Carl Neilson, a forty-seven-year-old counselor at Baden Community College, meets his match in Benjamin “Ben” Brooker, an alluring artist with questionable fashion sense and a garish, multi-colored hairstyle.
Ben calls things as he sees them, including the way Carl uses his college-aged son Chester as a reason not to make changes in his life, or even to cut his hair. The truth is hard to take, but it forces Carl to look at himself in a new way, and maybe get rid of his sideburns, too.
And in the end, a haircut, a Polo shirt and willingness to find love in unexpected places might be just enough to bring two very dissimilar men together, in spite of it all.
Genres: Gay/Contemporary/The Arts
Heat Level: 2
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (12k words)
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (12k words)
Read a short excerpt...
...“Hey, Dad, I wanted to show you something on the Internet. Can we use your computer?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“You’ll see.”
A few minutes later I stared in horror at my monitor and shook my head vigorously.
“No way in hell,” I said, unequivocally. A man’s garish profile grinned at me while Chester tried to convince me to participate in online dating.
“Why not?” he prodded.
“The guy has red, white and blue stripes in his hair. He looks like a patriotic skunk.”
“Like you can talk with your thinning, shoulder-length, blond hippie hair and seventies sideburns. Neil Young would like his hair back.”
I now regretted watching all those documentaries on the History and Discover channels with him when he was younger.
“Funny. I don’t see why I need to change anything.”
“For one thing, Carl, your hairline’s receding. And another, it’s 2014. No one wears their hair like that unless they’re a part of Greenpeace.”
“It’s Dad to you, and I like my hair just fine, thank you very much.”
“You’re in denial. All you need is some patchouli.”
“Where’s all this coming from?”
“At least you don’t wear tie dye, though the Hawaiian shirts—”
“What’s your point, rugrat?”
“Is your mirror broken?” He glowered at me.
I channeled my inner Yoda. “Broken, the mirror is not.”
“I mean, are you trying to make a statement or something? It’s not that you’re ugly or anything, but—”
“Thanks, loads.”
“You’ve got potential, Dad, and you’re still in good shape, for as old as you are.”
That word again. “I’m forty-seven, not ninety.”
“You’re tall, fit, and good-looking in a scruffy kind of way. You have crow’s feet that make you look distinguished. You have killer dimples. Cut that hair, make a little effort and guys will be banging down your door to hump your leg.”
“I’m not looking to date a dog.”
“Come on, Dad! You haven’t been on a date in… Well, forever. I’m in college now. I’m an adult, just like you. You don’t need to worry about scarring my psyche anymore if you bring men home to dinner.”
“Of course not, because you’ve scarred mine enough over the years.”
“I know you love me, so I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you say that.”
“Chester, leave it alone, please? Read my lips. I. Am. Not. Going. On. A. Date. Period.”
“Look, I worry about you. All you do is work, hang out with the guys, and text me at midnight. You need to, at the very least, get a sex life, if only to stop you from interrupting me mid-coitus.”
That my son was getting more sex than me was not up for discussion...
Oh poor Carl, its so much easier to hide behind taken care of someone else, or your job, than to take a risk and make changes in your life to allow love to find you. I love the dialogue in this book and the character exchanges, from the excerpts supplied, so thank you for a chance to win these books, just love the covers as well :)
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