Snow Tires on a Chevrolet by Jan West - #unrequited #ComingOfAge #SouthCarolina

Blurb

What if you could get a second chance at love?

Scott is a man frozen in time. Timid and afraid, the blue-collar worker pines for the writer's life he craves--and the girl of his dreams who seems just out of reach. When a freak snowstorm forces his unrequited crush Janey to stand at his doorstep begging to be let in, a host of formerly forbidden fantasies come to life. But is he right to yield to temptation?

Buy Links

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DRN7QNJ

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/839374

Excerpt

Scott’s chest tightened. It contracted and grew long after he put the phone down and stared into empty space as he rested his hands and tried not to think. He waited for Janey to knock on his door, an interminable period of optimism and desire building within as he fought to compose himself. His knees buckled violently, a constant shaking that only served to underscore the nervousness simmering within. He pictured his muse trudging through the snow in her Uggs, her wisps of copper-colored hair flailing around her ears as her lips chafed in the stinging cold.

The off-and-on peal of sirens only heightened his anxiety. Janey lived only a half a mile or so away, in a trailer with spotty electricity and rusty ‘86 Buick that clearly seen better days. He'd have come gotten her herself if he hadn't forgotten to get the snow tires for his Chevrolet before the storm. The local news did such a good job downplaying it that by the time the bread and milk flew off the store shelves it'd already been too late. The dusting grew to about three feet when Scott kicked the covers off the bed.

The teasing screams of the kids having fun outside reminded him of his own careless childhood. If he were the nostalgic sort he’d wallow in a sea of sentimental schmaltz. But the presence of snow these days often didn’t translate into snowball fights. More and more as he got older it meant delays, roads closed off, work hours lost. He hoped the children would make the best of it as they frolicked in their gloves and warm winter coats.

There would come a time when they wouldn’t be as sanguine, their fresh faces lined with stress and

age. Luckily, Scott hadn’t aged that much. Even at thirty-two, he was more likely to be mistaken for someone in their early twenties than an older millennial. He was attractive in a boyish, studious sort of way--like a handsome older college student. Occasionally he would be complimented for his appearance. The vast majority of the time he was ignored.

He didn’t mind usually. Scott was never one to dwell on life’s bitterness. He was aloof in a sense--insular, reserved. Some might say stand-offish. He compensated for his loneliness with an insatiable curiosity and creative potential. What little angst and malaise he felt he poured into his writing, toiling at his laptop for hours on the weekends. It was his outlet, his escape, his way of processing the world.

But that didn’t mean he was incapable of feeling deeply, and lately, Janey was making him feel things. Things he’d only thought of as an abstraction until their paths crossed at a convenience store several years ago. He was happy to consider her a close friend, but sometimes he wanted more. More than he thought either of them could give. He was afraid of telling her. Not once did he ever consider it, but from time to time he wondered what the two of them together would be like.

It was good to daydream.

About Jan West

At turns spontaneous, earthy, soulful and creative, the pseudonymous author known as Jan West has in some way or form been a storyteller since they can remember. While erotic fiction may be a main focus, reveling in the triumph and tragedy of humanity's true spirit remains at the center--whether it is the anguish of unacknowledged love, the grit of adversity, the thrill of sexual exploration, the wonder of new beginnings. From the furthest reaches of the far-flung future, to the domesticated landscapes of suburban America, the deepest, darkest secrets of man and womankind are never far behind--if only one knew where to look.