The Nicest Gangster

By Rafe Jadison

Joshua Hansen doesn’t believe in anything, except maybe the romance novels he reads about gorgeous men falling deeply in love. So when his small town’s interfaith council approaches him to ask if they can hold a weeks-long bake sale outside his convenience store for a fundraiser, Joshua isn’t sure what to say. Feeling his apprehension, the council offers him a bribe: they’ll bring him free baked goods, and pray in a wide variety of ways to get him a guy like the one on the covers of his books.

Although Joshua isn’t one to believe in miracles, and has no interest in carbs, he does want to help those in need in his town, so he accepts their offer. Still, he’s not holding his breath for them finding his Mr. Right in this small Virginia town. After all, he’s spent years looking for the right guy. What are the chances the council can find him a man in less than a month?

On a snowy Christmas Eve, when he has just about given up all hope, Joshua might need to eat his words, and some rather amazing pasta. When Giorgio Vincenni storms into the store, Joshua wonders if maybe the council’s prayers have been heard. Abrasive, well-dressed, and full of attitude, Giorgio looks just like one of those gorgeous mafia men on the cover of the books he loves. Joshua soon finds himself in a confrontation with Giorgio that holds so much sexual tension, they find it leads to something else. Now looking closely at Giorgio, Joshua must ask himself, is this really the type of guy he wants?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Dec 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781685500078

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

Chapter 1

Joshua Hansen fought to look up from his novel when the door chime in the small convenience store that he owned dinged.

Hi. Are you the owner? a woman in a long black gown asked.

I am, Joshua said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her and the crowd of people with whom she’d entered.

Wonderful, a tall man in white robes said.

He looks so nice, a woman in a nun’s habit said. I know he’ll say yes.

At six-three, with dark blond hair, and a swimmer’s build, Joshua was used to people assuming he was nice. It’s what made it easy for him when he modeled, and it’s what made it easy for him as a convenience store owner. Still, he just wished people would get to know him first. After all, he could also be an asshole.

Of course he will, a man that Joshua assumed was a Buddhist monk said.

Is this some sort of a joke? Joshua asked, taking in the group who had just walked into his store. Most of them wore religious garb, but none of it matched.

Oh, don’t be irreverent, the woman in the nun’s habit said.

I can see why you might think that, a middle-aged man in a suit said as he looked around at his companions, wanting to explain Joshua’s confusion to them. Think about all those old jokes that started with something like, a priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar…

But this isn’t a bar, the nun said. And there are far too many of us for any decent joke, Rabbi Finkelstein. It would take forever to tell it. There are ten of us.

You’re right, Sister Margaret, the man who Joshua now knew was Rabbi Finkelstein said.

So if this isn’t some sort of a joke, why are you here? Joshua asked.

We are part, a large part, the main part, okay, we are actually all the members, of the Sweetasswater Interfaith Council, and we need to ask you a question, the woman in the black gown explained.

Okay, what’s your name, ma’am? Joshua asked.

I’m Crystal Cloud, high priestess of Sweetasswater, Virginia’s first coven, the Farmers’ Daughters.

When did Sweetasswater get a coven? Joshua asked.

About the time people settled here, Crystal said. There were witches in Roanoke and in Jamestown. Some of the group from Jamestown just ended up settling here.

That explains the name, Joshua said.

What do you mean? Crystal asked.

Well, isn’t it a little sexist? The Farmers’ Daughters? I guess it was a different time. I mean, you know, women describing themselves by who their fathers were.

"Again, I can see where you might misunderstand something, but the farmers we refer to were women. If