it's not one-sided? There's something here between us."
He got to his feet and motioned between them.
She gave a jerky nod.
"There could be … if you weren't you and I wasn't me."
He didn't like the
answer, but he understood. "I can accept that. But, for the record, if you
weren't who you are and I wasn't who I am … we'd be great together in—"
She held up a hand
again. "Don't. Don't say it." She scooted past him, pushed the door
open, and angled her head around. "Also, for the record? I'm not
disagreeing." She ducked out before he could formulate a response.
Which … all things
considered … gave him more fictional ideas to imagine.
Very happy with how
this scene came together. These characters are a lot of fun to write.
That's it for this
week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
