Island Heat Read Online Free PDF Page A

reality check, and he just hoped they were raking in profits by then. They had to meet their mentor tonight to get the details set up, and tomorrow was the deadline to order their supplies from the restaurant supply shop in order to get them in time for opening that weekend.
    The pressures of time and money had never been as real as now, when he and Troy were suddenly thrown into the biggest opportunity of their lives. Their credit records were going to take a bad hit if this didn't work out. What if his creations weren't good enough for these people? They probably had world-class baking every day.
    “Hey,” Troy encouraged him, reaching out to pat his knee. “You'll do fine. Hey, anyway, what was with that guy I had to rescue you from earlier?” he grinned, clearly trying to distract Kevin from his fears.
    “Oh, he was hitting on me, I think,” Kevin nodded.
    Troy snorted. “No kidding, he was hitting on you. If only he'd been hitting on me . There was this other guy in the office, though...”
    “Already?” Kevin exclaimed, relaxing into a laugh. “Troy, man, we've got to pay our bills.”
    “I know, I know. I'm not ditching you to go hook up every night,” Troy promised. “But that's why we're not hiring employees yet.”
    That had been one of many difficult conversations they'd had over the past week as they sent in paperwork and proof of finances, talked with the Main Street rental office, and finished their business plan for approval by whichever mentor they were assigned. They both had agreed in the end that they couldn't afford the risk, but they'd be allowed to hire later in the summer if they got busy enough that they needed staff.
    “Yeah, I know,” Kevin murmured. They pulled up outside their new mansion moments later and he stared. It looked like a cross between a luxury hotel and an apartment building. “This is where we're living?”
    “I showed you photos,” Troy reminded him.
    Somehow, Kevin hadn't believed the place would look this nice. “This is part of our rent, right?” he asked Troy, nervousness creeping in again. The rent on this place had to be more than his rent at home, not even counting the storefront.
    “Relax, we're in the new business program,” Troy murmured back as they slid out of the taxi and took their bags. “It's all taken care of. We make money, we pay them back, they make money – everyone makes money. Except the billionaires, who don't care how much they're spending as long as we make them happy.”
    “Right.” Kevin licked his lips, taking his bags again to walk up to the apartments. “Which one's ours?”
    “We've got a two-bedroom – rare, apparently, so we got lucky. There's your key.” Troy handed it over.
    A smiling man came up to greet them when they reached the open courtyard. “Hello! You must be Troy and Kevin. Oh, you're even cuter in real life,” he praised them both, reaching out to shake hands. “I'm Michel. Go get your things set up and I'll get your ID cards ready. The office is this unit here in the corner.”
    Kevin shook Michel's hand with a sigh of relief. “Thanks.” Even cuter in real life? He glanced at Troy, then followed his best friend up the stairs to their apartment. “What did he mean?”
    “Er, I had to send photos of us with our application.”
    Kevin squinted and tilted his head. “What?”
    “Like headshots. I've got enough photos of you on my phone, I just chose one of them.”
    “You mean they hired me because I'm hot ?” Kevin exclaimed as Troy unlocked their new front door, trying to keep his voice down.
    “Don't get too full of yourself, but probably, yeah,” Troy grinned. “Everyone likes a cute straight boy now and then. Oooh, look at that kitchen...”
    Kevin stared after Troy, then shook his head as he closed the door and looked around the small, yet elegant, flat. With large windows overlooking the tree-lined street and the beach beyond, the living room and kitchen were perfect for them. His growling