Title: The Holiday List
Series: The Script Club #4
Author: Lane Hayes
Publisher: Lane Hayes
Release Date: December 3
Length: 39K
Genre: Romance, Nerd/Jock, MM Romance, Bisexual, Single Dad, Grumpy/Happy, Holiday Romance
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Synopsis
The Mars maestro, the single dad, and a wish list…
Chet-
Boy, am I lucky! Finding a living situation with a houseful of passionate scientists just before the holidays is ideal in every possible way. As the newest member of the Script Club, I feel it’s important to step up and tackle the to-do list my friends would prefer to avoid. Item one, address the tutoring request from the neighborhood-hottie-slash-single-dad on the next block. I’ve got this!
Or do I?
Handsome, older, sporty gentlemen intimidate me. And Mr. McSwoony doesn’t like the holidays. This may be a daunting task.
Sam-
What do you do when a new neighbor shows up on your doorstep with cookies and a wacky plan to spread holiday cheer? I don’t need cheer, but I could use help with some of the experiments my son wants to try. I know football, not science. Hopefully, I can talk Chet into a mutually beneficial trade. The only snag is that I’m seriously attracted to my local Mars expert. He’s unintentionally charming…in the very best way.
Don’t quote me, but this holiday elf with thick glasses and a mile-long list might be exactly what I need.
The Holiday List is an MM bisexual, geek/jock romance with a holiday twist featuring a lovable scientist and a single dad who’s probably on the naughty list!
I pushed away from the island and stood. I needed a little distance to gather my thoughts. This man was far too distracting. “Let me begin again.”
“Uh…o-kay.”
I cleared my throat as I scrolled to the notes I’d taken at the meeting. I didn’t want to leave anything out.
“I’m here to offer assistance on behalf of my household, Mr. McSwoony. If you need someone to purchase groceries, drive you to a doctor appointment or supply you with baked goods while you’re recovering from your shoulder injury, please don’t hesitate to call.”
“Well, thanks. I appreciate it, but I can still drive.”
“Oh. That’s good.”
“And since I’m not working at the moment, I have plenty of time to run errands. In fact, if you need anything from the market, call me. I mean that. My contract for my new gig starts in January, but I’m hoping to be back on the field by December first.”
I didn’t understand what he meant, but he seemed pleased with the idea so I returned his smile. “Right. That’s good.”
“Fingers crossed.”
I set my phone on the island and copied his crossed fingers gesture. “I don’t mean to be nosy, but do you mind if I ask what happened to your shoulder?”
He wiped his palms on his jeans. “Last Sunday in Seattle, I got sandwiched between a three-hundred-pound brick wall of a linebacker and a tight end before hitting the turf hard enough to knock the wind out of me. I made the ESPN highlights and the sports page…for all the wrong reasons.”
My brow creased as I tried to make sense of his explanation. Without knowing what a linebacker was, I was lost. I made a mental note to look it up and settled on, “I’m sorry you were hurt.”
“Me too. I walked away with a mild concussion and a shoulder sprain. Those guys sit out the remainder of the game, then wrap up their wounds and show up to practice ready to play. It doesn’t work like that for refs. I might be one of the younger ones, but I’m forty, and I don’t rebound quite as fast as I used to. That’s okay. I have the rest of November off to heal and spend time with Linc before he leaves for Indiana to see his grandparents for Thanksgiving.”
“So you’ll be healed in two and a half weeks?”
“Hopefully. It’s just a sprain, and it’s not my first. I know better than to ignore it. If I give it some rest, I’ll be fine. The timing sucks, though,” he grumbled, gazing toward the muted TV on the other end of the room.
“Because of the holidays?”
“No.” He gave a dismissive wave. “I don’t care about the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas aren’t a big deal to me. It’s football season and—”
“Not a big deal?” I gasped in horror. “How can you say that? The holidays are…everything!”
“Everything?”
“Yes. Everything.” I smacked my palm on the island as if to emphasize the sentiment. “Peace, joy, goodwill to all. Christmas lights, decorating trees, making cookies, going to office parties, buying gifts for friends and family, watching holiday movies…I could keep going.”
“You like Christmas, huh?” he asked indulgently.
“Like it? I love it. I love Hanukkah too, and I’m not even Jewish. I love all holidays…except Halloween. If the decorations and celebrations are sweet and harmonious, rather than designed to scare the devil out of me, Halloween is fine. Otherwise, I can buy my own candy, thank you very much.”
“Noted.” Mr. McSwoony chuckled as he picked up his mug again, grimacing when he took another sip. “Meh. I don’t think I like tea.”
If possible, my eyes widened even more. “You don’t like tea?”
“I never drink it. Maybe it needs sugar or—why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m the Grinch.”
I tried and failed to school my features into something neutral…without success. I knew I was supposed to be sympathetic, but he wasn’t making it easy. Did he really say he cared more about football than the holidays?
“I’m having a difficult time comprehending that anyone wouldn’t like Christmas—or tea. You might actually be the Grinch.”
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Lane Hayes loves a good romance! An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and were winners in the 2016, 2017, and 2018-2019 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a not quite empty nest.
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