Jacob Baumgardner is struggling to get his nonprofit shelter for gay teens off the ground because the building needs a lot of help before it can pass inspection. Raised by his grandparents for part of his life, Jacob feels that the shelter is his chance to honor them, but someone is making things difficult. An anonymous extortionist seems determined to ruin Jacob’s late grandfather’s good name and keep the shelter from opening.<br><br>Luka Smith is struggling to find his place in the world after a traumatic event in his teen years pushed him to run. When Jacob hires him to help with repairs at the shelter, Luka falls for his new boss hard. Luka wants nothing more than to help Jacob realize his dream.<br><br>As they work together to ensure The Promise of Hope Shelter gets off the ground, their feelings for each other only grow. But will a calculating blackmailer close the shelter before it even has a chance?

The Promise of Hope Shelter

“Wow, thank you for letting me talk about the shelter.”


Cindy smiled. “No problem. I surely hope our viewers get involved. This is going to run at five, six, and ten tonight. We’ll make sure your address is up on our website by then. And you can count on a donation from me,” she said as she handed the microphone to Ed. “And my wife.”


Jacob smiled and wanted to hug her. “Thank you!”


They left, and Jacob chuckled when the protestors were quick to take their leave also. He guessed they had gotten their fifteen minutes of fame and were done. Probably off to have lunch at some trendy restaurant. He shook his head at the absurdity of the situation as he made his way inside, where he texted Luka and filled him in again.


Chapter 29