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The Caretaker
by Dahlia Donovan
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Nurse Freddie Whittle devotes every fibre of his being to his work with cancer patients. Their pain weighs heavily on his shoulders. Between losing clients, the expectations of his fathers, and bigot neighbours, he’s slowly reaching his breaking point.
Taine Afoa retires from a storied career as an international rugby star. He’s moved away from London for a change of pace, never expecting to meet a man who’s far too young for him. No matter how hard he tries, it’s impossible to get Freddie out of his mind.
Will Taine's resistance dissolve in time for him to give love the chance to flourish?
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Nurse Freddie Whittle devotes every fibre of his being to his work with cancer patients. Their pain weighs heavily on his shoulders. Between losing clients, the expectations of his fathers, and bigot neighbours, he’s slowly reaching his breaking point.
Taine Afoa retires from a storied career as an international rugby star. He’s moved away from London for a change of pace, never expecting to meet a man who’s far too young for him. No matter how hard he tries, it’s impossible to get Freddie out of his mind.
Will Taine's resistance dissolve in time for him to give love the chance to flourish?
What initially inspired you to write The Caretaker?
Two things, watching Jason Momoa do a Haka. And the character of Freddie who appeared first in The Wanderer.
Tell us little about the characters in The Caretaker.
Of all the couples I’ve written, I love all of them, but Freddie and Taine are probably my favourite. There’s a complexity to both men. Freddie’s young and sweet, someone truly devoted to others, but he’s also strong and courageous.
Taine is not young. He’s retired from a brilliant rugby career and is for the first time in his life a bit at a loss for what to do with himself. He’s starting a new chapter in his life while Freddie is coming to grips with realising his full potential.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
What initially inspired you to write The Caretaker?
Two things, watching Jason Momoa do a Haka. And the character of Freddie who appeared first in The Wanderer.
Tell us little about the characters in The Caretaker.
Of all the couples I’ve written, I love all of them, but Freddie and Taine are probably my favourite. There’s a complexity to both men. Freddie’s young and sweet, someone truly devoted to others, but he’s also strong and courageous.
Taine is not young. He’s retired from a brilliant rugby career and is for the first time in his life a bit at a loss for what to do with himself. He’s starting a new chapter in his life while Freddie is coming to grips with realising his full potential.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
Getting the balance of their relationship right. It would’ve been easy to get it wrong.
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
The first few chapters are probably my favourite. I loved setting the scene for what was to come. It was the most exciting part for me.
What are your future project(s)?
What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
The first few chapters are probably my favourite. I loved setting the scene for what was to come. It was the most exciting part for me.
What are your future project(s)?
All of my future projects for this year and probably part of next year revolve around The Sin Bin series. In August, a short story for it comes out, then book three in October, followed by another short story in November. I’m currently writing book four, which will come out early next year.
“Are you going to continue to stare at my lips whenever you look my direction?” Taine’s voice dropped down to a husky whisper. “If you are, why don’t you bring yours a little closer to mine? You’ll see them far better with your mouth than your eyes.”
Cursing his exuberant and generally impulsive nature, Freddie leaned forward until their lips hovered a breath away from each other. One strong exhale could bring them close enough to qualify as a kiss. Taine didn’t move backwards or forwards; they both waited for the deadlock to be broken.
“Oh, why not,” Freddie muttered impatiently. He surged forward, closing the distance. His lips smacked awkwardly to the left of Taine’s, which caused the man to chuckle. “Oh, coc y gath, sorry.”
“Calm down.” Taine caught Freddie’s chin in his hand and guided him closer. His mouth controlled the connection. They had to tilt to avoid their noses mashing uncomfortably. The former rugby player’s tongue darted across Freddie’s lips and pressed the advantage. He delved expertly into their true first touch. “Now that is a kiss.”
“You should be ashamed.”
Freddie jerked away from Taine and snapped around to find a woman in her sixties glaring at them—or at Taine specifically. “Pardon?”
“You should be ashamed.” She pointed a bony finger at Taine. “Corrupting a young teenager. Is that legal? I’ve half a mind to report you. Are you okay, young man? Did he force you away from your parents?”
“A teenager?” Freddie swallowed down an irrational burble of laughter. “I’m twenty-six years old.”
“Oh. Oh, dear. I’m so sorry.” She covered her mouth in obvious embarrassment. “You look so young. I just assumed. Carry on then, loves. Never you mind me. It’s always good to see someone enjoying the pleasures of life.”
The two men stayed silent after accepting her apology. Freddie only dared to peek at Taine out of the corner of his eye once the woman had gone back to her seat. A clear mistake. It started with a snort, muffled quickly by his hand, but quickly dissolved into laughter anyway; it continued until their sides ached and they were gasping for air.
Freddie regained his composure just as the train pulled into Paddington station, forcing him to shelve any comments about the kiss. “Ready for the next stage of the journey?”
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ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the description of the book. Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the description of the book. Sounds like a great read.
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