Today I am so pleased to welcome Lane Hayes to Joyfully Jay. Lane has come to share an exclusive excerpt with us from her latest release, Leaning into Forever. She has also brought along a great tour wide giveaway. Please join me in giving her a big welcome!

Excerpt

I waved good-bye and waited for the door to close behind him before scanning the shadows in the darkened lounge area across the room. The silence was refreshing after a long day of constant activity. I didn’t always enjoy the quiet at home, but I relished it here where the solitude felt like something earned rather than a punishment. I glanced down at the card again before my thoughts turned bleak and quickly input the number scrawled on the back.

“Hello.” Damn, he had a nice voice. Deep and masculine. Simple two-syllable words shouldn’t sound sexy, right?

“Good evening, Mr. Yeager. This is Geordie De La Rosa from Conrad Winery. We met earlier today. You mentioned a canapé and kitchen quandary, and I’m calling to offer my assistance,” I said in a professional tone.

Silence.

“Uh…okay. Cool.”

Never mind. “Okay, cool” wasn’t sexy at all.

“Very well. How shall we go about staging your required rescue?”

Levi chuckled softly. “You’re going to rescue me?”

“I’ll do my best, darling, but I’m going to need information. The ‘what, when, where’ variety. Tell me about your canapés.”

“Gee, that sounds kind of personal. We just met, Geordie.”

I barked a quick laugh as I turned to lean on the bar. “Aren’t you amusing? Let’s make this easy. I can give you two hours of my time Saturday afternoon beginning at three o’clock sharp. I’ll text you Wes and Nick’s address. We can meet there. Are you planning on coming with an assistant?”

“No. Just me. I—you’re going to help me yourself?” he asked, sounding confused.

“Yes. Call it a neighborly gesture. The more I know about your menu, the more informed I’ll sound when I tell the town how fabulous your new restaurant will be. So, tell me everything.”

“Uh.”

“About your menu.” I pulled my cell from my ear and frowned at the screen before trying again in a slow deliberate tone. “What will you serve?”

“A little bit of everything—”

“Oh, boy.”

He gave a half laugh then added, “With a Mexican-Spanish flair.”

“You do realize that Mexican and Spanish cuisine are not the same, I hope.”

“Of course I do. Look, I have a concept, but it’s too hard to explain over the phone. I’ll bring the cookbooks on Saturday and show you.”

“Cookbooks?”

“Yeah. You speak Spanish, right?”

“Sí.”

“Cool. I’ll bring the ingredients, cookbooks, and myself and see you at three. Hasta luego, Geordie.” His exaggerated American accent made me smile, but I couldn’t tell if it was indicative of a silly sense of humor or if his dumb jock side was showing.

“Ai yai yai,” I sighed. “Good night, Mr. Yeager.”

“Buenos nachos.”

“Noches, not nachos,” I corrected automatically.

Levi snickered. “Just testing. ’Night, Geordie.”

I chuckled as I disconnected the call. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Blurb

Geordie de la Rosa is a legend among wine lovers in Napa Valley. His ultra-fabulous style paired with a penchant for leading impromptu sing-a-longs has made him a star attraction at Conrad Winery. Co-owning a well-respected winery was never Geordie’s aspiration but he likes the niche he’s made for himself. He won’t deny that his job and his friends have helped ease his heartache and grief after the death of his longtime partner.

Levi Yeager excels at the art of reinventing himself. He’s been a minor league baseball player, a college coach and now a restaurant owner. The problem is he doesn’t know a thing about the food business. And when his chef quits unexpectedly, he’s afraid his new venture is doomed. But Levi isn’t a quitter. It may be the only thing he has in common with the beautiful, sassy man from the neighboring winery who agrees to help get his new business up and running. Neither man counts on their fast friendship or the wild attraction they feel for each other. However, they know they won’t stand a chance until they let go of the past and lean into forever.

Bio

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions, and won first prize in the 2016 and 2017 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband in a newly empty nest.

Giveaway

Lane has brought a $25 gift card to give away to one lucky reader on her tour. Just follow the Rafflecopter below to enter. 

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