On his thirtieth birthday, barista Jimmy Patterson decides to get rip-roaring drunk after his roommate-boyfriend abandons him at a bar in the tiny California foothills town of Stone Acres where they have relocated from San Francisco. Jimmy is immediately rescued by the burly owner of Stonewall Saloon, who has had his eye on Jimmy since the first time he came in months before.<br><br>Jimmy’s fine with being saved but wants to know the bartender’s real name since the guy has worn name tags with an assortment of names every time Jimmy has spoken to him. After Jimmy nicknames him Guy, the bartender decides to turn guessing his first name into a game, giving Jimmy a guess a day for a week and promising to wine and dine him during that time. If Jimmy’s guess is wrong, he owes Guy a zing-zow, knock-your-socks-off kiss. Jimmy agrees since this sounds like a slam-dunk, win-win deal.<br><br>While he searches for cringe-worthy given names, Jimmy is distracted by the destruction of his shopping mall coffee shop. He is also beset by the town council that doesn’t want him to buy an historic bank building in Old Town Stone Acres to set up another coffee shop. The celestial high of being romanced by Guy and the abyss of business worries don’t seem like the road to happily ever after. However, Jimmy and Guy might be in for a big surprise.

What’s in a Name?

“Take your damn stuff and go, Jimmy!” He yelled it, as if this were his idea. “I don’t want to see you again.”


My bartender turned to him, and Alex scurried away into the bathroom.


“I’ve got a couple of duffel bags in this closet.” I pointed across the room. “And my stuff’s in there.” I pointed to the chest next to us. “If you could get it into the duffels, I’ll clear out the closet.”


I looked up at him and took a deep breath.


“Thank you,” I added softly. “Thank you so much.”


We worked quietly. I could hear Alex moving around in the bathroom, starting the shower, then getting into it. Nameless packed quickly, taking piles of underwear and T-shirts and stacking them neatly with sure movements, as if he’d packed a lot before.


Chapter 9