Kyle is struggling to run his coffee shop on his own after his partner walked out on him. He has his eye on Steven, who comes into the shop each day, but hasn’t worked up the nerve to express his interest. When Steven asks Kyle to help out with Christmas lunch at the homeless shelter where he works, Kyle is too exhausted to agree. He donates his tips but still feels he’s blown his chances with Steven and made himself look like a selfish jerk.
On Christmas Day, Kyle sees a way to make amends—to both Steven and the needy people depending on his kindness. It’s the right thing to do, and Kyle hopes he can clear up the misunderstanding and show Steven the type of man he really is. Maybe then they can consider some dessert when the lunch at the shelter is over….
Part of Dreamspinner's 2017 Advent Calendar Daily - Stocking Stuffers
Kyle's been working himself ragged trying to run his coffee shop by himself after his partner took off. He may have his hands too full to do anything extra but that doesn't stop him from wanting to get to know one of his patrons better. When the opportunity to do so occurs, Kyle finds he's just too tired to help and when he watches Steven walk out the door he's left feeling selfish. However, fate has other plans but will it be enough for Kyle to reach out and make amends?
Candy Canes and Cappuccinos is a delightful little holiday novella/short story. Its easy to understand Kyle's conflicted feelings of exhaustion and selfishness, lets face it we've all had that moment when the clock/calendar just doesn't let us help the way we really want to. We also know that as this is fictional holiday tale and fate always has a way of making things right so its no real mystery that Kyle will be able to help in an even bigger and most welcome way. Could Candy Canes and Cappuccinos been better with more pages? Perhaps knowing what awaited Kyle and Steven after the holiday season would make it more HEA but sometimes we don't need tons of words to get the message out, especially when Christmastime is involved. If you are looking for a fun holiday ditty that will make you smile, than Candy Canes is definitely one for your list.
RATING:
FAIRY LIGHTS twinkled in the windows of the coffee shop, their colors warm and inviting. Seasonal music played from hidden loudspeakers high in the walls, a familiar, jolly tune loaded with tinkling sleigh bells. The aroma of freshly ground arabica beans mingled with a blend of warming spices—cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. From behind the counter, I was unable to spot a free seat in the place, and couldn’t resist a little smile of satisfaction.
When Peter had told me he was leaving, walking away from the life and the business we’d been building together to move in with Dale, I’m sure he’d expected me to crumble, confident I couldn’t make a go of things without him. And sure, for the first couple of weeks, I’d wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and hide until the pain of his betrayal went away, but after that I’d vowed to prove him wrong. He might have been the financial brain behind Cool Beans while I’d been the friendly face who took customer orders and baked all the cakes and cookies we sold, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t do the things he’d done.
It had been a sharp learning curve for me, discovering how to balance the books and deal with suppliers. And Peter could have made things much more difficult. I’d been afraid he would demand I buy out his half of the business, knowing full well I didn’t have anywhere near that kind of money and might be forced to sell the coffee shop to pay him off. But cash wasn’t an issue for him now he’d moved out of our snug little apartment in Hartsvale to go live with Dale in his swanky condo in the mountains. Dale, who ran a private dental practice and earned a six-figure salary for whitening teeth and fitting braces. Dale, who I’d come to regard as one of my closest friends, never knowing until way too late that all the while he and Peter were fucking behind my back.
Doing my best to push the hurt to one side, I’d worked hard on making Cool Beans a success: a spot where folks wanted to hang out with their friends or grab a coffee on the way to work. The growing number of regular customers seemed to indicate I was doing something right, and now, with Christmas only a couple of days away, I felt as if I’d finally begun to get my life back on track.
Then Peter walked through the door.
Author Bio:
I am Rotherham’s foremost (okay, only) writer of quality erotica and erotic romance. Though I’m now based in London, family and football take me back North on a regular basis. Indeed, if you’re ever at a Rotherham United match (I know, what are the chances?) and you spot a small blonde with a large ‘London Millers’ flag, that’ll be me.
For twenty years, I worked on the UK edition of Forum magazine, for most of those years as editor. In that time, I built up the fiction side of the magazine, and was responsible for publishing the first stories by lots of now well-known and established erotic authors – most notably Portia da Costa and Lindsay Gordon, who was until recently Black Lace’s series editor.
However, I love writing even more than I love editing, and I’ve finally taken the plunge to write full-time. I’ve had stories published by Black Lace, Xcite Books, Cleis Press, Circlet Press, Mammoth, Ravenous Romance, Total-e-bound and more, and my collection of three gay erotic novellas, Wild Rides, will be coming out as a print book from Xcite in 2012. And I’m happy in my work…
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EMAIL: elizabeth_coldwell@yahoo.co.uk
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