Beaten by the IT recession, Justin has come back to his hometown where he’s inherited a small house from his mother. Surely Barry, his old crush and sometime nemesis, is long gone. Jobs are scarce, so impulsively Justin seeks to buy into a pet grooming business. But when he has to visit the local bank for a loan, who sits behind the big desk but Barry?<br><br>Justin’s appearance jolts Barry out of his miserable rut of a life. What if they were to pick up where a brief boyhood attraction abruptly ended? Then his mother’s sudden stroke throws his whole life into a tumbled ruin.<br><br>Juggling business and pleasure can be a complex, risky endeavor. Will Justin resist Barry’s charms and flee again, or will fate give them a new leash on life?

A New Leash on Life

Now he’d have to wait until next time. Of course, the twenty thousand would not be enough so Justin would have to return, appraisal and hat in hand, to ask for more. Maybe Barry could hold those added funds for ransom until he got his answers. Meanwhile, he’d have to convince the board of directors that this was a good investment—when he knew it was risky as hell. What did Justin know about dog grooming? Did he know anything about managing a small business in a small town?


Chapter 6