I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. We just have to get through the next two days of crazy-busy at the day-job, and then I have a five day weekend. I’ve started working on my to-do list for the weekend already. At the moment, it’s just a couple of specifics and some vague, over-these-days-this-needs-to-happen. My plan is to get the specifics out of the way first, like the oil change on my car, dropping my ballot at the county elections office, a little more headstone cleaning at the cemetery where my grandparents are buried while the weather is nice enough, some garden clean-up at the boys’. That’s just the first day. Except for groceries, the rest of the list is all things to do here at home. That is my plan: get most of the errands out of the way the first day, then groceries on the usual Friday, and the rest can be divided among the rest of my four days. Stuff like the regular laundry and weekend cooking, working on some clear-out in my book room, and writing things.
I’m actually pretty pleased with my continuing accountability goals. The little group of us who kept going this month after the big group in September have been chatting regularly, and I have already finished my big goal for this month. Thinking about that, maybe I shouldn’t say my ‘big goal’. The secondary goal is not as hands-on time consuming, but probably just as much mental time, because it involves figuring out how I can make a part of last month’s story stronger, and once I have figured out the how, then I have to weave that through the rest of the story.
While I’m working on that (and dinner and the last load of this week’s laundry), I have a little story snippet from the third shifter story in the series I am working on.
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Boris had Veda reschedule his last two meetings for the afternoon. He’d go pick up the kids at school and relax for a change. Assuming he remembered how to do that.
He could certainly give it his best shot.
Or at least try, since he suspected there would be a full house tonight. It was Friday, plus with Harley and Tessa back from Maryland, they’d spent a lot of time in the main house. And now India and Rory were there, too.
If everyone was home, that might not be as relaxing as he’d hoped, and it was going to be another month or two before the work was done at his house.
He sighed and headed for the elevator. It didn’t matter. He was leaving work early, dammit.
The drive from the office to Baron’s school took fifteen minutes on a good day, so on a busy Friday afternoon, it took twenty-seven. Not counting the three additional minutes it took to find a place to park.
He climbed out of the car and waited until a shiny mini-van sped by with no regard for the other parents and children in the parking lot before he crossed, weaving around parents leading their children out–parents who had taken into account the Friday traffic and arrived early. He checked in at the security gate, and then entered the school grounds. Pandemonium. Children running around, shouting, laughing, parents calling for their kids, teachers attempting to corral some rowdies.
Knowing his son, he wouldn’t have hurried out in the first rush. Baron dawdled.
A screech to his left had him turning in time to see a little red-haired girl leap onto her father’s back.
Boris turned to search for Baron, and a flutter of green caught his eye–a loose blouse on a curvy brunette.
Then she pivoted, laughing at the small girl holding her hand, and Bori’s heartbeat quickened–Vivi.
The breeze caught a school identification tag hung around her neck and her blouse again, this time, pressing the garment tight to her, and revealing the unmistakable curve of her belly. Her pregnant belly. It was small, but he knew what that curve meant.
And it was just about the right size…
Vivi’s smile faded as her head came up, and she sniffed the air delicately. Her gaze swung over the crowd of children, and locked on his face. All of the color faded from her cheeks, and her eyes widened.
He watched the child beside her tug on her hand, and Vivi bent back to her for a second, then, reluctance lining her face, released the girl, who leaped into another woman’s arms. Vivi straightened slowly, and he strode through the throng of kids toward her.
Alarm darkened her eyes, and she glanced around, as if thinking of fleeing.
Not a chance.
Three more strides put him in front of her. Her shoulders set, and her wary gaze crawled up to his face.
“Vivi, how nice to see you,” he said softly. He leaned closer and sniffed–the same delicious, earthy scent he remembered, along with a fainter undertone of his own familiar scent. His baby.
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I realized this morning that this time last year, one of my buddies and I were at the beach for our writing retreat this weekend. I’ll have to daydream about the beach for now. Or maybe come up with a beach story to give myself a mental fix. Hm, I do have a pretty book cover begging for a story. But in the meantime, maybe just one of my pics from last year’s retreat to hold me over. Maybe if you need a beach fix, too, this will help.
