Little Tree

By Rafe Jadison

A few days before Christmas, David Weathers finds himself hopping a plane to his childhood home in Florida and doesn’t know why. His parents are gone, he has no siblings, yet something draws him on.

David can almost feel the magic in the air, but then he discovers Jared Acosta, the man who broke his heart twenty years earlier, has moved three doors away. Reluctantly David accepts Jared’s invitation to dinner, only to find that twenty years may not be enough for some wounds to heal.

Soon David seeks advice from his mother’s best friend Marisol, a vibrant, wise woman who believes in second chances. Can she convince David to take a chance on the man who is working so hard to be near him now? Will he be able to forgive a past that left both him and Jared unlucky in love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Dec 8, 2018
• ISBN: 9781634867788

Rafe Jadison

Rafe Jadison is the author of The Divorceary, Little Tree, Snowed In: Dane and Heath, Seduced by Shark Shifters, Seduced by Shark Shifters II: Logan’s Tail, Seduced by Shark Shifters III: Tom's Turn, Seduced by Shark Shifters IV: Mark's Midlife, Reap This, Reap This Too, Blake Blacks Out, and Peter Passenger and the Mothman. He has a great love of the water and of people, and tries to show that in his writing. You can find out more about Rafe at rafejadison.com. He looks forward to hearing from people legally old enough to read the things he writes.

Book preview

Epilogue

Prologue

Jared Acosta pulled the hose out of the greenhouse in his back yard and wrapped it up near the side of the house. It was close to midnight, but the stars were shining extra bright tonight. He had worked until late finishing a project, and almost forgotten to water the plants. He stretched, glad to be away from his computer. The sky was blue and deep. He took a breath, savoring the night air.

Christmas was in a few days and he wondered what he’d do. Rarely had he ever celebrated it with anyone else. His father had never made much of the holiday. It’s just there to make us feel better, he would tell Jared. I buy you everything you want anyway.

Jared walked back into the greenhouse, appreciative of the solar powered warmth that kept the big room toasty all day long.

I guess I can spend it with you guys, he whispered to the plants, then closed the door and returned to the crisp night air.

Something in the sky caught Jared’s eye and he laughed. A shooting star. I haven’t seen one in forever.

Jared stared in wonder as another burst from the sky. Was tonight some sort of special meteorological night? He had no idea. Work had consumed him all day.

Jared smiled, remembering old sayings about wishing on shooting stars. Even at forty, the idea seemed appealing. He closed his eyes and opened his heart. I wouldn’t mind feeling a little better, he said to the night.

Chapter 1

David wasn’t sure why he was going home for Christmas, but he was. He thought of this as he made his way off the plane and into the terminal at Jacksonville International. It was enormous. Well, at least compared to the tiny airport he remembered when he was twelve when they had first moved to Florida. At that time, you could position yourself in the center part of the lobby area and wait, knowing that anyone coming from a flight would have to walk by you. He and his mother had done it a hundred times when they were waiting for his father’s return from a business trip.

Although he’d seen them before, David was a still a little amazed at the changes in the airport. It had been a long time since he had flown home, but despite the fact that he was now forty, every time he landed he still expected to see the airport of his youth.

His early morning flight from LaGuardia was the first flight he could remember in years where he hadn’t spent most of the time talking to the passenger next to him. Every person on the plane was knocked out. Everyone except for him, that is. While they slept, he stared out the window, enjoying the quiet as the plane flew over most of the East Coast that morning. David wasn’t sure if he was excited to be going home, or just glad to be off work for a few days, but for some reason, sleep had not been an option.

That same excitement coursed through him as he made his way to the car rental agency.

Do you have any convertibles? David asked, a mischievous grin on his face, almost bouncing up to the counter.

The car rental agent was old enough to be his mother, and it showed in her response to him.

You do realize that we’re in Northern Florida, don’t you, son?

Yes, ma’am, I’m from here, but it’s a whole lot warmer than New York was this morning, and my phone app has promised a beautiful day.

As long you aren’t expecting Miami Beach weather, she said, and then began to search for something on her screen. So, you live in New York now?

Yes, ma’am, David answered, a smile on his face.

I can tell, the woman said.

David looked down. Jeans, dress shoes, a black turtleneck, and a blazer. He had seen his face in the mirror on the plane bathroom. He was a little pale, and his blond hair was the darkest it had ever been. He figured he had another few years before it morphed to mousy brown. In New York, he would be fine with his appearance. Here, he was remembering what he looked like twenty years ago.

My oldest lives in the Big Apple. Incredible city, but I know sometimes you need to get away. I’m not charging you full price for the convertible. Enjoy the air, the woman said.

David laughed, and thanked the rental agent. After filling out a few papers, he was on his way out of the airport and onto the road. The sun was incredible and he had the top down before he reached I-95.

David tossed his blazer into the back seat and drove like a wild man, grateful for the fact that he could actually move the car. Half the time he spent driving in New York was in traffic, but his flight had arrived after Jacksonville morning rush hour had cleared. As he passed the city, he smiled at the familiar skyline, remembering that in high school he had been an extra in a movie that was shot there.

Once over the bridge, and now on the South Bank, he exited the highway for familiar streets, determined to take the scenic route home. As David drove through San Marco, he smiled, admiring the little coffee shops, restaurants, and theatres that he had