T. A. Chase

Wednesday Work in Progress…

I thought I’d give you one last excerpt from Leaving Home. I’m not sure which story I’ll be giving you next Wednesday. Also, you’re going to have to wait until next week to get two choices for the next blog story. I have a lot of writing to get done the rest of this week, and I have a very important personal matter to take care of this week as well. But I promise, next Tuesday and Thursday, you’ll get two blurbs or maybe scenes for you to choose from. Then I’ll start the next blog story the week after that. 🙂 So be patient with me for a little while…lol

Here’s the excerpt: (Leaving Home copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase)

After hanging up, Chaz tossed his phone onto the bed, then took his time stepping into the shower. Thank God he slept naked, or else he’d have had trouble getting undressed to clean up.

He took his time, letting the hot water soak into his lower back, and it worked in combination with the meds. Chaz was moving pretty well when he climbed out to dry off. He dressed quickly, then called to check and see if Frank was ready. They agreed to meet in the lobby in ten minutes.

Chaz put his shoes on before he dialled his mother. He stood next to the window, looking outside while he waited for her to answer.

“Charles, this is a pleasant surprise.” Her voice was full of happiness.

He frowned at her statement. “Why a surprise? I usually call you when I can.”

“You haven’t called me in over a month, honey. Maybe two. I think you were finishing up in Las Vegas and called to tell me you wouldn’t be coming home for the break.”

Wincing, he gave himself a mental slap on the forehead. How could he have forgotten to check in with his mom? And he must have ignored several of her voicemails as well since she would’ve called to make sure he was okay.

“Sorry” was all he could think of to say. He couldn’t explain what the problem was. She’d demand he retire and come home, and since he wasn’t ready for that, he’d stay silent.

“If I hadn’t talked to Matthew a few times while you were quiet, I would’ve panicked, but he told me you were okay. Just taking time off from everyone.”

The tone of her voice said she didn’t understand why he’d want to take time off from his family, but she was willing to let it go as long as he was in contact with one sibling.

“Speaking of Matthew, I called to tell you he was back in the states. He just landed a few hours ago, but he’s heading home to take a shower before hitting his bed for some uninterrupted sleep.”

Chaz kind of hoped Matthew’s guy would keep Matthew from sleeping for a little while at least, but he wasn’t going to mention that to his mother.

His mother sighed in relief. “Thank God. I hate when he’s out of touch, though he does manage to call once in a while. So we watched you on TV last night. You and Frank did a good job, but you seemed a little stiff. Are you doing all right?”

He loved his mother. “Yes, Mom. I’m doing fine. It was just I hadn’t warmed up enough after not doing the job for a couple months.”

She hummed like she wasn’t completely convinced he was telling the truth, but she let it slide. “Good. Now are you and Frank off to have some breakfast?”

Chuckling, Chaz said, “Yes. You know our routine, though we might pick up some stranglers along the way.”

“All right. Have a good event, honey, and I’ll talk to you in the next day or two.”

“Bye, Mom.”

Chaz hung up, then tucked his phone away. He grabbed his wallet and sunglasses as he walked out of his room. After making his way down to the lobby, he looked around for Frank. He found his partner standing near the front entrance chatting with Cody Harwood.

“Cody, I thought you weren’t going to be riding any more,” Chaz said as he approached.

Cody and Frank turned to face him, and Cody smiled.

“I’m retiring after this event. I got an exemption, but I still can’t ride. I don’t have enough strength in my riding hand to grip the rope.” Cody flexed his right hand.

“That sucks, man. Sorry to hear that.” Chaz slapped Cody on the shoulder. “You want to join us for some breakfast?”

“Sure. I need to be over to the arena an hour before the round starts to help with the bulls, but I could definitely eat.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

Chaz led the way out of the hotel, and they climbed into his truck. There was an IHOP down the road that he and Frank ate every time they came to Tulsa. He drove there, listening to Cody and Frank talk about guys they all knew.

Have a good Wednesday, everyone. 🙂

Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013, by and is filed under "Excerpts, Eye Candy, Home Series, Leaving Home, Wednesday WiPs, writing ". You can leave a response here, or send a Trackback from your own site.