NaNoWriMo October Prep

I actually have two protagonists, so this has a little bit of both in it. I start with one and end with her meeting the other. The title of my book is To Catch a Geek.
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Marley threw herself onto Betsy’s ratty denim sofa. “I hate my job. There is absolutely nothing I like about it.”

“I know you do. You used to love it. What happened?” Betsy’s voice sounded muffled coming from somewhere behind Marley.

Marley pushed herself up to peer over the back of the sofa. “I’m not sure. I thought being a paralegal would be great. It would be a way of working in law without having to go through all the schooling, but I feel like I’m being dumped on all the time.”

“Maybe you should try another firm. Find one that treats you better.” Betsy squinted her eyes at a tiny bead she was trying to string onto a thin wire.

“Maybe. What are you doing?”

“Upcycling jewelry.” She didn’t look up.

Marley stood and moved closer to the dining room table where Betsy was. “What on earth is upcycling?”

“It’s taking something old and ugly and making it into something new and fun. I’m using old jewelry I had in a box in my closet. I found it the other day and thought I’d give it a try.” She strung another bead onto the wire.

Marley picked up a bracelet made of various brightly colored beads. “This is great, Bets. You going to sell this stuff?”

“No, just thought I’d keep it for myself.” Betsy held up the piece she was working on and frowned at it. “This one just isn’t doing what I want it to.”

“Do other people do this?” Marley laid the bracelet back on the table.

“Sure. That’s sort of what gave me the idea. I’ve found a few people online who upcycle stuff.”

Pulling out a chair, Marley sat at the table, an idea starting to bubble in her mind. “What kind of stuff? Clothes? Shoes? Bags? Hats?”

Betsy stopped beading and looked at her friend. “I suppose so. Why?”

Marley smiled. “I think I know how to get out of the paralegal rat race. I’m going to open a boutique and name it Upcycle, and I’m going to sell clothes, shoes, bags, hats, and you can make jewelry for me. I’ll even set up a little work area for you in the store, so you don’t have to use up space here. That’ll make Sam happy.”

Betsy’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Marley. It takes awhile for stuff like that to take off. How are you going to pay your bills?”

“I have quite a bit in my savings. The only thing I spend money on is clothes for work. I can sell my apartment and my car, buy an older car and get a cheaper apartment. And I can get a shop that’s on the edge of downtown, so the rent isn’t as expensive. We can do this, Betsy. Talk to Sam about it and see what he thinks.” Marley realized she had grabbed Betsy’s hands while she was talking and dropped them quickly.

The door behind her swung open and Sam strolled into the room. “Why is it that I see you more now than I ever did when we were both living at home?” he said as he poked Marley in the shoulder.

“Hey, I didn’t tell you to marry my best friend,” she answered. Turning to Betsy again she said, “Have I told you lately how gross I think it is that you married my big brother?”

Betsy grinned. “Not since yesterday.”

Marley pushed the chair back and stood. “I need to get home and get online. I want to see if I can find anybody who would be willing to wholesale some stuff to me. Don’t forget to talk to Sam.”

As she closed the door behind her, Sam’s voice trailed behind her. “Don’t forget to talk to Sam about what?”

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Ben peered out the peephole to see a tall blond standing at his door. He growled and pulled the door open. “Can I help you?”

Violet-blue eyes framed by dark lashes met his, and his heart plunged into his stomach. “Um, hi, I’m Marley, and I’m moving in across the hall.” She gestured over her shoulder to the open door of the opposite apartment. “We need to put together some of my furniture, and I can’t remember what box my tool kit is in. Could I borrow a Phillip’s screwdriver?”

Ben stepped back. “Sure. Come on in. I’m Ben, by the way.” Walking into the kitchen, he pulled open his utility drawer and grabbed the screwdriver.

“I really appreciate this, Ben.” Marley’s voice purred in Ben’s ears even though she was still standing at the door. Her hands were shoved in the front pockets of her jeans, and her t-shirt hugged her breasts. “I’ll bring it back when we’re done.”

Ben nodded, suddenly unable to find his voice. Marley held out her hand and then reached over and took the screwdriver from him. He felt the heat rise in his cheeks. What an idiot he was, standing here gawking at the woman like a hormone-laden teen-aged boy. But he was unable to do much more than watch her smile and close the door behind her as she returned to her own apartment.

Ben shook his head and returned to his computer where he had been filling out the form for an online dating service. Yeah, Marley was beautiful, and she obviously had an effect on him, but she would never go for a geek like him. That was why he was using this service. He was tired of being lonely. He wanted someone to love him for who he was, someone warm and alive and who didn’t understand binary. Okay, maybe someone who did understand binary would be fine. One thing was for sure, though, she wouldn’t be anything like Marley.