Top 5 Pitfalls of Dating in a Small Town by Jamie Beck

October 16, 2017
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Giveaway, Guest Post, Spotlight

JOYFULLY HIS by Jamie Beck.

Folks in Sterling Canyon know that small towns have long memories. Two years after the DUI that injured a pedestrian, Andy Randall is still making amends. He hopes the Christmas spirit will help him get rehired as a ski instructor, but that job will come with conditions. He can’t afford another mistake, which is exactly what making a play for his former boss and friend, Nikki Steele, would be…

Guest Post: Top 5 Pitfalls of Dating in a Small Town by Jamie Beck

Thanks for hosting me today to discuss Joyfully His, a Christmas novella. My name is Andy Randall, and I’m the hero in this story, although many people will never see me as a hero. That’s a problem in small towns—it’s almost impossible to overcome your mistakes.

I’m not minimizing mine, of course. There’s no excuse for getting behind the wheel after happy hour. The fact that I injured someone made it even worse. But I’ve apologized, served my sentence, and now am thankful to get my old ski instructor job back, even if employment is subject to certain conditions. I can’t afford another mistake, which is exactly what making a play for my former boss and friend, Nikki Steele, would be.

This Rocky Mountain ski town of two thousand residents is my hometown. I know pretty much everyone here, and they know me. With everyone watching and waiting for me to mess up again, it’s been tough to get back on my feet. Complicating my life by dating is the last thing I should do. Yet there’s a surprising new yearning I can’t ignore, despite living under a microscope with jealous ex-lovers, professional rivalries, and the fear of ruining a long-standing friendship. But it’s not all bad. Nik and I have known each other since grade school. Everybody loves her because she’s tough and fair and kind. And luckily, some part of her still sees me as the man I was before the accident. Maybe her faith in me will help others finally forgive me, too.

That said, if you find yourself wanting to bypass flings with tourists and attempt a real relationship, here are some pitfalls you should know going in:

You can’t erase your sexual history. In small towns, everybody knows everybody else’s business. If you’ve slept around, it will cause you problems. At a minimum, you’ll need to spend extra time proving your intentions. But be warned, you might get shot down because you’ve slept with someone your crush doesn’t like, or one of your crush’s friends.
Your mistakes will come back to haunt you. There’s no anonymity. The so-called six degrees of separation are reduced to one. You’ve got no chance her family and friends won’t know about most of your embarrassing moments—and we all have ‘em. Basically, you can’t get a clean slate or reinvent yourself, so don’t even try. Put on your game face and own up.
You do it in public. No, not it it. But pretty much everything else will be public knowledge (see numbers 1 and 2 above). Unless you go to dinner in the neighboring town, or restrict yourselves to “in home” dates in the beginning, you won’t get a chance to explore the relationship without friends and family weighing in. You’ll bump into them—and all of your exes—everywhere, and that scrutiny puts a strain on any relationship, especially a new one.
Your online and real life worlds will collide. If you’re active on Twitter and the like, expect to bump into people you rejected, and visa versa. It’s embarrassing enough if you’re alone, but if it happens when you’re on a date–which it will–welcome to Awkwardville.
There’s no escaping a broken heart. This is the worst part. If you go on a few dates and then she puts you back in the friend zone, you can’t avoid seeing her. You’ll see her at the post office, the grocery store, and at the local bar when she’s on a date with some other guy. It will hurt every time, too.

Despite the obvious pitfalls, when you realize that the woman you’ve known most of your life is the single best thing that’s ever happened to you, you can’t let any of these risks stand in your way.

Title: JOYFULLY HIS

Author: Jamie Beck

Release Date: October 17, 2017

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Nikki races down double black diamonds and hikes mountains better than most guys, unafraid of tumbling down the slopes. But trusting the guy who once shot her down could end in a fall that actually hurts, especially when she’d have to vouch for him with her boss. Still, the resort needs another instructor to handle the holiday tourists, and Andy’s sexy grin and relaxed charisma make him hard to resist.

With both of their reputations now on the line, can Andy convince Nikki that the second chance he wants isn’t only about the job?

Author Biography

Jamie Beck is a former attorney with a passion for inventing stories about love and redemption. In addition to writing novels, she also pens articles on behalf of a local nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth and strengthening families. Fortunately, when she isn’t tapping away at the keyboard, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.

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