About Someone Special
by TC Blue
209 pages / 59700 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-532-4
Ebook zipped file contains -
html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub
Gracen loves Christmas. It's his favorite time of the year. So much so
that he works as a mall photographer for the season, taking pictures of
children with Santa. There's something about seeing all those happy families
that he finds satisfying, which may be slightly odd since he's so very
alone, himself.
Working three jobs is never fun, but when Jesse takes a part time position
as a greeter elf at Santa's Workshop in the mall, he meets Gracen and
realizes that maybe job number three isn't that bad, after all. The handsome
photographer appeals to him, even with all Jesse's family issues.
Two lonely men, one Santa's Workshop, elf costumes, curl-toed shoes and a
camera. They aren't exactly a recipe for finding that someone special…
except maybe they are.
Review
Jane Davitt, author of Hourglass, writes: 'Someone Special' is a
delightful romance, the kind that goes wonderfully well with a fire, a deep
armchair, and a hot drink. I was captivated by the four main characters:
Jesse and his sister Jazz, Gracen the photographer and his acerbic agent
Alonzo, and invested in a happy ending for Gracen and Jesse.
The story isn't light and frothy. Sure, Gracen and Jesse are working as
Santa's elves at a mall, but Jesse's doing several other jobs and is
exhausted, and he and Jazz have a secret worry that lends the story depth
and layers and furnishes it with direction. Gracen too has had tragedy in
his life with the death of his parents in a plane crash, so there's another
point of connection there between them.
I loved Gracen's immediate impulse to help Jesse at every point where help
was needed. Practical and warm, he comes over as a complete sweetheart.
Jesse is well-matched as the older brother struggling with his fears and the
need to keep his sister's education on track, pushing everything aside to
make her life happy and successful. They're both very likeable and
sympathetic and although we only see them over a relatively short period of
time, I was left feeling certain that what they'd found together would last.
A perfect Christmas story that I'd be just as happy to re-read at any time
of the year.
Sample
Sometimes, Gracen wished it could be the Christmas
season all the time. He wished he could spend every day making children
smile and seeing the way their little faces lit up when they told Santa --
this year, Santa was a retired sanitation worker named Bernard, who had the
classic Santa physique and "Ho-ho-ho!" down pat -- exactly what they wanted
under their trees come Christmas morn. Gracen didn't have any desire for
children of his own, but he did enjoy seeing their excitement.
"Uh-oh, we have a cry-er." The words were muttered from right behind him,
but Gracen didn't jump. He also didn't turn around to look at the person
who'd spoken. It was only the new elf's second day on the job and Gracen
already knew the guy had some sort of sixth sense about the kids. It was
somewhat amazing, considering the elf was working the Santa gig for the
first time ever. "I'm going in with candy-cane therapy. You might want to
try the light-up nose. The last thing we need is the start of a chain
reaction."
Gracen stifled a laugh as the elf -- really not an elf, of course, but a
six-feet tall, twenty-five-ish young man with floppy brown hair and hazel
eyes that always seemed to be laughing -- pranced goofily toward Santa's
throne, waving the mentioned candy cane. The child who had obviously been
gearing up to scream down the roof paused in the midst of gathering a deep
breath, though Gracen couldn't be sure if that was due to the promise of
candy or the way the elf, Jesse, bounced and bounded across the fake snow
and glitter-strewn terra cotta tiles.
Jesse had definitely managed to learn how to maneuver in the curl-toed elf
shoes since the previous afternoon, which was a relief. Gracen honestly
hadn't minded seeing the poor guy ass-up, repeatedly, when adjusting the
things, and while the sight had given him some very happy feelings, they
weren't feelings appropriate to the Santa's Workshop photo station.
Considering that Gracen was attired very similarly to Jesse -- curly shoes,
pointy ears, small green shorts, tights and a top that was more of a
slightly long vest with built-in sleeves -- his body's reaction to seeing
Jesse's bottom presented so appealingly might be misinterpreted by any
parents who happened to notice. Luckily, the rather bulky, fabric draped
disguise-stand his camera perched in had hidden that the day before, but
there were no guarantees. Even if there were, sporting wood while
photographing children was creepy, even with Jesse as a reason, so Jesse's
new skill with the elf-shoes? Yeah, that was a good thing.
Equally good was not having Jesse punch him in the face for ogling his ass.
Gracen was a big fan of not being punched in the face, or any other body
part for that matter, and while he wanted to think Jesse might be gay, he
couldn't be sure, so… no ogling. He didn't have time for that, anyway. He
had Christmas memories to make for the parents lined up, waiting to have
their children photographed with Santa. That those same children would be
embarrassed by the pictures in a decade or less was a given, but there it
was. At the moment, the kids loved Santa and the parents would be happy, and
that was what mattered.
"I thought you were going to put on the nose," Jesse said with a grin, and
Gracen laughed. He pulled the light-up nose from the small pocket of his
elf-vest and squeezed it, both to turn the light on and make it fit.
"I was hoping the candy cane would be enough." Gracen shrugged.
A laugh answered him and Jesse moved just a half-step closer. It was just
enough to make Gracen uncomfortable, or rather enough to make his tights
start to be a little too tight, so he shifted away. "I just like seeing you
in the nose," Jesse whispered, apparently not noticing Gracen's discomfort.
"It's very Rudolphian."
Gracen's eyes rolled as Jesse winked, but then Jesse returned to his usual
post at the velvet, snowflake-adorned rope behind the camera stand and
Gracen shook his head before getting back to work. The cry-er wasn't crying
after all, and that was yet another sign of the magic of Christmas, as far
as Gracen was concerned.