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

“Joe.” The boyfriend of seven years, with the most beautiful flaxen hair you ever saw.


Hooray, hooray! There were usually five of us up front: me in the galley, the Chief, and three other aisle people, which meant I’d be working with him. He winked at me, and now I was going to be working with him! I waited breathlessly for his introduction, couldn’t wait to hear that voice again. Surely he’d have some totally hot name.


“Josh.” Yup. Total hot guy name. And he delivered it to the room like a small, smartly wrapped gift. A gift I couldn’t wait to open. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. Todd and Josh. Josh and Todd. I could see it, I really could.


Chapter 34