Page 69 of Mr. Frosty Pants
“And who knows what the future might bring…”
“Exactly. We’re young, and his father isn’t well. I don’t have my heart set on anywhere else. You know that. Well, now it’s set on Joel.”
“I’ve never heard so much excitement in your voice. I’m happy for you, Casey. Though I do urge you to take things as they come. Don’t push for too much, too fast. Like you said, you’re both young. There’s time to breathe in this relationship.”
“It just feels like we’ve already wasted so much time.”
“You haven’t. You’ve found each other sooner than most. You’ve got your whole lives ahead of you.”
Casey smiled and rolled onto his back, gazing up at the smooth, white ceiling and the decorative crown molding all around the edges of it. “Thank you. I know you thought coming here was a bad idea. If I hadn’t manned up and gone to see Joel, it probably would have been. But I’d never have found the nerve to do it without our work together. So, thank you.”
“Of course. And I’m not too proud to admit when I was wrong. Going home to Knoxville and facing your feelings for Joel has been a long time coming. I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks, Ann. I guess our hour’s mostly up.”
“I’ll charge my phone rates to your bill. And, genuinely, I’m thrilled for you. I hope your happiness only grows. See you in a few weeks when you’re back in New York and I’ve returned from my vacation.”
Casey placed his phone on the nightstand and grabbed his laptop. Opening it up, he fiddled some more with the marketing plan he was putting together for Joel’s books. He’d read a few chapters of the werewolf book when he got home, and it’d been so much better than the cover art and blurb had led him to believe. So, he’d taken it upon himself to mock up something sexier and gripping. Something he’d one-click if it ever popped up in his Amazon search.
When he’d made something he was proud of and was convinced Joel would like too, he moved on to researching a little about the horror-book market. Everything he found for indie authors stressed what he already knew: social media and getting the word out about the book was key.
And those were two things he knew Joel wasn’t doing.
He did a fast Google and Facebook search for Joel Grimsbane and found almost nothing. Just the original sales site links, a couple of enthusiastic but low-quality reviews, and some pirated copies.
It didn’t take long after that to make a list of things Joel could do to improve his books’ visibility. A Facebook page for Joel Grimsbane first and foremost, and then a website, and a list of horror review sites and contacts to send review copies off to. This was easy stuff. Casey could do it all in his sleep.
He sat back and considered his next semester’s course load and smiled. He’d be able to do almost all of the marketing for Joel, if his crabby lover (lover!) was willing and didn’t put up a fuss. Not just for his books, but for Vreeland’s too. Casey double-checked that there was nothing online for the home and garden store, not even a website, and shook his head when he was proven right.
After cleaning up his list into bulleted to-do items with deadlines for execution, he decided to take a little rest. So he closed his eyes, letting sleep steal him away into Joel’s arms again. He woke not too long later to the sound of his aunt’s squeals and his mother’s laughter drifting up the stairs.
Yawning, he stretched and rose, checking his hair and face in the mirror over the dresser. He hadn’t shaved yet, and his chin was still scrubbed pink from Joel’s stubble the night before. He grinned and flattened the places where his hair stood up before heading down for hugs and the obligatory exclamations about his height.
“Here he is,” his mother said, with a hint of disapproval sneaking into her tone. “Casey, honey, look who’s here.”
Aunt Courtney squealed again and met him halfway down the stairs, pulling him into her arms and hugging his middle for all she was worth. Twelve years younger than Casey’s mom, she was smaller than Casey by half a foot, with strawberry-blond hair and hazel eyes. But dang if she wasn’t strong!
Casey grunted as the breath crushed out of him. “Hey, Aunt Courtney,” he gasped when she released him enough to breathe.
“You got too tall,” she scolded, slapping at his shoulder and going up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
“Sorry. I tried to stop growing back when I was ten, like you asked, but no luck.”
Courtney giggled and slipped her arm through his, letting him guide her back to the first floor and his mother’s tense smile. “Your mom was telling me on the way from the airport that she has to meet with one of her charity clubs this afternoon, but she’s volunteered to let you entertain me.”
“Perfect. What do you want to do?”
“Go shoe shopping. I brought a red dress for tonight, but I don’t have any heels that are right for it.”
“I thought it was casual,” Casey said, turning to his mother.
“Of course it’s casual, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look our best,” his mother said, sending him a gleaming smile. “Take her to Off Broadway shoes. They have some decent brands at good prices. If she can’t find anything there, take her to the mall.” She leaned forward and whispered, although it was still loud enough for Courtney to hear. “If the pair she wants seems above her budget, just use your credit card. I’ll pay you back.”
“But first, let me unpack my bags and freshen up,” Courtney said with a big smile. “Which room should I take?”
“All of the rooms upstairs are available, except for the one Casey chose. If you don’t see his stuff all over the place, feel free to claim it as yours.” His mother squeezed her sister’s arm and kissed her cheek. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve missed you. There’s nothing like family at the holidays.”
Once Courtney disappeared upstairs and Casey had delivered her bags to the room she chose, his mother cornered him in the kitchen where he was dreaming of Joel and waiting for his aunt to be ready for shoe shopping.
