Recent graduate Dr. Fenton Miller takes December off to decide which job offer to accept. Then he meets his landlord, sous chef John Barton. Suddenly, thinking about his career becomes his last priority. A better option might be a month-long roll between the sheets with John. While John is attracted to Fen and might even agree to his plan, John has got more pressing matters to worry about. His past has arrived in tiny Stone Acres from San Francisco and is intent on sucking him back into a life he hated. Promising to help John and shelter him if necessary, Fen finds he's also being threatened by a homophobic father who doesn't find Fen as entertaining as his kids do. As they wade through their problems during the happiest time of the year, Fen and John rely more and more on each other for happiness.

Short Order

Even with an enigma for a landlord, my life was perfect. 3


During the first week of December, celebrities and sightseers asking for impossible additions and subtractions to their odd purchases strolled the aisles of Cuttings Nursery. I got home every night both physically and mentally exhausted. Every day I was feeling less and less like a successful doctoral graduate and more and more like a dropout.


One night after work, I walked past the Silver Star restaurant on my way to Stonewall Saloon. Inside, the gourmet eating place buzzed like a busy hive, with a handsome blond pointing at waiters, his mouth moving a mile a minute. I glimpsed my landlord, the nearly silent John, standing behind the beauty.


Chapter 4