Irish Coffee

Chapter 1

Travis pushed a lock of obstinate hair off his forehead and glared at the monitor before him.  Moments like these, when the words just wouldn’t come and a deadline was staring him in the face, his stereotypical Irish side flared and flared big.  “Stupid ass computer,” he growled, knowing it had nothing to do with the computer and everything to do with himself. 

Christmas was approaching rapidly – three days and counting until The Big Day – along with his deadline just two days after.  And he was stuck.  He rarely dealt with writer’s block, but for some reason, this novel had him stymied.  It had been plotted, fleshed out, just not fully written, and he figured it’d be cake, no more difficult to finish than any other had been.  But, like usual, he was wrong.  Something was missing.  Whatever it was, it sure was keeping him from making any real progress.    

To make matters worse, he was expected at his parents’ house for the holiday.  He loved his folks dearly, their odd combination of heritages always made the holidays fun and exotic, compared to what his friends had had growing up, but his lack of suitable company always plagued them.  Travis had promised to try better, to get out more and to find someone this year, but his good intentions had fallen by the wayside.  Sometimes his muse could be a demanding bitch.

And then there were times when the whore left him in the lurch, like right about now.

He was fortunate in that his parents accepted his lifestyle wholeheartedly.  Both the solitary writer’s life he’d chosen as well as his preference for men.  Travis remembered how surprised he’d been when his father had admonished his reservations in telling them about his sexuality that night when he was eighteen. 

“Travis, my son,” he’d said, thick Irish brogue filling the room, “why would you ever think we wouldn’t love you the way you are?”

His father had a point.  They’d never held his delinquent teenage years against him, including a brief stint in the pokey, so why would they have started with that?  Aracely Murphy, on the other hand, hadn’t been such a slam dunk.  Having been raised a devout Catholic in Mexico, she’d had some concerns at first.  However, in true Murphy fashion, she’d come around and embraced his news.  As long as he was happy, she’d be happy for him.  Truly, he had wonderful parents.    

Frustrated, he pushed back his rolling chair and ambled into the kitchen.  He dug around his mostly empty fridge, contemplated buying groceries, and immediately dismissed the idea in favor of the last beer on the shelf.  He’d just popped the top when a knock alerted him to a visitor at the front door. 

Travis lived off the beaten path, thirty or so miles outside of the nearest town.  Close enough to run and get things when needed, but far enough away from the rest of the world to placate his reclusive writer’s soul.  His location also meant that he didn’t often get unannounced visitors either.  When he did get a surprise guest, it was either a lost individual or a missionary of some sort.  He peeked through the blinds before opening the door, making a mental bet on which it’d be this time.

Or sometimes the police, he corrected himself, doing a quick double take.  Interesting.    

Travis unbolted the locks, opening the door with a smile for the nice officer.  Facing a cop always made him uneasy, even though he hadn’t been in any kind of trouble for over fifteen years now.  During high school, he’d spent too much time in their company to ever be quite at ease.  Old habits die hard, he supposed.    It did help soothe his nerves when the cop in question was as attractive as the one currently standing on his stoop.  “Good morning, what can I do for you?” 

The handsome brunette on the other side of the screen door gave a halfhearted smile.  “Good morning,” he recited blandly, obviously tired of having to repeat – yet again – whatever message he’d come to deliver.  “The City of White Pine wants all residents to understand the severity of the storm headed our way.  We’re going door-to-door making sure everyone is comfortable, not in need of medical attention, and ready to possibly be snowed in for a few days.”