Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 108862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108862 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 544(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 363(@300wpm)
MALCOLM TUCCI & SAMUEL BUCKLEY: Malcolm, whose father is Mario Tucci, the head chef at the Fairview restaurant Nadine’s, lives in Spruce now and acts as Mayor Nadine Strong’s event coordinator, while his bunny-cuddlin’ boyfriend Samuel is a veterinarian, taking care of way too many adorable animals.
COLE HARDING & NOAH REED: Cole is the handsome, kind, and attentive boyfriend of Noah who works at the Strong Fitness Zone. He was recently one of the three bachelors of Spruce’s first male pageant. Noah, shy and awkward and perpetually living in his brainy head, works as a photographer and editor/storywriter for the Spruce Press. The two are an unlikely but beautifully balanced pair. They have a dog named Porridge.
ANTHONY MYERS & BRIDGER LEE: Anthony is a certified hot mess, but has been tamed by military vet and medic Bridger—who popped the question just a handful of months ago. No one knows when the wedding will happen. Anthony meanwhile works for his dad’s pest control company while Bridger takes classes at Fairview Community while working at the Spruce Clinic to further his medical studies.
JUNI & PETE: Though not technically citizens of Spruce, they are best friends of Anthony and Bridger respectively, and are now happily married—and now with an adorable little newborn on their hands. Pete served in the Army with Bridger as well as Cody Arnold-Davis, being the very same Pete whose life Cody saved.
KIRK & BONNIE: Kirk was a football player and close pal of Tanner Strong’s back in the day, now married to his high school sweetheart Bonnie and living together in Spruce’s trailer park. The two have a ten-year-old boy named Kirkland Junior, who is turning eleven this winter.
MINDY & JOEL: Mindy, a dry-humored childhood friend of Billy Tucker’s, used to work at Biggie’s Bites, but now has her hands full with a pair of twins who recently turned four. Joel is her weary but happy husband who works at Whitaker Auto and reeks of grease at all hours of the day, bless him.
THE KINGS
TYRONE & OMAR KING: Tyrone is an ex-cop, married to Omar, who is the town veterinarian and Samuel Buckley’s boss. They live quite a bit of ways from town, almost in Fairview, with their nearest neighbors being Gary Strong as well as Lance & Chad.
KELSEY KING: After suffering too much time in the foster care system, her dream came true and she was adopted by two gay men: Tyrone and Omar. She is a close friend of Toby’s and tries to visit him and Vann often at their beach town home in Dreamwood Isle.
DEAN KING: Tyrone’s brother and one of the three bachelors in the recent Spruce Pageant. He frequently visits Austin to spend time with his girlfriend Candace, and things are looking serious.
SPRUCE’S “WEALTHY FAMILY” TRIFECTA
CASSIE EVANS: She is a very wealthy woman living in a large, luxurious house on the edge of Spruce with her husband. She funds Lance Goodwin’s fashion design studio Goodwin Designs. She has a son and daughter, Fabian and Vanessa “Nessie”. Vanessa is dating Robby, a notorious lady’s man who sings for the church choir, and Cassie isn’t too thrilled about that fact—but is slowly warming up.
MARCY WHITMAN: She doesn’t tend to make a big presence in town, keeping mostly to herself. Her husband Jack Whitman is the principal at Spruce High.
CISSY MCPHERSON: She lives on a large plot of land on the outskirts of Spruce with her husband and son. At the end of every summer, the McPhersons host the annual Spruce Ball. Just recently, they hosted Spruce’s first male pageant, as well as a spontaneous live-streamed concert for country rock star Chase Holt.
FAMILIAR FACES AROUND TOWN
TJ MCPHERSON: Cissy and Tim’s son, known around town for his sweet personality and popularity. After falling in love with country rock star Chase Holt, he left to go on tour with him, where he hopes to find himself and figure out what he plans to do with his future. Go back to school? Come home to take over the family business? Stay on the road with Chase Holt? Only time will tell.
MARYBETH: A sweetheart and shameless gossip who works at the Spruce Clinic and can’t get enough about what’s going on in everyone’s lives but her own. Little is known about her ex Jack, who left her and her daughter Jeanie to pursue a music career on the road—as well as countless groupies, rumor has it.
DR. HENRY EMORY: He runs the Spruce Clinic and is the boss of Marybeth, Carla, and the other nurses, including Trey Arnold.
ROBBY: A member of the Spruce Fellowship Choir and boyfriend of Vanessa “Nessie” Evans, though her parents don’t much approve since he has a past of going through women like tissue paper. He’s determined to prove himself worthy of her hand someday, though it seems like a mighty uphill battle.