Tristan used to be top salesman at his firm, but when his friends suffered a tragedy, he stepped in to support them. Their ordeal over, Tristan turned to partying to ease his new solitude. Now his job is at risk and he stands to lose his home. Rain spent years putting up with his husband Milo's bad behavior before moving out. Single again and insecure, Rain dreams of creating a marionette show to celebrate kids on the autism spectrum in honor of his son. When Rain meets his neighbor Tristan, he's drawn to Tristan's sex-appeal and protective nature. But Milo keeps pulling on Rain's strings and messing with his head. Tristan loves everything about Rain, including the strange sandwiches, mismatched socks, crazy marionettes, glitter makeup, and messy apartment. And Rain wants to give Tristan everything, but can he cut lose from Milo's hold?

A Touch of Rain

They were prepping the lunch menu in the back kitchen.


Andre stared at the list and frowned. “I don’t get it. Isn’t the vegetable called cauliflower?”


“Yes, but it’s a play on the ingredients in the salad. It’s a toss of cauliflower and California grapes. Get it? Cali-flower.” Rain grinned and tapped the pen to his front teeth.


Andre was clearly fighting back a smile. “You’re a strange animal, you know that, right?”


“Well, maybe I am. But this strange animal and his weird menu are getting this store a little action.” Rain picked up a hotel pan full of almond stuffed olives and walked away, glancing back at Andre. “Don’t forget that I’m getting off early because of Halloween.”


“Yeah. Yeah.” Andre waved him off. “But threehours to get ready, Rain?”


“They’re complicated costumes,” Rain called out from the front.


Chapter 55