Last Place in the Chalet by Sue Brown
Buylinks
Noel
Garrett leaves for his Christmas vacation with an engagement ring in his pocket.
But he boards the plane alone and with a broken heart when his boyfriend dumps
him in the airport.
His seatmate, Angel Marinelli,
takes care of him with gentle determination… whether Noel wants it or not, and
Noel doesn't expect to see Angel again. But when an overbooking leaves Angel
without a room and Noel is asked to host him, one night turns into the whole
vacation and they settle into the chalet and mix with an eclectic group of
guests, including the Wise Guys and a pregnant woman. As they ski and spend
every moment together, Noel finds himself falling for Angel, and though his
feelings are returned, Noel worries it’s just a rebound romance. It’ll mean
taking a leap of faith, but Noel has to make a decision before he hurts Angel,
and Christmas is fast approaching.
Excerpt
“Are you ill?”
Noel wished the guy would just leave him alone. He
didn’t have the patience for twenty questions. “Not ill. Not drunk.”
“Then—?”
“Dumped, okay? My boyfriend dumped me at the airport.”
His throat closed around the painful words and he looked away to avoid the pity
in the wide green eyes.
The man squeezed Noel’s forearm. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me too.”
“Here.”
He handed Noel the takeout cup of coffee. “I don’t
want—”
“Drink it.” The man almost growled at him.
Noel sipped at it. It was black and bitter and
disgusting. Noel liked his coffee half full of creamer and sugar. But the shock
of the bitter taste grounded him in a way he hadn’t expected.
The man watched him shrewdly. “Feeling better?”
“Yes.” Noel sighed. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. My name’s Angelo Marinelli. Everyone
calls me Angel.”
It was kind of appropriate. With his blond curls and
sweet face, he looked angelic.
“Noel Garrett.”
They shook hands awkwardly around the cup of coffee.
“Do you want another one or the water?” Angel
proffered the bottle.
Noel shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not, but you will be.”
“How can you know that?” Noel asked bitterly.
“Because you’re hurting now, but it won’t last.”
“You think so?”
“I know so,” Angel said, his tone so confident it drew
an involuntary smile from Noel.
“You seem too young to know about broken hearts.”
Angel’s smile turned wry. “It’s the blond curls and
the altar-boy appearance, isn’t it?”
Noel nodded because Angel did look like an altar boy,
now that he mentioned it. “What are you? Nineteen, twenty?”
“I’m twenty-five.”
“I bet you get carded all the time.”
“Every damn time,” Angel agreed. “What about you?”
Noel frowned, confused at the question. “What about
me?”
“How old are you?” Angel clarified.
“Twenty-seven. It was my birthday yesterday.”
“Ah, that’s why you’re called Noel. It makes sense
now.”
“Kind of old-fashioned, but my folks are like that.”
Noel had hated his name as a kid, but now he didn’t mind. It was who he was.
Staid and boring.
Unaware of Noel’s bitter thoughts, Angel smiled at
him. “Happy birthday for yesterday.”
Noel gave him a wry smile. “At least Adam waited to
dump me until after my birthday.”
Sue’s Bio: Cranky middle-aged author with an addiction for coffee, and a passion for romancing two guys. She loves her dog, she loves kids, and she loves coffee; in which order very much depends on the time of day.
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