Tuesday Tales 2021-9-28 Careless

It’s time for Tuesday Tales, with authors writing excerpts based on word or picture prompts. This week the word prompt is careless. My snippet is from a cozy mystery. Visit all the talented authors of Tuesday Tales.

Gage nodded. “And you want to help her. I get it. But you’ve been cleaning up her scrapes for years now. Isn’t it time her mother ran with the ball?”

My lips twisted. “Rowena declares we’re two peas in a pod. She said it again yesterday on the phone.”

“You well know that’s to get your sympathy. You and Debra are nothing alike. You’re enthusiastic, spontaneous, and high-spirited. She’s flighty, careless, and self-absorbed.”

I squirmed. “So you think I should sit by and do nothing?”

“No.” His tone didn’t sound like he meant it. “That’s not what I’m saying.” He scratched his head. “I didn’t mean to get off on that tack. You’re loyal, Peri. You will be always be there for those you care about.”

“I’m not so sure I deserve any loyalty kudos. I came within a hair’s breadth of hanging up on Debra when she first called. Of course I didn’t know she was being charged with murder then.”

He waggled a finger. “You are the most loyal person I know. That’s not in question, and the rest of what you said—well, that’s my point. It’s these murders. They’re cold-blooded and vicious.”

“If I didn’t think Roy was hamstrung at having to follow the captain’s orders, I’d sit back and relax and let the department do all the heavy lifting.”

“Right.” His expression said he was unconvinced. “Do you have Roy’s number on speed dial?”

I blinked at him. “Well, no…”

He showed a palm and, after a moment, I handed over my phone. He punched in numbers and returned it to me. “I want to be here for you, and I can’t, damn it. I guess I’m mad at myself more than anything else.”

Tossing the phone down, I snuggled closer. He smelled good. “Well, don’t be. Yes, trying to figure out what’s really going on would be more fun if you were here, but…”

“Fun?”

“Oh, come on. It’s a puzzle. You like puzzles.” I nuzzled his neck.

Both of his arms were around me, and green specks glowed in his hazel eyes. “You like living on the edge.” His voice was low and ragged.

“I’ll be careful. Promise.”

Soft lips came down on mine, and then became more insistent.

I hope you enjoyed the snippet based on the word prompt careless. Thanks for stopping by. Check out the other authors at Tuesday Tales.

Happy Reading!

Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic with Spirited Stories

All rights reserved, copyright @ 2021 Flossie Benton Rogers