All Jillian wanted that fine May morning was to pick up the coffee order for herself and her two work friends, just as she had done every third workday for several years. How could she know a chance, silly comment to the barista might change her life forever? All Paul wanted that morning was for his best friend Rob to stop talking about baseball so he could concentrate on deciding whether to order one of Gil's amazing blueberry muffins or a cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese. How could he know that in a few seconds he'd find himself yelling in the ear of the woman in front of them? All Priya wanted was to enjoy having finally found a job where her talent was valued and her looks irrelevant. How could she know her workmate's reaction to a comment in a coffee shop would set in motion events that might make all her dreams come true? Welcome to Coffee in Common.

In the spring of 2004, a group of young Bostonians experienced the most incredible, life-altering month of their lives. I was privileged to observe much of what happened and to be able to fill in details after the fact so this story could be written.

If you've read romance novels before, please put aside your preconceptions. This is not a "bodice buster" and it does not conform to any romance or romantic comedy "formula." Rather, with a modicum of literary license, it lets you follow events from start to finish as if you were the proverbial fly on the wall.

If this could have been presented as a history or biography, you'd be reading about real people who you could probably Google or find on Facebook. Unfortunately, despite modern culture's love of so-called reality entertainment, this story could only be told if presented as fiction.

So, dear reader, I hereby fulfill my obligations and state unequivocally, with the fervent hope you will believe me, that:

1. The story you are about to read is completely a work of fiction.

2. Names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.

3. The characters, incidents, situations, dialogue, and story are entirely the products of my imagination and any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.

And, of course, legal, ethical, and moral considerations absolutely prohibit me from claiming that it all really happened exactly this way.

But it could have...