Sunday Snippet: Pushing Buttons

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

I finally finishedthe very, very long proofread and thankfully should have the final queriesanswered this weekend. I have a new holiday manuscript for copyediting and it'sabout 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 secondepisode of My Life Is Murder and thoroughly enjoyed it. I've mentionedhow much I love the characters, but Madison had such a great role in thisweek's episode.

Watched another Bestin Paradise. This episode introduced Martha and I enjoyed her run on theshow with Humphrey.

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

Started anotherepisode of Elementary. Should have it finished up later tonight. I'mquite enjoying this second season so far.

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

That's pretty muchit for the life update. Tonight's post is from Pushing Buttons, a novellathat explores how the dynamic changes but also stays the same when a couple isunder pressure.

Here's theminiblurb:

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

And a sneaky peek…

Parson leaned back in the chair andexhaled slowly, her mind spinning. "Your old man has an interestingperspective if he thinks this will work." Shit would get very difficultwith the new structure.And Chet would be in the line offire 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 anythingdifferent?" 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 hethinking?" No doubt Frank had multiple thought processes running amok inhis brain.Chet shrugged. "My guess? He'sthinking this is a steaming pile of shit and he wants someone he trusts to dothe heavy lifting." Her brows arched. "Even if itblows 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." Hishands mimicked exploding bombs going off.She didn't envy Chet being the sonof the new admiral. And as much as she loved Chet's dad, she also hated him inthat 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 thetransition go smoothly. He'd definitely need someone with more tact than shehad. But she'd support him however she could.Straightening, she scooted closerto the desk. "How can I help?" As long as he didn't put her in chargeof grievances, she should be able to assist with carrying the load Frank dumpedon his son.Chet hooked her little finger withhis. "In a perfect world, you'd be my number two, but…" His gaze methers and his lips quirked. "Not sure that would work."Parson shook her head. "Yeah, Idefinitely didn't think making me your 2IC will go over well." Crewmembersalready talked about their relationship. "We both know I don't have thetemperament to manage the headache you'll be dealing with." She laced therest of their fingers together. "You need someone who can light strategicfires to make things happen when the bitching and complaining starts, and I'm aburn it all to the ground kind of girl." Except in the cockpit … there sheruled with elegant precision.Chet chuckled. "You can bebrutally blunt, but I love that about you." Keeping hold of her hand, hegot up and moved to the front of the desk. "How about you work as my eyesand ears on the deck?" He pulled her up and forward, wrapping his armsaround her.She nodded. "Yeah, makessense. Even if everyone will know that's exactly what I'm doing." Whichmeant stealth would come in handy and she had a lot of practice from meetingChet on the downlow.A loud clanging knock sounded onthe hatch.Chet rested his forehead againsthers. "Wanna stick around while I break the news to Stingray?" Heslumped forward for a moment.Parson brushed her lips over his."Wouldn't miss it." She eased away from Chet and propped a shoulderagainst the bulkhead next to the desk.Chet squared his shoulders andlifted his chin. "Enter…"Parson quietly braced for afireworks show.

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

 

That's it for thisweek. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye