Page 15 of Burning for Alexander
In the morning,I wanted to die. Unfortunately, I’d agreed to meet my cousins for breakfast at the Pinecone.
“Let’s go,” Ella said, bustling into my space and throwing the blackout curtains open. “Tavo said everything is fine at Timber, and Juni’s in a good mood today. That means we have at least an hour for family breakfast.”
I grumbled and groaned until she mentioned our cousin Tommy would be coming. At least the genders would be balanced a little.
Fifteen minutes later, I was showered, dressed, and grumbling my way into Legacy’s most popular breakfast spot.
As soon as Tommy saw me, he winced. “You need hydration and electrolytes, my friend.”
Technically, Tommy was a doctor and probably knew better than I did, but that didn’t stop me from arguing. “I need a few more hours in my bed, is what I need.”
My cousin Lennon grunted and shoved a menu at me. “Spinach and banana smoothie, maybe. Eggs and toast if you can handle it.”
Sadie hustled over with coffee, already made creamy as fuck but not too sweet. “Juni called and told me to get you an IV of this started ASAP.”
The unusually thoughtful gesture by my moody head chef was much appreciated. “Doesn’t sound like her,” I said.
“She also said not to bother coming back unless you have a healthy to-go serving of my maple bacon and banana nut bread.”
I nodded. “There it is.”
As my sister and cousins chattered around me, I slumped down and slurped my coffee, allowing the caffeine to hit and the energy of the crowded diner to perk me up.
Sadie came back with more coffee and Tommy’s orange juice before asking what we wanted to eat. After she wrote everythingdown, I reached out and touched her arm. “Hey, have you by any chance had any interactions with the new fire chief?”
“Kincaid? Sure. Nice guy. Handsome, too. He comes in here with the other firefighters.”
I shook my head, which was a mistake. Nausea rolled through my gut. “No, I mean… have you had inspections or been cited for any code violations?”
Sadie’s face crinkled in thought. “Don’t think we have one due for another few months. Health inspector was out about four months ago, though. Why?”
Before I could come up with an answer that didn’t reveal my current situation on Kincaid’s naughty list, Sadie was called over to help another customer. When she passed by a minute later, she asked if I was doing a food truck at the Slingshot Showdown.
“Oh fuck!” I breathed. “I forgot to apply for my permits. I was in the middle of filling all that stuff out a few weeks ago when Uncle Dante called about Tavo.”
“How is Tavo?” Ella asked. “I didn’t want to ask him last night and ruin everyone’s good mood.”
“Fine, I guess. He’s been helping out in the kitchen, and when he’s not there, he spends time creating these flint and steel kits to sell at the farmer’s market. I told him to check with Maddox Sullivan to see if he might want to carry them at the hardware store.”
My sister narrowed her eyes at me. “I meant, how’s he holding up? Emotionally?”
Our cousin Tommy looked around the table as if missing something. “Who’s Tavo?”
Lennon spoke in a low voice so no one could overhear. “Kid from Marian House,” he said, referring to the LGBTQ+ teen shelter our uncles ran in San Francisco. “He’s hiding out for a while. Staying with Alex.”
Tommy waited expectantly for more, but Lennon went back to his coffee.
Ella turned to Tommy. “He fell for the wrong sugar daddy. Found out the guy was married and tried to get out of it. Unfortunately, the guy’s obsessed. Doesn’t think he should have to give Tavo up regardless of the whole ‘wife’ thing.”
I sighed. “And worse? He’s a powerful judge with money and influence.”
Tommy’s eyes widened in surprise. “How old is this kid?”
“Twenty,” I explained. “So legally, he’s not a kid anymore. But he ended up at Marian House a few years ago after his parents found him with another boy and kicked him out. His family wound up moving back to Mexico because they blamed American culture for Tavo’s sexuality.”
“He was at Marian House long enough to finish high school,” Ella continued. “Then got a job as a barback at a trendy place in SoMa.”
“Where he came to the attention of the judge,” I added. “Judge became a regular at the bar, flirted with Tavo, and finally asked him out. Romanced him, made him feel special. Spoiled him rotten—which was powerful, considering Tavo’s family hadn’t been well-off even before he started living on the streets. I think his mom worked as a housekeeper, and his father was a day laborer.”
