LOVE AND OTHER HOT BEVERAGES

Working on a Denver construction site makes love complicated for two gay men.

Todd Addison ran far and fast from his advertising job in New York when his ex dumped him. He moved into his brother's house and took a construction job—and decided that outing himself to a bunch of macho blue-collar men wouldn't be ideal. Things are going well enough at work until the flamboyant office boy tries to use his gourmet coffee to seduce Todd. Sebastian is out and proud and recognizes the heartbreak Todd is attempting to hide from the rest of the world. Sebastian's life hasn't been easy. He's had his share of crappy exes, the most recent of whom left him with a broken arm and a fair amount of residual trauma. He and Todd are drawn to one another despite what seems to be an unending number of adverse events. If Todd's pining for his ex and Sebby's abuser stalking him weren't enough, a couple of hate crimes, mutual affairs, and multiple misunderstandings keep the two men running in circles around one another. Sebby and Todd are both cartoonish stereotypes of gay men. Sebby is constantly weeping and catty, and Todd's attempts to stay in the construction-site closet are made ludicrous by the fact that he talks like a 19th-century dandy: "Discussing one's former paramours with one's current paramour is a faux pas I don't intend to make." Both characters are so unlikable that mustering the energy to root for a happy ending is a struggle.

This debut from Loft leaves a lot to be desired.