Chapter 1

1

“Oh shit!” Trevor jumped out of bed and grabbed at whatever clothes he could find on his bedroom floor. He hopped from one foot to the other to put his pants on, and then snatched his keys and cell phone from the top of the dresser. This came from not setting his alarm before “lying down for one minute” after his hot shower. The long, exhausting day at the café, the hot shower…

“Fuck,” he yelled when he stubbed his toe. Great, just fucking great.

He always made sure he got downstairs by four A.M. to get everything perfect before he opened the doors,but today will not be one of those days. Fortunately, he lived in an apartment above the café.

The café was open until six P.M. during the week and nine P.M. on weekends, but the business side of things was what really drained Trevor’s energy. It seemed to take longer and longer each day to tally receipts, total bank ledgers, call his suppliers for orders, and to ensure his menu was prepped and ready for the next day. He would be lucky to get out by eight P.M. some nights, and on others it was even later. He had plenty of staff to take some of the load, but he was a doer and rarely gave up the reins.

Trevor strived for perfection. I will not fail, he chanted to himself regularly. His parents had been supportive when he came out of the closet at eighteen, and they were supportive when he decided not to join his father in the family business, but they were skeptical when he told them he was getting a loan to purchase a rundown building that used to house a greasy-spoon diner and turning it into the café he owned today.

His parents had every right to be skeptical, for he had no business experience. He loved to go out at night with his friends, dancing, bar hopping, or any other activity, but when Ye Old Diner had closed onthe Main street strip, he knew this was his opportunity to be on his own and do something with his life.

He loved people. He loved seeing them happy and trying his creations, and he liked challenging what people considered the norm. He learned baking at home at his mother’s knee, and loved creating interesting desserts he would share with neighbors and at the many fundraisers his mother spearheaded. At the café he would take ingredients and make creative, fun, and tasty treats for his customers, and had a way of creating unique coffees and teas he would mix himself. He needed to be creative, it was whatkept him going in life.

He walked into the café forty-five minutes later than planned. He opened the shop extra early for the early risers, bus drivers, fire fighters, and third shifters heading home who’d otherwise have to go to the drive-through at a greasy all-night burger place for a cup of coffee and a treat. He shuddered at the thought. He wasn’t the type to watch calories, but the thought of eating a greasy burger from a drive-through made him feel sick.

The state-of-the-art ovens he’d purchased at the liquidation sale of a fancy restaurant downtown, had timers he set to start warming an hour before he came down in the morning. He now slipped the trays of croissants, muffins, various breads, and cookies into the ovens before he started the coffee brewing.

He looked around and admired the cafés transformation. Ye Old Diner had been in this spot for over twenty years, before Mr. and Mrs. Anderson decided enough was enough and retired to Florida. Trevor gotthe building at a good price because of the work that needed to be done to it. Everything was out of code, everything needed to be replaced and upgraded. He’d saved every penny he made since high school from the summer job at the local convenience store. Although he didn’t know at the time what he was saving for, he wanted it to be something special. Now, having paid back his loans and the business flourishing, things were looking good.

* * * *

A knock on the door startled Trevor out of his reverie. His longtime friend Christian Daniels waved to him from the front window. Trevor had admired Christian from the moment they met in high school. He was level headed, smart, and had known by the age of ten what he wanted to do with his life: to be a firefighter like his brother and father and grandfather. It was in his blood, he always used to say., Assoon as he graduated high school, he entered the Medford Fire Academy, and has been moving up the ranks ever since.