Hi guys! We have Sandine Tomas popping in today with her new release Santa’s Last Gift, we have a great excerpt and a brilliant giveaway, so check out the post and enter the giveaway! ❤️ ~Pixie~

Santa’s Last Gift

Sandine Tomas

The greatest gift might be what they already have.

After years away building his career, event planner Sebastian Chesnut returns to his small hometown of Fir Falls to reconnect with his mother, sister, and young nieces before his job takes him to London.

He doesn’t expect to find his high school boyfriend, Matty, has become a virtual member of Seb’s family. Back then, Matty only offered a casual relationship, but Seb fell hard, and history is soon repeating itself. Seb’s afraid to hope for a second chance, no matter how much they’ve grown and despite the family they share. Instead, he focuses on creating a last perfect holiday, which won’t be easy with his sister’s ex planning to take the girls over Christmas.

Seb and Matty might not know what to do about their feelings for each other, but one thing’s for sure—it won’t be Christmas without the kids. Can these star-crossed lovers pull off a holiday miracle?

Excerpt!

Sebastian

“SEB? GOT a minute?” It was not the request, but rather the tone, that tipped him off to the severity of the issue. Bracing himself, Sebastian nodded for Trevor to continue. The young man swallowed. “We’ve gotten a ‘note’ from the client about the ice sculpture.”

Well, that was unexpected, as Seb had personally supervised the installation of the crystalline swan ice sculpture, and it was a prime example of the Ice Palace’s most classic work. He’d made a point of keeping the variables of this late-November event under tight control so he could wrap it up and head out for his vacation with an abundance of calm.

One raised eyebrow gave his assistant permission to elaborate. Trevor fussed with his collar before continuing, “They don’t think the swan is the appropriate, um, bird.”

The bad feeling grew. “And what bird would they prefer?”

“A turkey.”

Seb knew his face must have darkened into the shade his employees referred to as “get-out-of-the way plum.”

“I thought they indicated on the event intake form that we shouldn’t have a Thanksgiving theme since Thanksgiving was two days ago?”

“Yes. It said that. And I confirmed. But the CEO was shown a photo and he asked what a swan had to do with anything. And then he said it should be a turkey ‘for obvious reasons.’”

Four hours until the event started, and Seb had a five-foot ice sculpture to replace. It was par for the course. He winced because turkeys were ugly birds compared to swans. But what the client wanted, the client got.

“Call Ned at the Ice Palace and tell him we’ll pay double rate if they can deliver the turkey sculpture in two hours. Let me know. I’ll handle Lacey.”

Lacey Anderson was the president of Anderson Events, and Sebastian’s boss. He’d served as her VP and right-hand person for the past five years. She specialized in corporate events from an intimate dinner for three hundred to an elaborate three-day retreat for a thousand on a private island. Sebastian had made it snow in Palm Springs in May and transformed South Dakota into a tropical paradise in January.

As expected, Lacey bellowed like a bull when he called her, and then creatively used the word “turkey” in relation to the client for a solid fifteen minutes. Seb remained restrained—he could turn purple on occasion but he rarely vented. He knew his trademark single swan ice sculpture had a double meaning. But that icy edge was his best asset—work the problem and get it done.

When Lacey was done lambasting the idiocy of the C-suite, she paused to ask, “Your holiday plans still set?”

“Absolutely. I’m finally keeping my promise to see my family.”

It had been five years since Sebastian visited his family back home in Fir Falls, New York. At that time his sister Stephanie had still been married and his niece Chance was an infant. He’d meant to go home when Rowen was born, but he’d been new then, working with Lacey, and it was important he impress her. His family was counting on him. No matter how much he missed them, he had to do right and ensure they were secure. His mother’s throat-clogged admission five years ago on how behind she’d gotten on the mortgage was etched as indelibly in his heart as if she’d used a chisel.

One of the best ways to impress his new boss was to help their clients’ success. The year Rowen was born, a charitable foundation had scheduled a fundraiser for December 13th and the following December, a telecom giant had hired Anderson Events to take its top executives to a retreat in Cancún, so he hadn’t made it home for Christmas either of those years, and the corporate events had rolled into each other… and now Stephanie was divorced and Chance was five and he still hadn’t met three-year-old Rowen. Unless FaceTime counted, and Seb’s firm opinion was that it did not. His family deserved better.

Lacey let out something between a chuckle and a sigh. He could imagine her expression, long fingers tracing her temples and her nose scrunched.

“Guess you’ll be talking about it to them?” she asked, husky voice sounding even deeper than usual.

“Not much else to do in Fir Falls but talk.” He aimed for a light tone but his voice betrayed him. The conversation ahead would be anything but easy. Swallowing, he said, “See you in a month, Lacey. I’ll call…. Okay?”

“You’d better,” she ordered before adding, “Take care, Seb.”

About Sandine!

Sandine Tomas grew up an unapologetic bookworm, making friends with characters from the ancient past to the farthest reaches of the universe. Her career as a marketing writer has given her insight into the divergence between what a person thinks they want and what they truly need. Relationships are at the heart of her writing, and she enjoys creating characters who become so real that their stories beg to be told. Writing allows her to explore people and ideas from all sides, spinning a notion around like a gem until its facets glisten.

Twisting the old adage about writing what you know into writing what you feel, Sandine doesn’t shy away from raw emotions, turbulent circumstances, and above all, deep passions, fueled by humor, honesty, and trust. She enjoys instilling her characters with the flaws, courage, and idiosyncrasies that brings them to life.

Sandine lives in New York with her husband, two daughters and a Golden Retriever puppy named Noodle. An unabashed TV and film enthusiast, she happily binge watches her favorites until her eyes glaze over. Her other guilty pleasures include attending fandom conventions, sleeping in on weekends, and recharging solo by holing up with a caramel macchiato and an amazing book.

If you’d like to chat, reach out to her here or on Twitter  | Website or Facebook.

Giveaway!

Win an Ebook of Santa’s Last Gift!