Snippet Saturday

Today's topic is character sass. I'm not 100% sure I know what that means, but I'll give it a shot. Since it's winter-ish in some parts of the country, I'm going with my holiday novella, IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU. Yes, I know it's a holiday story, but I think it fits the topic here. I also need to re-read it since I'm writing Mitch's story next. He's the brother of the heroine in IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS WITHOUT YOU. Mitch's story will be out in October. Until then, here's a peek at some of the other folks from Holloway, West Virginia. In this scene, the hero is crashing a dinner the heroine is on with someone else.

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They made it to the end of the salad course before Austin wandered in. He walked over, waved off most of the wait staff and did not stop until he hit the side of their table.

Austin shot Shawn one of those hard-to-read smiles that could go either way—furious or happy. "Did we change the time and no one told me?"

To his credit, Shawn shrugged off a threat, implied or otherwise. "Carrie and I decided to start without you."

"Fair enough." Austin's shoulders visibly relaxed. "How are we doing?"

Since this likely meant the end of the rational part of the evening, Carrie dragged the napkin off her lap and folded it on the edge of the table. "Before or after this minute?"

"Funny."



"Shouldn't you be working?"

"Spence can handle it, and I promised I'd join you, so here I am." Austin turned around and in five seconds sweet-talked the table next to them out of their extra chair. Dumping it in the small space next to her, he sat down and scanned the table. "What is everyone eating?"

"I ordered the halibut," Shawn said, sounding calm despite the arrival of Hurricane Austin.

Shawn's acting skills impressed Carrie. Austin had been there only for a few minutes and she had to fight off the urge to roll her eyes about a hundred times already. She had no idea how far Austin intended to go with this, but she knew she'd only be able to take so much.

"Fish?" Austin made a face. "I don't have to look at the menu and can tell you Carrie ordered something with four legs."

Not that her meat-and-potato ways were a big secret. "Yes, but I'm hoping they remove those before they put the meat on the plate and serve dinner."

"You don't like fish? I would have thought you were a fisherman." Shawn leaned back in his chair, clearly enjoying the byplay.

"Why?" Austin asked.

"Because you're from West Virginia. I assumed you fish and hunt." Shawn's gaze went to her. "Is that offensive?"

Austin took a sip of her water before waving the waiter over. "Being from West Virginia?"

"My comment placing you as an outdoors type."

"Outdoors type?" Austin let out with a hmpf. "Been called a lot of things before but never that."

"Austin likes to pretend he's a country hick, but he's actually smart." She looked him up and down and frowned as she did, just to let him know her patience with his acting was waning. "Well, usually. And a college graduate with a whole bunch of certifications for his work."

Austin nodded. "Took the refrigerator off the porch long ago."

"Not married to your sister?" Shawn's burst of laughter died out when no one joined him.

"Oh no, Shawn. I can make fun of West Virginia." Austin used her water glass to point but his voice stayed light. "You have to be from there to get away with the hick jokes."

Shawn cleared his throat. "Right. Sorry."

The waiter appeared at the table with another place setting. "Are you joining the table, sir?"

"Actually, there were supposed to be three chairs from the start," Austin said.

"My mistake," Carrie mumbled so only he could hear.

"Well played." He winked at her before turning back to the waiter. "Yes. I'd like my own water and whatever she's having."

The waiter's fake smile fumbled. "Your meal may take a bit longer than theirs."

"That's okay. I don't plan on eating it anyway."

The waiter's eyes narrowed. "Sir?"

"It's fine." Carrie let the poor man go before Austin drove him over the edge then she turned to the cause of most of the evening's difficulties. "I'd remind you this is a date."

Austin reached into the bread basket and rummaged around, ignoring the bran roll and heading right for the white-flour option. "I know. I set you two crazy kids up. With a third, of course."

"Dates usually mean two people," she said, not caring at all about the date. Austin might have a point to make, but so did she.

"Not in West Virginia," Austin said.

Shawn just looked confused. Had the whole eyebrows-pulled-together thing going on. "Pardon?"

This time she did roll her eyes. "The stereotypes about our home state are bad enough without you adding to them."

"Like the whole people living on farms and men swinging from trees?" Austin slathered butter on his roll and popped a strip into his mouth.

She wondered what else to try since eye rolling clearly wasn't working. "Are you done?"

"Do you climb, Austin?" Shawn asked.

"Climb what?"

Shawn's face went blank. "I don't—"

Just when she thought the evening couldn't get stranger. "I think Shawn means hike."

"Ah. I thought you meant trees." After spreading most of the remaining butter on his last piece of roll, Austin put it on the small plate in front of him.

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Remember to check out the other authors' snippets:

Megan Hart:Read in bed!

Rhian Cahill

Jody Wallace

Eliza Gayle

Lissa Matthews

Mandy M Roth

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Lauren Dane

Leah Braemel

Shiloh Walker

TJ Michaels

Zoë Archer