title: Holiday Island
author: Ellis, A.D.
description: No peacocks were harmed in the making of this story.
  Rafa’s nautical skills are less than stellar. He’d rather be a full-time artist, but he has a duty to the family business and a fear of standing up to his father and brother.
  Carpenter Lucas is determined to rebuild his business after a lover’s betrayal nearly destroyed it. But he runs into a snag when he misses the last boat to the job site.
  Rafa offers to take him, but Rafa isn’t much of a sailor.
  When they end up on the wrong island, fears for survival gradually give way to an appreciation of the beauty around them—and each other. Rafa insists a holiday miracle will save them, and he teases Lucas for being a Scrooge.
  In the end, Rafa’s miracle might come from the last place he expects: inside himself.
  A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2018 Advent Calendar "Warmest Wishes."