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

“Well, it’s about time you found your way home. What floozy at the country club kept you out all night? Or was it just some tramp off the street or at the bar?”


Barry folded his arms across his chest. “Hey, Mom, you told me to go out and socialize. Did that advice end at midnight like Cinderella’s party? I had a good time. That’s all you need to know—no wedding to plan though you never know.”


She spluttered for a few seconds. Then, a strange look came over her face. All at once, she folded up like a rag doll and hit the floor before Barry could reach her.


“What the—Mom, Mom, are you all right?” He probably screamed the last few words as panic seared through him. He knelt, reached for her throat to feel for a pulse. Yes, although her heart still beat, something was wrong, big-time wrong. It hit him in a breath—a stroke. He had laughed about Tina having one, but this was no joke. Had Mom been that incensed? Even maybe worried? Oh God, what have I done?


Chapter 14