Are you longing for the autumn? Here in Sweden, we have the hottest summer in over 150 years, our groundwater is drying up, the farmers aren’t getting any harvests, and the slaughterhouses are fully booked for months to come because farmers have nothing to feed their animals with so they have to reduce their stock. It’s a crisis.
But, in Nortown, it’s autumn. The leaves shine in fiery colours and the cold in waiting just around the corner. Oswald has been sleeping in his car for the last two hundred and seventy-three days, but now he has arrived in the town where anything can happen…at least if you’re a lumberjack LOL.
On the 31 of July, Oswald and Joshua will be released into this world, and I’m super excited because it was a long time ago since I visited Nortown, so it’s good to be back.
Once Around Seven (Nortown #5)
Oswald Sattle has been sleeping in his Toyota Camry for the last two hundred and seventy-three days, the exact number of days since he discovered his fiancé cheating on him. Now, out of money and out of options, he’s on his way to Nortown. Aiden, an acquaintance from his past, has offered him a job opportunity he can’t turn down, no matter how much he’d like to.
Joshua Roth moved to Nortown four years ago and he has everything he needs—a job, friends, peace and quiet. He’s not looking for a boyfriend; no one even knows he’s gay, and he’d like it to stay that way. But a stranger in town has Joshua rethinking his decision.
Oswald looks like he wants to hide from the world, and Josh finds himself wanting to get him to smile, to feed him, and make everything better.
In a small town, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, reaching for what you want can feel like a risk. But some risks are worth taking.
Part of Seasons of Love Anthology
Oswald tapped his forefinger seven times against the steering wheel and looked at the clock on the dashboard. Aiden would be here soon. He glanced at the sign above the door to the massage studio next to the rundown motorway café—could he work there? He couldn’t breathe.
No!
He couldn’t stay here, couldn’t be around people. He had to leave, had to keep on going. He cast a glance over his shoulder. The mattress he’d squeezed into the back of the car, the pile of clothes, and a few sets of untouched acupuncture needles was all he owned.
Tapping his forefinger seven times against his knee, he filled his lungs with air. Breathing. That was the only thing he had to do. Just keep on breathing.
The key dangled in the ignition, but somehow the little leather owl keychain slipped between his fingers when he tried to grab it. His hand trembled as he tapped the steering wheel seven more times, but at least the tapping calmed his heart and let some more air into his system.
The sound of a door clicking shut made him glance to the left. A man hurried out of a tenement house and crossed the street. He wore grey sweats and a black T-shirt that clung to a chiselled chest. His hair pointed in every possible direction, and he was rubbing a hand over a coppery beard as he yawned. Oswald turned away, not wanting to get caught watching anyone.
A tap on the passenger side window made him jump. Fuck!
Aiden waved at him through the glass, his green eyes sparkling and his dark curls peeking out from underneath a knitted cap. Oswald forced a smile onto his lips. Fucking Aid.
Why had Aiden called him? Why couldn’t he just have forgotten about him like everyone else had?
Aiden yanked the passenger door open. “Hey, man! Come on, let me buy you a cup of coffee.” He nodded towards the café, and just as Oswald looked at the entrance, the man from the tenement house slipped inside. He quickly tore his gaze away from the man’s backside.
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Ofelia Grand 