Welcome to the Weekend Writing Warriors
Thanks to everyone who stopped by last week. I hope you all are safe and warm. Our temps have been the lowest since 2016, along with snow and more snow. But our west Michigan towns have the equipment to get rid of snow quickly. My heart goes out to those in Texas who haven't had heat in many days.
I'm sharing a snippet from the 2nd Alex O'Hara mystery novel, The Case of the Fabulous Fiancé. Alex is a P.I. in the small Lake Michigan resort town near Grand Rapids. I'm continuing from where we left off last week when the stranger offered to help Alex up off the floor.
Some changes were made to the original.
Snippet:
Instead
of his hand, I grabbed the seat of the receptionist’s chair and pulled myself
up. Why, oh, why had Susan deserted me to go off to Michigan State? Never mind that
her mother and I had encouraged her to get a college education. If my former
receptionist had been here, I’d never have looked—and sounded—like an absolute
idiot. Of course, since the agency wasn’t open on weekends, she wouldn’t have
been here anyway. Duh.
I swiped
at the dust bunnies clinging to my butt then rubbed my hands down the sides of
my oldest pair of jeans. Besides, who expected clients at two o’clock on Sunday?
I wish I’d never left the door unlocked for my tech master, RJ.
The rest of the scene:
“Could we
start over?” I tried for a quirky smile. “My mouth left the station without my
brain.”
“Would
you like me to go out and come in again?” His smile wasn’t the least bit
quirky. Neither were his blue eyes. Sexy. Oh, yeah. Real sexy. Slender and fit,
he was a couple of inches shorter than my five-ten. Clean-shaven and wearing a
really nice—read sexy—cologne.
Quickly, I
shoved my hair behind my ears, pushed up the stretched-out sleeves of my
Detroit Tigers’ sweatshirt, then held out my hand. “Hi. I’m Alex O’Hara.”
His weak clasp
surprised me. Pop would call it a limp-fish shake. Well, shoot. Considering
his good looks and expensive taste—I’m not shallow, not a bit—I thought he’d be
the one to make me forget Nick the Rat. Not that I dated clients. At least not
until they weren’t clients anymore. I gave his soft hand a quick, business-like
squeeze.
“And I’m Pete
Cuddy. Your new receptionist. You obviously need my help.”
Blurb:
She’s at it again. Alex O’Hara just can’t say no to a new investigation. What do a 45-year-old boyfriend, a deadbeat dad, and a teenage runaway have in common? All new cases. With no receptionist, phone and internet problems, and her own boyfriend in the wind, Alex has no idea how she’ll manage. But the question for the past three months is why did Nick disappear. Is this the end of O’Hara & Palzetti?
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Be sure to check out the other WeWriWa authors. Stay safe and have a great week!
I predict his clerical and office management skills will quickly diminish the importance of his "limpfish" handshake.
ReplyDeleteWas totally not expecting that. Great snippet. Can't wait to see how he turns outs.
ReplyDeleteGreat come from behind and sucker punch us with someone we didn't expect.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was definitely a surprise for Alex and me. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is fun - I grew up in Windsor. I always have and always will cheer for the Detroit Tigers!
ReplyDeleteTweeted.
That was a fun, unexpected meet. As always, I love the way you pull us into the story through Alex's quirky viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteThe last line was a surprise after all the buildup.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was unexpected. She certainly does need him, and I like the female detective having a sexy receptionist for a change.
ReplyDeleteOh, I didn't see that coming but it was GREAT. Really enjoying this story, can't wait for more, terrific snippet.
ReplyDeleteInteresting twist. Not a client. lol
ReplyDeleteGreat twist! I'm sure she didn't see that coming either! I'm wondering how this guy with the weak handshake is going to fit in. Great snippet!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pleasant and unexpected surprise at the end.
ReplyDelete