Prep Work

We're less than a month from the next event on my calendar, Aces Wild Author & Reader Event in Atlantic City, NJ! I'm excited about this one, too, because I love book events like this, and because I get to be at the beach, which I haven't been in much too long. I hope we're going to see you there. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do! I've started on my checklist, prepping for this one, and trying to streamline what I'm hauling in, especially since we will be setting up early the morning of the event, not the night prior, so it would be nice to make only one trip hauling all the heavy things. Haha.

I did cram as many chores into yesterday as I could so I'd have today for revising and writing-related activities. I do still have some gardening to wrap up later, but I'm waiting for it to cool off a tad first. Maybe after supper, whatever that turns out to be. In the meantime, I have a snippet for you this week from Freeing Medusa.

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            When she woke at lunchtime, she felt so much better. She rolled onto her back, stretching cautiously. No more cramps. No more snakes, no more danger of turning anyone or anything living into stone again until next month.

            Thank the Gods.

            “Ah, you’re up.” Hunter’s footsteps sounded on the floor, startling her.

            “Hi.” Her voice was rusty, she realized, pushing herself upright.

            “Take it easy.” His weight made the side of the bed sink lower.

            “I’m feeling better.” She tugged the blindfold up, blinking in the bright midday light.

            Hunter looked good. Just as good as he had Friday night, she realized. His dark hair was mussed, as if he’d been dragging his fingers through it, and his bright blue eyes held relief.

            He’d be glad to be rid of her.

            Katharine swallowed, setting the blindfold on the night stand beside the bed.

            “I’m glad to hear it.” He pushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. “You’re still pale.”

            She shrugged, averting her gaze from his watchful eyes.

            “You want to hit the shower? I have lunch ready.”

            She blushed, thinking of his assistance with her last shower. “Sure.” Then she could get out of here.

            He startled her by leaning close and brushing a kiss on her mouth. “We can talk about what we’re going to do next.”

            Her gaze flew back to his, and her mouth dropped open. “‘We’ don’t need to do anything,” she started.

            Hunter put his fingers over her mouth. “Don’t. I don’t want to argue with you before we get lunch.”

            She swallowed but kept her mouth shut. She could tell him later his temporary guardianship was over. She waited while he held her gaze for a long moment, resisting the urge to tell him now.

            Finally, he nodded once and got to his feet. “I’ll have lunch ready when you come down.” He touched her cheek with one finger, then left the room.

            Katharine shut her eyes for a second before throwing the blankets back. All through her shower, she kept replaying last night and their short conversation just now. He’d understand once she told him her cousins and their husbands were her best bet for safety.

            She dressed quickly after dragging her comb through her tangled hair. She wanted to gather her things together, but all she could find were her bathroom tote and her carry-on. She frowned, wondering what he’d done with her other things.

            Downstairs. He must have left the other bag and her box there.

            She stuffed her things into the carry-on and the bathroom tote, and carried them down with her, leaving them on the landing at the bottom of the steps. The living room was empty, so she turned to the hallway and the kitchen she’d barely glimpsed last weekend.

            Hunter was putting some chips in a bowl when she stepped into the room, and he smiled as he turned toward her. “Sit.” He gestured to the table, where he’d already set plates with sandwiches, as well as small deli containers of cole slaw and potato salad.

            Swallowing, Katharine dropped onto the chair, her stomach fluttering nervously.

            “Don’t wait for me.” He set the chips on the table.

            She picked up her sandwich and found tuna salad, starving in spite of her anxiety. By the time he set a plate of fruit on the table and sat, she’d eaten half her sandwich.

            Hunter smiled at her.

            She swallowed the bite of tuna salad in her mouth. “Thank you.”

            He shook his head and picked up half of his sandwich.

            “I mean it. I really do appreciate what you’ve done for me.” She set the sandwich down. “I don’t want you to think I’m ungrateful. I know the Harvester would’ve killed me if you hadn’t gotten there at just the right time.” She tried to remember all the points she needed to argue, everything that had occurred to her during her shower.

            “Katharine.”

            She lifted her gaze to his.      

            “Eat your lunch. We’ll figure out our next step afterward.” He smiled.

            Her heart pounded harder in reaction to his smile, and she frowned. Leftover hormones, she thought.

            Rather than argue with him, she forced her gaze back to her plate and picked up the rest of her sandwich.

            Finally, Hunter sat back in his chair when he’d polished off his lunch. “Okay. Hit me.”

            She blinked at him. “What?”

            “Give me your best argument.”

            That wasn’t what she’d expected. She frowned again, pushing her empty plate aside and resting her forearms on the edge of the table. “I shouldn’t need to convince you,” she said after a moment. “You saw him. You heard how determined he is. And there are more like him. Lots more. All on the hunt, and because he found me, more of them will be looking specifically for me.” She brushed her fingers absently over the smooth surface of the table. “My best bet right now is to hook up with one of my cousins or their husbands who’ve dealt with the Harvesters before. Then you’ll be safe.”

            “You can’t muster up anything better?”

            Katharine glared at him, more annoyed when he just continued to smile at her. Only half a day ago, that look would’ve killed him. Now it didn’t even make her feel better to know that. “I shouldn’t have to convince you you’re unsafe as long as you’re with me.”

            He shrugged. “I’m not the Medusa. They’re not interested in me.”

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Are you a beach lover, too? Do you go regularly? I'd love to hear what your thoughts are on that. And in the meantime, I'm heading back to revisions.

Until next week, happy reading!