Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney -- these exciting cities are standard fare in the life of flight attendant Todd Eisenbraun, and he chases a romance with sexy-but-straight Josh through them all. Closer to home, a new neighbor in his San Francisco apartment building has a huge crush on Todd. His friends -- Katie, a flight attendant-turned-small appliance repairwoman, and Marzipan Q. Thespian, a man-dangling local philanthropist -- think Todd should at least give Chris a shot. Sure, he’s overweight, but he’s also handsome, a hilarious playwright, and a great cook ... what’s not to love? Todd and Chris become quick friends, but Todd’s idea of the perfect man is skinny and straight, and Chris is decidedly neither. Josh may have a fiancée and a teenaged son, but Todd just knows he’s “the One.” But if Josh is straight, the road to love is not; Todd is jostled by internalized homophobia, body image issues, exotic locales, the glamorous world of sewing machine repair, and a community theater musical salute to the life of Judy Garland before he arrives at the realization that he’s been looking way too hard for something he may have already found.

Kiss Me, Straight

“I’d better order up some suede fringe,” Katie realized. “Judy Garland’s life in the Old West…I see lots of sparkly suede fringe.”


“These reviews I’ve gotta see,” I groaned, keeping as much unkindness out of my voice as possible.  3


Now packed with pancakes, I was starting to feel a little dozy. Since I figured nothing I had to say could top Marzipan’s announcement that she was planning to stage Judy Garland’s life story as told by the 19th century’s most celebrated markswoman, I helped Katie tidy up from our brunch, then excused myself. Jet-lagged, with no plans for the day, I headed back upstairs to my apartment for a nap.


Chapter 9