The Lightkeeper's Love Affair: A Mission City Gay Romance Short Story

By Gabbi Grey

Ben

I just graduated. I should be out celebrating. Instead, a storm's coming and I've got no place sleep except the backseat of my car. At least I have my beloved beagle with me, but seriously, how is this my life?

Isaac

After a horrific week, I hate being unable to retreat to my island sanctuary. Perhaps sharing my hotel room with a stranger in distress and his dog will take my mind off things. Afterward, we'll separate and never meet again. Right?

*A 10k lighthearted gay romance with forced proximity, a loner, a future school-teacher, and Buddy, the adorable beagle. This short story is also included in the Love in Mission City: The Shorts box set.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gabbi Grey
• Release date: Mar 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9781738644551

Gabbi Grey

USA Today Bestselling author Gabbi Grey lives in beautiful British Columbia where her fur baby chin-poo keeps her safe from the nasty neighborhood squirrels. Working for the government by day, she spends her early mornings writing contemporary, gay, sweet, and dark erotic BDSM romances. While she firmly believes in happy endings, she also believes in making her characters suffer before finding their true love. She also writes m/f romances as Gabbi Black and Gabbi Powell.

Book preview

The Lightkeeper's Love Affair

A Mission City gay romance short story

Gabbi Grey

Copyright © 2022 Gabbi Grey.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictitiously.

References to real people, events, organizations, establishments, or locations are intended to provide a sense of authenticity and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locations, organizations, or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Cover art by Cate Ashwood Designs

ISBN: 978-1-7386445-5-1

Dedication

Randall

Cate

Ben

I just graduated. I should be out celebrating. Instead, a storm's coming and I've got no to place to sleep except the backseat of my car. At least I have my beloved beagle with me, but seriously, how is this my life?

Isaac

After a horrific week, I hate being unable to retreat to my island sanctuary. Perhaps sharing my hotel room with a stranger in distress and his dog will take my mind off things. Afterward, we'll separate and never meet again. Right?

*A 10k lighthearted gay romance with forced proximity, a loner, a future school-teacher, and Buddy, the adorable beagle. This short story was originally published in the anthology Ukraine: Seeds of Love.

Contents

1.Chapter One

2.Chapter Two

3.Chapter Three

4.Chapter Four

5.Chapter Five

6.Chapter Six

7.Chapter Seven

8.Chapter Eight

9.Chapter Nine

10.Epilogue

11.Interested in knowing more about Gabbi?

Chapter One

Ben

What the actual fuck?

The hotel desk clerk held my gaze with a level look, her hazel eyes scrutinizing me.

Buddy rubbed against my leg.

I did mental gymnastics. Does that come with food?

Complimentary breakfast buffet. She patted her platinum blonde hair in its elegant chignon.

Ugh, too similar to my mother. None of the scenarios in my mind appealed. The storm that’d been threatening my entire trip up from Nanaimo had finally materialized—part of the reason my poor beagle was cowering by my legs.

So a return trip back to the ferry was out. And likely the ferry back to Vancouver would be canceled due to the high winds anyway. Authorities were threatening to close the highways.

My friend Marisa was never going to make it down here.

Damn woman.

This’d been her idea. Graduation celebration in Tofino. Winter surfing before we started our teaching careers in January. Who the hell surfed in early December? In the middle of storm season on Vancouver Island? My best friend, apparently. With whom I was supposed to be sharing the room. Sharing the expense. Eighteen months of teacher’s college had me completely tapped out.

I laid my head on the counter, revelling in the cool of the granite.

You know I’d help if I could, Isaac.

The other desk clerk’s quiet voice carried through my panic.

I’ll call around to see if there’s somewhere else. He sounded doubtful.

"It’s okay, I can search myself. I just hoped to get home today and now