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Served Hot
Portland Heat # 1
Portland Heat # 1
By: Annabeth Albert
Releasing March 3rd, 2015
Kensington
In Portland,
Oregon, the only thing hotter than the coffee shops, restaurants, and bakeries
are the hard-working men who serve it up—hot, fresh, and ready to go—with no
reservations…
Robby is a
self-employed barista with a busy coffee cart, a warm smile, and a major crush
on one of his customers. David is a handsome finance director who works nearby,
eats lunch by himself, and expects nothing but "the usual"—small
vanilla latte—from the cute guy in the cart. But when David shows up for his
first Portland Pride festival, Robby works up the nerve to take their
slow-brewing relationship to the next level. David, however, is newly out and
single, still grieving the loss of his longtime lover, and unsure if he’s ready
to date again. Yet with every fresh latte, sweet exchange—and near
hook-up—David and Robby go from simmering to steaming to piping hot. The
question is: Will someone get burned?
My nooner was late. Well,
technically, David was my 11:50. Without fail, ten minutes before twelve every
work day, David P. Gregory bought a vanilla latte from my coffee cart in the
Old Emerson building in Portland. I only knew his name because he used his
debit card to pay, and I knew the time because of the old-fashioned, massive
brass clock directly across the atrium from my cart.
I knew David banked at a
local credit union, knew that he worked somewhere that required a tie, knew
that he had a smile that made his mouth crinkle up at the edges when I handed
him his coffee, and knew that he was an excellent tipper.
What I didn’t know was
whether or not he was straight. We’d had this weird dance for months now—he’d
arrive for his coffee, stilted and uncomfortable, relax into a bit of small
talk while I made his drink, and then he’d take his coffee to one of the metal
tables out in the atrium to have with the lunch he packed in a blue bag. I
liked watching him eat because he gave it his entire focus—no smart phone or
gadget, no newspaper or book, no folder of work. A few times I’d caught him
looking back in my direction. But his gaze never lingered and either my
flirting while I served him was more subtle than I’d thought or he was simply
immune.
Today David was late.
Unexpected disappointment uncurled in my stomach, souring my caffeine buzz. It
was a good day—a steady stream of customers at my cart and bustling business
for the pizza place and the vegan sandwich bar on the other side of the atrium.
The hundred-year-old office building had been renovated to include a few small
eateries in the newly added skylit atrium. Plenty for me to look at, but my
eyes kept returning to the double brass doors that opened onto Ninth.
David pushed through the
heavy doors at 12:45 just as I was finishing up a caramel soy latte for one of
the Goth girls who worked at the jewelry place across the street. I hid my
smile behind my espresso machine. Eager for it to be his turn, I tapped my toes
against the linoleum.
“The usual?” I figured it
would freak him out if I mentioned I’d noticed his lateness.
“Hmmm.” He studied my
specials sign. I’d glued a chalkboard panel inside a silver frame from a
secondhand place on Hawthorne and put the whole thing on a silver-painted easel.
Classy on the cheap.
Today I had a half-price
tuxedo mocha—white chocolate with dark chocolate swirls. David had never paid
any attention to the sign before, but today he gave it a long stare,
consideration tugging his mouth back and forth. God, I loved his mouth—full
pink lips, a hint of stubble on his upper lip like he’d missed a spot shaving.
After a few seconds, he
shrugged, broad shoulders rippling the fine cotton of his dress shirt. “Yeah.
The usual.”
“Sure thing.” I grabbed
the cup for his small vanilla latte.
“Wait.” He held up a hand
as I started to ring him up. “Iced. It’s sweltering out.” He’d rolled up the
sleeves of his crisp white shirt, revealing muscular forearms and a heavy
silver, antique-looking watch.
“Meaning it’s eighty-five degrees in Portland
and everyone is freaking out. You know . . . it’s good to try something
different once in a while.”
Enjoyable read about two men trying to figure out how to be in a good relationship, after both of them have been in bad ones. I would have liked to have had David's POV as well, since the only thoughts and feelings revealed are Robby's. This made me sympathize more with Robby, even though David was also going through some rough times. Overall a sweet read with some steamy scenes.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Annabeth Albert grew up sneaking romance novels under the bed covers. Now, she devours all subgenres of romance out in the open—no flashlights required! When she’s not adding to her keeper shelf, she’s a multi-published Pacific Northwest romance writer.
Emotionally complex, sexy, and funny stories are her favorites both to read and to write. Annabeth loves finding happy endings for a variety of pairings and is a passionate gay rights supporter. In between searching out dark heroes to redeem, she works a rewarding day job and wrangles two toddlers.
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