Available: All Romance
Blurb:
Jake
Sanders comes home for Christmas after a dreary semester filled with sleepless
nights and a cheating boyfriend. Finding a new man is the last thing on his
mind until he discovers that Ben Swinburne now owns the bakery where they both
once worked.
Five
years ago, Jake and Ben shared a single kiss, and Jake has never forgotten the
way Ben’s lips felt against his. When Ben catches Jake under the mistletoe,
passion ignites between them.
Excerpt:
When I pulled into my parents’ driveway, I
couldn’t help but smile at the crazy colored lights snaking along the roofline,
outlining every window, and circling the porch columns. Strands of glittery
reindeer lights covered the azaleas lining the front of the house, and bells
tinkled in the breeze.
My mom loved Christmas, and every year she
sent my dad outside on the day after Thanksgiving with string after string of
lights, admonishing him to cover every available space with them. This year, a
bevy of penguins had joined the animatronic reindeer and polar bears on the
lawn. I could imagine my dad shaking his head as he set them out. But making my
mother happy made him happy, so no matter how much he grumbled about the
decorations, he always did his best to turn our home into a winter wonderland.
It was good to be home. I’d been avoiding my
family, using the excuse of my tough-as-hell vet school schedule, but really
I’d been depressed ever since I got dumped by my cheating bastard of a
boyfriend a few months ago. I wasn’t good company for anyone.
I grabbed my duffle bag and my laptop from
the backseat and headed to the door smiling as one of the penguins greeted me
with “Merry Christmas from Winterville”.
“Mom! I’m home!” I called as I pushed the
door open.
“Jake!” She rushed from the kitchen wearing
one of her many Christmas aprons. That day’s selection was an appalling shade
of green with little Santas all over it. She raced down the hall, and I
gathered her up in a tight hug. Yep, it was good to be home.
I took a deep breath, drinking in the
wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. “Chicken and dumplings?”
My mom smiled. “You know I always make your
favorites when you come home.”
I gave her a kiss. “Thanks, Mom. Did you make
chocolate cake too?”
She laughed. “That’s your sister’s treat, not
that you won’t eat your share.”
“When will Lauren be here?” My sister and I
had always been close, and I regretted not calling her more in the past few
months.
“Not for a few hours. Come on and put your
things in your room.” My mom started up the stairs, and I followed, grinning at
the greenery that circled the railing and imagining my dad complaining about
the whole damn house smelling like a pine forest.
I slung my duffle bag on my old bed and set
up my laptop as Mom chattered about old friends of mine who’d gotten married
and former teachers who’d retired and other local tidbits. I was about to
inquire about our plans for the next few days when she said, “You’ll never
guess who bought Highland Bakery a few months ago.”
My heart sped up as it always did when I
thought about the bakery. Remembering the years I’d worked there meant thinking
about Ben, my high school crush. He was five years older than me, and he had
refused to go out with me until I graduated. I’d counted the days, waiting for
my fantasies to come true. Then, a few months before graduation, he told me
he’d finally saved up enough money for chef school. I was thrilled for him
until I found out he’d be moving. We shared an amazing kiss that night, and
I’ve never forgotten the feel of his lips on mine.
“Marsha sold the place?” I asked as I
untangled my laptop cord.
“I told you she was thinking about retiring.”
My heart beat even faster when I turned and saw
that my mom had a look like she was up to something.
“Who
bought it?”
“Ben
Swinburne.”
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