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?
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Links
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.
