About Brewing
Author: Julia Talbot and BA Tortuga
Word Count: 15000
Page Count (pdf): 72
ISBN: 978-1-942831-80-8
Price: $2.99
Pairing: MM
Series: Rainbow Brew book 1
Genre: Paranormal
Date Published: 02/07/2018
Publisher: Turtlehat Creatives
Heat Rating: 
File Types available: pdf, epub, mobi
Summary:
Harris must learn to believe in magic before it’s too late.
Rainbow Brew, Book 1
Harris, a buttoned-up Santa Fe architect, is having a crappy day until he ducks into the Rainbow Brew coffee shop to get out of the rain. He meets a quirky artist named Jayden and embarks on a four-day binge of sensual adventures, leaving the real world behind.
Jayden knows he can’t live in the world Harris inhabits, but for this wonderful man he’ll try, even if it ruins him. Jayden lives in a magical Between, where rainy days are few and Harris might not be able to find him again.
Jayden is like no one Harris has ever met, but can Harris let go of the real world to love him?
This is a previously published title. The publisher has changed.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
Sometimes coffee and sunlight came together to make magic. Especially in Santa Fe.
Jack looked over his coffee shop like he did every morning. Muffins and bagels sat in the case, along with four types of cookies, two types of brownies, and a whole mini collection of gluten-free goodies in its own box. The espresso machines were ready to go, the milks and beans and cups ready to make a difference in the world for people having a bad day.
Some days, he woke up and knew that nothing amazing was going to happen that day. He’d make people pleased sure. That was his job. Delivering happiness inside steamed milk and rich, dark coffee.
But some days…
Some days, Jack got up like he had today. Some days he woke up with a three-espresso buzz in the back of his head saying this day was special. Today there would be a connection. A spark. Maybe a fruit tart sprinkled with sugar, maybe a caramel latte.
He never knew the details, but he had faith. Jack knew that he would provide the ethereal touch hat someone needed.
Jack lived for that buzz, craved it like a drug. He headed over to the entrance and turned the lock.
The wooden door was painted in bright rainbow beams, the tables dressed in white. The awning over the window was cobalt blue, Rainbow Brew printed over the side.
The sun shone bright, the sky was clear, the sounds of the Plaza leaking through the open window. Perfect.
He spun around once, just exulting in the day, then he cracked the door, welcoming in the world.
It was time to open.
***
Harris hated Mondays.
This one was no exception. He’d forgotten his umbrella and gotten caught in this weird early morning rainstorm without it because it had been sunny when he left the office. Then he’d missed his ten a.m. meeting because Pasqual’s was too full to find a seat, and his client couldn’t wait.
Then he’d stepped off a curb and twisted his frickin’ ankle.
So, he found himself limping into an off-the-Plaza coffee shop, drawn in by the scent of dark roast and sticky pastry.
There was a… a tall bird of a man behind the counter, head bobbing and hair tied up in a gigantic tall ponytail like some sort of samurai warrior. The guy caught sight of Harris and waved. “Come in out of the rain! It will stop soon.”
“Yeah, as soon as I’m not in it.” He tried for a smile, but Harris knew it was sour.
“Well, you’re welcome here, and we’ve got all the things to make a bad day better.”
“Promise me something amazing in the way of pastry. Nothing plastic.” He did grin then, looking at the coffee menu.
“I have a chocolate croissant that’s made in-house. It’s like sex in pastry form.”
Sex? Harris wasn’t sure he remembered that anymore.
“Yeah? I’ll take it.” He was so tired of bad doughnuts and shitty pseudo-Danishes from big box stores.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Mexican chocolate latte?” Harris asked. A little spice might warm him.
“Absolutely. I’m on it. Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Harris sat at the counter, taking the pressure off his sore ankle. The chrome and vinyl was more diner than coffee shop. He really liked the vibe.
A wild man pushed through the door, dark hair interspersed with tiny strands of pure silver. He wore a T-shirt and a pair of jeans that appeared three sizes too big and were patched with at least two dozen colorful pieces of fabric. “Jack! Jack, I need coffee! Stat!”
The barista chuckled, the sound fond and warm. “Jayden. Sit.”
“Seriously. Inspiration has struck. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak!” The guy flopped on a stool next to Harris.
“Poor flesh.” Jack winked at Harris, handed him the most luscious-looking pastry in known history and a coffee that smelled like heaven. “Drip coffee, honey?”
“A triple espresso with a float of hazelnut, please.”
“You’re on a mission, Jayden.”
“Uh-huh.” The man pulled out a sketchbook, opened it up and started drawing everything. The coffee maker appeared, then the pastry case. It was like magic.
Harris knew he was being rude with the staring, but he couldn’t help it. He’d always wanted to be artistic but he’d ended up imminently practical.
The cup landed in front of Jayden, the hazelnut syrup floating on top almost glittering. Kind of mesmerizing, the way it swirled.
“Hello, beautiful,” Jayden said, grabbing the cup.
Harris took a sip of his drink, closing his eyes at the flavor.
“It’s like magic, huh?” Jayden nudged him with one elbow just as if they were old buddies.
“Yeah. I mean, wow, that’s good.” Harris was amazed.
“No shit.” One paint-stained hand was offered over. “Jayden.”
“Harris. Nice to meet you.” Harris didn’t talk to people in coffee shops. He usually brought his laptop and buried his head in plans and schematics.
“Harris. That’s a cool name. Sort of tough, totally masculine.”
“Thanks. My dad is a Leslie, so he wanted me to have something chest beating, manly good.”
Jayden nodded. “Leslie is a softer name. My father is a Daniel. Biblical.”
“‘God is my judge’,” Harris said, pulling that arcane knowledge right out of his ass. “You’re an artist, huh?”
“Yeppers. I’m a painter. You?” Those eyes were almost black, like obsidian. Stunning combination with Jayden’s pale skin. And the man’s face was unlined, but he had silver in his hair.