Island Heat by E. Davies Read Free Book Online Page B

know.”
    “Aw, don't tell me you're hankering for a girlfriend now that you've moved to an island of just about entirely men,” Troy laughed, dumping out a glass in the sink and rinsing it out, then toweling it dry. “Let me show you this last one, one more time.”
    They'd agreed to teach each other the basics of their roles in the business in case one of them was sick for a day, and so they could work out how quickly they could train a staff member if they hired a guy to help them soon. So far, Kevin's head was hurting and he couldn't see why they couldn't just wait until the pre-opening madness was done.
    “I know how to do it,” Kevin told Troy with a sigh. “I'm just tired by now. Nothing more's going to stick in my brain, man.”
    Troy nodded and put the bottles under the counter again, wiping down the counter efficiently. “You look dead on your feet. What time were you in?”
    “Um... about six,” Kevin admitted.
    “Seriously?”
    “More like five-thirty,” Kevin revised that estimate after a moment. “They delivered by seven...”
    “Holy shit,” Troy shook his head. “It's midnight. You get your ass to bed. You can't do this when we're staying open until three.”
    “I know,” Kevin assured him. “I'm trying to sleep in tomorrow until like six, but... I can't break that habit.”
    “The first few nights of business will break the habit,” Troy told him, a worried frown line appearing between his brows.
    “Don't worry about me,” Kevin assured Troy with a smile. “I'll adjust. You go party and... try not to be too loud if you come back to our place...”
    Troy laughed, then headed to the door with him as they locked up their shop.
    They were both silent now for a few moments as they lingered together on the sidewalk, just glancing at the storefront and the sign with its curly, yet sleek Sweet Nothings logo . Kevin couldn't have described the emotions upon seeing his shop from the outside with Troy.
    “Well,” Troy murmured, reaching out to pull Kevin into a half-hug as they looked through the windows at the shop. Kevin returned it by putting an arm around his shoulders. “We've done it now.”
    Kevin laughed. “Yeah, no fucking kidding. What were you thinking? Let's go to an island full of rich people and throw ourselves in with the sharks,” he rolled his eyes.
    Troy laughed, clapping Kevin on the back before letting go. “We'll be fine, man. Go home and sleep. Sleep in, too. We've still got Thursday and Friday. If you need my help baking things for Friday...”
    “I'll be fine. But thanks,” Kevin nodded.
    “Night.” Troy squeezed his shoulder before turning his gaze up and down the street, no doubt looking for the party.
    Kevin laughed under his breath as he watched Troy head off in search of hot men. “Night,” he answered, lingering for a moment more to enjoy the sight of the small bar through the window, before turning to head home.
    ***
    When six o'clock came around, Kevin found himself stirring to life reluctantly. His body was so used to waking up before dawn that even this felt like a late hour. He wasn't yet feeling refreshed after his late evening, but at least his eyes weren't closing automatically.
    He yawned as he pulled his pillow over his head for a moment. “Oh, I'm going to fuckin' hate myself,” he murmured, but he didn't try to resist the urge to get up. He'd only end up more tired if he tried to sleep in now that he was awake.
    This morning, though, Kevin felt much less like he was in a frantic rush to get in to the store. He took his time showering, dressing, and eating breakfast. He even felt a little more relaxed now that the bar and kitchen were set up the way he liked them. He figured he'd get into work around seven that morning – a reasonable hour.
    Fuck, but he ached a little from moving heavy bags of flour and boxes of ingredients around the kitchen by himself while setting the place up, though. He was still used to lifting pails of icing around