Rob Catteneo takes charge of his family’s business, selling ice cream in a British seaside town, and finds their oldest competitor, Bianchi’s, is now being run by the youngest son, Chez. Chez was once a schoolmate but never a friend, because of their old family rivalry.<br><br>Rob’s interested in both a business partnership with Bianchi’s and a more personal relationship with Chez. But Chez is deep in the closet, terrified his very traditional family will discover he’s gay. A night together in a hotel gives Rob insight into Chez’s fears and vulnerability and he’s sure he can help, but Chez resists further business and personal overtures.<br><br> On an important summer weekend for both firms, Rob keeps a cool head in an ice cream emergency and helps Chez out, leaving Chez open to future propositions. Will this be the first step on the road to a sweet future together?

99 Problems

“Rob…” Chez stopped, then gulped a couple of times, his voice quiet when he spoke. “I’m no good at it. I don’t have any business qualifications, just catering ones. But even if I had those, I’d still…fail. I’m just not cut out for it.”


“And if…whenI fail, when we lose the business, that’s sixty years of history down the drain.”


Rob held him tighter. After a moment he asked quietly, “If you could do whatever you liked, what would it be?”


“Run the parlour,” Chez said, with no hesitation. “That’s what I did before Teo left. I was good at that. And helping Nana with her ices. She still calls me her taste tester. I’m good at sourcing the best-quality ingredients for her.”


“I don’t much like working the vans.” His shoulders tensed under Rob’s arm. “I don’t like kids much. I mean, I like the kids in my family, they’re great. But other kids, en masse, they make me nervous.”


Chapter 7