Jason has one rule when it comes to holidays -- work his shift behind the bar and then find a willing body to distract himself with. One night is long enough to satisfy his needs and still walk away with his heart intact. It has worked out fine for most of his adult life, but this Easter, he's trying something new. He's leaving the city to visit his friend Aiden, who recently moved in with his boyfriend in the middle of nowhere, but one unfortunate incident leaves Jason without a place to sleep.<br><br>Tom doesn't just not do relationships, he rarely does hook-ups, either, and never too close to home. Living on his own without attachments is easier than having the whole town knowing about him. As the holiday approaches, his lonely house grows even quieter than normal -- at least until his friend Tristan dumps an arrogant bartender in his lap.<br><br>As soon as Jason lays eyes on the gruff lumberjack whose home he'll be sharing, he knows who'll warm his bed for the weekend and help chase away any pending holiday gloom. Too bad Tom doesn't want to get with the program. As much as he wants to let Jason close, he won't risk outing himself for a weekend fling. Will Jason trust Tom not to break his heart if he stays longer than a couple of days? Will Tom value their relationship higher than the town gossip?

The Egg Hunt

“Are you okay, Tom?” Jen’s voice barely broke through the buzz in his ears.


“Why don’t you sit down for a while? You want breakfast?”


The bell chimed again, and Tom heard Jason greet Marge and Monica as they walked through the door, but he didn’t even glance in their direction. They would be here all day, drinking their coffee and knitting and gossiping—about him, more than likely.


Jen touched his arm and gave him a concerned look. “Come, sit down.” Jason followed Marge and Monica to their table as Jen walked Tom to the one by the TV.


He sat down, but it didn’t feel like it usually did. It was like he was watching himself from above. “I don’t know if I can do this.” He’d said he would, had promised himself it would be worth it if Jason stayed, but now he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to face them all.


Chapter 40