Dump and Chase — V.L. Locey

Working side-by-side on a charity project might just prove to be the foundation of a new romance. Deandre Jones is enjoying his single life quite nicely, thank you. He's a defenseman on the Watkins Glen Gladiators, gets to travel, dates frequently, and isn't tied down to anything other than his mom and brother back in the windy city. He has time to do the whole family and kids thing. Right now he's happy to be footloose, even if his mother has different ideas. As the playoffs near his focus should be on hockey, but for some reason, he can't seem to give the sport its due. Ever since he volunteered to help the incredibly handsome assistant pastor of a local church work on an addition to the parish, his attention seems to be locked on curly hair and bright blue eyes instead of breakaways and body checks. Gabriel Hansley has quite the full plate. Not only is he the first openly out bisexual assistant pastor for a small but highly active parish, but he's also got his son to tend to as well as his work at the church, which keeps him hopping all day long. And that's a good thing as the nights alone are hard for the young widower. Just when he's about to give up on finding a person to share his life with—chaotic as it can be—he finds himself hammering nails beside Deandre Jones. As they work side-by-side under the bright spring sun, he's getting warmer under the collar with each shared smile and terrible carpentry pun. Dump and Chase is a low-angst, slow burn, age gap queer hockey romance with a not-quite-as-confirmed-as-he-thought bachelor, a harried single father, plenty of nosy but well-meaning parishioners and teammates, tons of joyous song, and a harmonious happily ending.