Table of Contents
Blurb
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
More from Tara Lain
About the Author
By Tara Lain
Visit Dreamspinner Press
Copyright
Hearts and Flour
By Tara Lain
Can a raw-food enthusiast find love with a guy who bakes cupcakes?
When Micah Truveen’s devoted health-food customers start showing up with white flour, Micah wants to chew nails! To make his misery worse, he finds his yoga teacher boyfriend in bed with another guy the day before Valentine’s Day. Micah decides to drown his misery at a friend’s anti-Valentine’s Day orgiastic hookup party—and meets the beautiful Queen, a gorgeous cross-dresser who’s got Southern sugah in his mouth and the right equipment under the dress. But when the hookup turns serious, Micah has to compromise to protect Queen’s secrets from his beloved grandmother. With everything against them, can two hearts rise above the flour?
To the people of Laguna Beach who hold out for quirkiness, diversity, and love against all odds! Thank you for inspiring me every day.
Chapter One
MICAH TRUVEEN shoved some grated raw apple into his mouth and chewed. It tasted sweet, with a little pucker. Umm, like a kiss. He stuck his hands in the mashed dates and nuts mixture, smooshed, scooped, and began pressing it into the pie pan he had sitting on the prep counter. Raw apple pie would follow raw zucchini lasagna with dehydrated onion tomato bread. What a perfect Valentine’s Day dinner. Dharmaram would be thrilled. Good nutrition made for hot sex, and Micah was ready for both. They’d been a little light in the sex department lately.
A musical voice came from behind him. “Hi, Micah. Can I have two ounces of wheatgrass, please? Also a small green juice and a side of red quinoa.”
Micah glanced out the serving window at Annie. Attractive, fortyish, dark-haired, she came to the Place every morning before she went to work at some big ad agency.
“Be right with you.” He set aside the pie to finish later. The morning rush was officially underway when Annie arrived. Seven a.m. and she needed her health fix. He rang the cash register. “That’ll be eight fifty.”
She handed over a ten, and he made change. She smiled and gave back all of it in the tip jar. “Are you going to do that Healthy for Life class soon?”
He flipped his flop of dark hair out of his eyes. “Yeah. I’ll post something on the bulletin board in the next couple of days. Wish you could come to the Raw Valentines class today.”
She shook her head. “Me too, but I have a meeting. Will you post some recipes?”
“Sure. Tomorrow.” The Place was literally that. Mecca for a lot of the Laguna Beach health-food crowd—and that was a big group. The bulletin board announced everything from vegan cooking classes to the latest yoga retreats. Micah always moved Dharmaram’s poster to the front on the board so everyone would see his yoga classes first.
Micah popped a large spoon in the vegetable barley soup pot, did a quick stir and turned down the heat, then went to the flat of wheatgrass he had propped on one of the deep refrigerator shelves. With a knife he hacked off two handfuls. He’d sell most of the flat to his regulars before noon. A lot of people in Laguna were serious about feeding and detoxing their cells with all those vitamins and chlorophyll.
He started the wheatgrass juicer. It whirred and squeaked as he fed it the bright green blades of grass. The place smelled like a mowed lawn in two seconds. Delicious. He scooped out the quinoa, then turned on the big juicer to prepare the green juice. Leaning out through the serving window, he handed Annie her wheatgrass. The Place only had about nine small outside tables and the same number inside, but it did a huge walk-up business.
Annie downed the intense green liquid in one swallow, made her usual face like she’d just chugged a shot of whiskey, and then smacked her lips. She sat on one of the benches, and he went to make her juice. Kale, spinach, broccoli, and a few carrots for taste. He called her a wuss for needing the carrots, but he admired her dedication to her diet. He was lucky to have such great customers. Some people called them Micah’s devotees.
He took down a small biodegradable container, packaged up the quinoa, and then put a top on the juice.
As per his protocol, she’d wait an hour after her wheatgrass before drinking anything else to get maximum benefit.
He leaned out the serving window. “Here, Annie—what the hell?”
She looked up at him with big brown eyes. Her cheeks bulged hamster-like and the huge godforsaken cupcake she held poised in front of her face sported a large missing piece. Frosting clung to her lips like cocaine on an addict’s nose. “Mmmpfff.”
“What’re you doing? My God, you can’t follow wheatgrass juice with white flour and refined sugar. What are you thinking?”
She swallowed twice and finally got the massive bite down her throat. “It’s a Charismatic Cupcake, Micah. It’s a new shop down on PCH, and their cupcakes are, like, the best thing you ever tasted.”
He frowned. “I don’t care if it’s blessed by the Pope. You can’t eat it now.”
She grinned. “I bought two last night, and I thought I could resist this morning but, ummm, I just couldn’t. Oh God, it’s a combination of coconut and lemon and everything I love.” She took another bite. Damn, he should turn away. The woman was about to have an orgasm on his patio bench. His frown deepened.
She swallowed and sighed. “I figure the wheatgrass cancels out the sin.”
His eyebrows squeezed together even harder. “It doesn’t work that way and you know it.”
“Lighten up, Micah. I’m good most of the time.” She flashed him a big smile. “Maybe you should try getting a little bad now and then.” She licked her fingers, grabbed her food from the counter, and blew him a kiss. “See you tomorrow, darling.”
He stared after her as
