Book Title: Townies
Author: W.S. Long
Publisher: JMS Books
Cover Artist: Written Ink Designs
Release Date: November 6, 2021
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Tropes: Friends to lovers
Themes: Coming out, forgiveness, first time
Length: 45 000 words/ 151 pages
It is a standalone story and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links
Publisher | Amazon US | Amazon UK
Can a secret crush who rejected Johnny be someone he can trust? And why would the richest teenager in town be interested?
Blurb
Johnny Cunningham had a secret crush on the high school quarterback, Zach Carpenter. Because of fear and anxiety, he didn’t do anything about it. A chance meeting after high school brings their paths together again, and sparks fly.
Zach Carpenter was born into the richest family in town, but since 10th grade he has been attracted to Johnny Cunningham and wasn’t sure if Johnny liked him too. When they meet again after high school, Zach cannot deny his strong attraction to Johnny and pursues him, even though Johnny is a Townie and dirt poor and Zach’s parents have already determined Zach’s path in life.
When Johnny discovers that Zach suffers from bipolar disorder, and that Zach’s parents have other plans for Zach that don’t include Johnny, can they overcome these obstacles and make their love last forever?
Johnny squinted. He didn’t want to wake up, but it seemed everything was conspiring against him.
The crooked Venetian blind blasted sunlight in Johnny’s eyes. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted. He raised his head from his pillow toward the sound. Colton, his twin, had walked in, shirtless, barefoot, and then sat on his bed, two feet away from Johnny’s own in the small room they shared. “Bro, you awake?”
Johnny grunted. “It’s too early.” His voice still dry and raspy.
“Mom left for a double shift at Waffle House. She left you a card on the table. I got mine.”
“Yeah?”
“We got gift cards for Olive Garden.”
Their older brother walked up to their door and knocked.
“Happy Birthday, Johnny! Happy birthday to you both!” Brendan then sat on Johnny’s bed. “Get up, sleeping beauty!”
“I worked late last night, okay?” Johnny whined, not meaning to.
“Ah, poor baby.” Brendan laughed as he messed up Johnny’s hair.
*Stop!” Johnny protested, trying to bat his brother’s hand away.
“I made breakfast. And I made birthday pancakes. Come on. I won’t see you guys for a couple of weeks.” Brendan stood and pulled off the bed cover off Johnny.
“All right, all right.” Johnny swung his feet, placing them on the linoleum floor, then stood up, pulling his loose boxers up. He yawned, then grabbed a pair of shorts from the dresser. “Let me take a piss first.”
Johnny soon walked over to join his brothers after using the bathroom. Brendan and Colton set plates on the small dining room table. Johnny grabbed the orange juice and poured.
“I wanted to tell you both that I think we can find a way to get dad out of prison.” Brendan paused, waiting for a response.
“Oh?” Colton finally asked. “How?”
Johnny grabbed the envelope left on the small brown Formica countertop, written out to Connor Johnathan Cunningham, opened it, then smiled when he read his birthday card from their mom. He didn’t want to hear anything about their dad getting paroled, or his prison sentence being reduced. He hoped Brendan would see his lack of interest and drop the subject.
Johnny took out the twenty-five-dollar Olive Garden gift card and waved it at his twin.
“I think they sentenced Dad incorrectly,” Brendan interrupted.
Johnny rolled his eyes. “Shouldn’t that be something his lawyer should be doing?”
“It would’ve been, but he didn’t file an appeal on sentencing.” Brendan eyed his brothers. “The judge used those enhanced sentencing guidelines that doubled Dad’s time. He should be doing fifteen years, not thirty years.”
“You found this out from your classes?” Colton asked.
“Yeah, that and some research on Westlaw. I looked up the public record on dad. And the sentencing order.” Brendan paused for a moment. “His last crime was going into a construction site and trespassing. They charged him with burglary. But no one was there, just some security guards that caught him trying to steal copper coil from the air conditioners to pawn later for drugs.”
“What are you going to do?” Johnny asked, hoping this was just idle talk from their older brother.
“I don’t know yet.” Brendan sighed. “Lea’s helping me.”
“Shouldn’t you guys be focused on passing the bar first?” Colton asked.
“Yeah, we are,” Brendan said. “This is just a little side project.”
Johnny took a bite of the pancakes Brendan made and smiled. He pushed the blueberries that were on the side to Colton who had been staring at Johnny’s plate.
Colton’s dirty plate was already in the sink, a victim of Colton’s ravenous appetite.
If Brendan didn’t pass the bar, Johnny knew his brother
could always fall back on being a cook at IHOP. He knew the restaurant in nearby Gulfside would rehire him in a heartbeat. He made the fluffiest pancakes.
Johnny wiped the excess syrup from the dispenser using his finger. “I can’t fucking believe my brother is going to be a lawyer! I don’t think anyone from Baytowne’s finest mobile home park has ever produced a lawyer.” Johnny took another bite of the pancakes.
“Thanks for making breakfast.” Colton smiled. “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten the tradition of making us these blueberry pancakes for our birthday.”
“When he passes the bar, he’s going to be a big shot lawyer, and forget about us,” Johnny said, so matter of fact.
Brendan grimaced. Nothing was said for a second, then Brendan awkwardly reached out to Colton on his left, and Johnny on his right, and squeezed his brothers’ shoulders. “Never. My success is your success.”
Immigrant, military-brat, gay veteran, and former theme park employee, among other things, W.S. Long upon leaving the military became a lawyer. During the day, he practices law but at night he reads and writes male-male romance under this pen name. Once in a while W.S. Long travels or dreams about traveling to wonderful places with his wonderful husband, a mild-mannered college professor.
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