Hayden Owens is just a typical graduate student working his way through school as a barista for the Owens Coffee Company -- no relation. But he keeps the "no relation" part to himself when he meets dashing, older Neal Kirchner, a successful architect from an old-money family. Hayden doesn't exactly lie, but he figures it can't hurt for Neal to believe he's a rich kid. After all, Hayden doesn't want Neal thinking he's a gold digger.<br><br>Neal Kirchner is Asian Indian and British decent. His parents became Christians, shoving their heritage to the side. Neal has returned to the customs and religion his grandmother cherished. On top of being a very successful architect he's heir to the Indian Rose Tea Company, a business that's been in his family for generations.<br><br>Neal's passion is high performance cars and he meets Hayden at a fundraiser for the automotive engineering department of Clemson University. They are immediately smitten with each other. The closer they become, the harder it gets for Hayden to come clean. Something always seems to get in the way. When a company bankruptcy and a jilted, vindictive woman threaten to expose his charade, Hayden thinks it's all gone down the drain. Luckily Neal is ready with some innocent trickery of his own, but will their relationship survive?

High Test

“I w-wanted to tell you, and I t-tried so hard to get the words to come out,” Hayden confessed.


Walking back to the dining table, Neal opened a green file folder. “I knew all along you weren’t the son of Frank and Lilia Owens of The Owens Coffee Company.” He set a photograph on the table. “I was in the Finger Lakes region two years ago for one of their daughters’ wedding. They were enjoying retirement because they’d just sold the company to a conglomerate. It’s pretty apparent now the Owens Coffee Company was intended to be nothing more than a write-off. Frank and Lilia are probably sick over what happened.”


Chapter 45