Excerpt: Treading Water by Alex Winters

Today I am so pleased to welcome Alex Winters to Joyfully Jay. Alex has come to talk to us about his latest release, Treading Water. Please join me in giving him a big welcome!

Exclusive Excerpt

The camp sign finally came into view. It was a giant arch, constructed of wrought iron on either side and the words Camp Run-A-Mok spelled out in giant pieces of distressed wood, like something you’d see entering the Triple R Ranch in an old-timey western. His stomach did another flip-flop, and not from Summer’s famously bad driving this time. He was nervous as hell about the next two weeks and what they might mean for his acting career, and holding it all in while acting like he wasn’t holding it all in wasn’t helping much.

It seemed oddly fitting that his fake girlfriend should be the one to drop him off at fake summer camp. Though they weren’t necessarily friends per se, they were at least friendly after four seasons together on the set of Suburban Dead. And their opposites-attract sarcasm had definitely kept the conversation on the way from the airport light, vaguely hostile, and occasionally humorous, all of which had served to take his mind off the unpleasant matter at hand.

At least until this very moment.

“No, you’re right. I wasn’t exactly homeless growing up, but I didn’t grow up in Beverly Hills being babysat by famous actors and actresses on the set of my mother’s movies either.”

Summer’s response was calm and measured, as if she’d had to defend herself enough times over the years to have a pat answer ready for clueless Neanderthals like Tucker, who probably should have known better. “Look, Tucker, it’s not my fault I was born to folks who were already in the acting game long before I came along, and I’ve spent every job since I started on TV proving myself worthy of what little career I have. So yeah, maybe you should know a little bit more about me before reporters start asking about us, Boo.”

The manicured brows arching over her sunglasses indicated she was aware she’d just made a verbal mic drop and that he should be as well. But they’d never spent much time alone together on set, and this forced proximity in the front seats of the rental were the longest they’d spent together, just the two of them, ever.

He glanced over at her with a curious, almost tentative smile. “Sorry, Summer, I guess we both have a lot to learn about each other, huh?”

Her façade was a practiced cool; she was not used to such personal revelations from her far less famous costars. “I’m an open book, Tucker. Everything you ever need to know about me you can find on my IMDb.com page. You’re the Mystery Man with the ‘salt of the earth’ background, remember? That’s what our little relationship ruse is designed to counteract this summer, remember?”

“I know, I know,” Tucker grumbled, as if to quiet the butterflies doing the jitterbug in his taut belly.

She sighed and joined him in glancing up at the towering rustic sign just before they drove under it, and the ominous gloom he’d been feeling all morning grew as the deserted camp stretched out in front of them like something straight from the set of, well, a horror movie.

Summer gripped the steering wheel tighter and sat up a smidge higher and nodded at him sympathetically. “Listen, I know you’re skeptical about all this fake romance business, but trust me, it’s going to be good for me, for the series, for getting us renewed next season, and especially for you.”

“So everyone keeps telling me.”

Blurb

Actor Tucker Crawford is having the worst summer ever. Thanks to a viral video of him trying to swim, he’s the laughingstock of Hollywood and his role in a hit TV series is in jeopardy. The only bright spot is Tucker’s sexy new swim coach, Reed Oliver, but even that has its problems—because Tucker is deep in the closet and has never been with a guy.

Reed Oliver is having the best summer ever. He’s just scored a high-paying freelance gig teaching a Hollywood actor how to swim. The two of them have the run of a deserted summer camp, complete with an Olympic-size swimming pool. But when cocky playboy Reed meets shy, virgin Tucker, sparks fly and Reed’s walk-in-the-park coaching job becomes a minefield of temptation. Once they kiss for the first time, there’s no way to overcome their mutual passion and no looking back. But after two weeks of secluded intimacy, can they keep their romance alive in the real world?

Bio

Alex Winters is the pseudonym of a busy restaurant manager whose curious young staff would love nothing more than to follow him around the dining room reading his steamiest, most romantic passages aloud! When not writing romantic holiday stories of various heat levels, he enjoys long walks with his wife, scary movies and smooth jazz. Visit him at www.awintersromance.com to see what stories are brewing up next!

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