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

But Chris had only really seen me so far with my hair matted and dull, wearing clothes one step above hand-me-down pajamas, so I did take a long, hot shower before presenting myself as his dinner guest. I shaved, moussed my hair into cute spikes, and donned a freshly ironed striped button-down shirt over a pair of dark blue twill shorts. While I have a shelf-full of duty-free colognes—a little spritz enhances the sharp, sexy look I go for when I’m in uniform—on my days off, I tend to go in more for the easy, clean scent of my favorite peppermint soap. 


I felt clean and relaxed when I grabbed the bottles of wine I had bought in Paris for this very occasion and, barefoot, carried them up the stairs.


Chapter 21