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

“You saying I’m not manly enough for these fellas?” he mock-challenged her.


He was still standing over us, spectacular torso exposed, wet board shorts clinging snugly to his pelvis and thighs, and Bianca said what Jason and I dared not: “Honey, from where I’m sitting, you look like you’re all man.” Jason’s eyes were riveted to Josh’s crotch, and he was feeling around on the blanket frantically for one of the bottles of vodka. “That’s kind of my point—you might want to bring a stick to beat off unwanted admirers.”


“Who wouldn’t want admirers?” he teased her, sitting down again. He reached into his backpack, withdrew one of the water bottles, took a thirsty swig, and passed it to a grateful Jason. “You looking for this?”


He apparently couldn’t speak yet, managing only a nod and a smile.


Chapter 58