The Scenic Route

By Chrissy Munder

Ed Baldwin left his home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula right after graduation and vowed never to return. He’s patched things up enough that he’s bringing long-time boyfriend Joe Sutton home to meet the family. Ed knows no family dynamic is ever perfect, but with the differences between their upbringings, he worries this will be the deal-breaker in their relationship.

Nervous and on-edge, Ed picks a fight with Joe the entire trip. When Joe has enough and stops at a run-down motel to take a break, their relationship is tested in a way Ed never imagined. There’s not a lot of rest to be had at the Easy Rest Motel and Ed must learn to trust both himself and Joe before they become permanent guests. But that’s not the end of their adventure and Ed knows one thing -- this is the last time he lets Joe take the scenic route.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646569182

Chrissy Munder

Chrissy Munder writes LGBTQ+ romance filled with everyday people and extraordinary passion to transport readers into their personal world of love, laughter, and desireShe is an avid reader, a wanderer of Michigan’s wilderness, and, while not in any particular order, a lover of lists, legally blind, and a certified crazy cat lady. There are those who might tell you she started writing as a way to justify her office supply addiction, but shhhhh! don’t listen to them.After too many jobs in too many states she’s waiting for her chance to become a full-time Lake Michigan beachcomber. Until then, she’s excited to share her love of romance, laughter, and happy-ever-afters.Come along and share the magic.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I told you.

Ed Baldwin muttered a quiet curse. If the word smug came with an illustration in the world’s dictionary, on the page would be the strong profile of the man sitting beside him in the driver’s seat, his features highlighted by the soft glow from the dashboard.

Ed squirmed in the low-slung bucket of the passenger seat and his jeans rustled against the dark gray leather. The road needed resurfacing and each jounce and bump of the car’s suspension scored a direct hit to his bladder.

Was this his fault for drinking all that iced tea at dinner given the desolate distance of their drive? Maybe. He hadn’t asked for the final two refills, so technically he shouldn’t have felt compelled to finish each glass.

Somehow, despite his twenty-eight years, when faced with a determined waitress, Ed couldn’t escape his mother’s voice in his head guilting him over all the thirsty children in the world.

The damn rain didn’t help. He couldn’t think about anything other than needing to use the restroom with the constant downpour. The gods might as well have turned on a faucet for all the effect of the storm.

I’m not listening. The waistband of Ed’s jeans pinched his belly when he leaned forward and increased the volume on the CD player to drown out his boyfriend.

Strike number two. With no gym in his immediate future, he shouldn’t have eaten that bacon cheeseburger. Or the fries. Why did carbohydrates taste so good? And what would be strike three?

Ed turned away, preferring to peer through the rivers streaming across the passenger window at the surrounding blackness than admit Joe Sutton was right once again.

Yes. His behavior was irrational, but any thoughts Ed had about asking Joe to pull over so he could relieve the building pressure had disappeared at the knowing tone in Joe’s voice. The rising wave of irritation tightened the muscles of his neck and shoulders, and he hunched lower in his seat. I’m ignoring you.

Joe reached for the volume control. The soft music faded into the background with his action. Ignore me all you want; you know I’m right. We go through this every time. Why do you care so much about what people think?

Rain beat a steady pattern against the windshield and the wipers moved in a predictable counter rhythm as they worked to clear the glass. Their head lights illuminated the road ahead, the only sign of activity on the two-lane road. The dark pavement shone like wet silk cutting through the swath of forest.

Their life in Chicago and its city streets seemed like a dream. Having reached Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, the familiar land of expressways, neon fast food plazas, and rest areas were many miles behind them. Now, no matter which direction Ed sought to find the hidden horizon, nothing but mile after mile of claustrophobic forest stared back.

The land of Ed’s childhood. The place he’d left as soon as he graduated high school, and once upon a time, swore he would never return. God, he’d been so dramatic. He half-turned toward Joe, ready to share the laugh, until he remembered they were ignoring each other, and turned back.

Ed frowned at his ghostly reflection, cast on the window by the light of interior gauges. His sandy hair frizzed from the summer humidity, and despite the close cut, wanted to curl into an unmanageable clump regardless of his nervous overuse of product after his morning shower.

He refused to dwell on the meaning layered behind Joe’s words and concentrated instead on his image appearing and disappearing in the changing patterns cast by the lights from Joe’s couldn’t live without stereo system and graphic equalizer. Ed couldn’t tell any difference between this system and the dealer option, but Joe swore otherwise.

Outwardly, he appeared years away from his teenage self. A careful study of style and presentation had smoothed out his rougher edges, but Ed couldn’t escape the same desire for acceptance that stared back at him.

The utter lack of visible human presence outside the vehicle cast a heavy and oppressive shadow, but the atmosphere still

Reviews for The Scenic Route

[serenayates · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a story that starts out deceptively 'normal' before it turns decidedly creepy. If lonely motels in the middle of nowhere fascinate you - this is one you're going to like.