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?

“Is there a problem here?” Tommy appeared suddenly from around a corner near the front door.


By this time, all the diners were silent, some blatantly watching us, some looking out the darkened windows, others down at their tables.


“No, no problem. I called for a reservation, and Jase here says there’s no tables available.” Guy swept his hand at the room. “I was just pointing out there seems to be a lot of open seating.”


Tommy adjusted his stance in front of Guy.


“No, there’s no space for you.” He spoke loudly so everyone could hear him. I could feel his need for a fight. His body was taunt and ready to snap.


Guy’s gaze swept Tommy, his eyes contemptuous.


“We’ll be sitting right over there.” Guy indicated a table next to the windows. “I can call the sheriff and see if he thinks this is discrimination.”


Tommy again adjusted himself so he was blocking Guy.


“It’s posted that we can refuse service to anyone for any reason.” He stated it like he was ready to go to court.


Chapter 25