Hubert knows he brings shame on himself and on the Lord by being a queer -- his grandad and the pastor of his evangelical church tell him as much all the time. So when he dies in a freak accident, he's as delighted as he is surprised to waltz right through the Pearly Gates, no questions asked. He even gets a beautiful angel named Bartholomew as his very own guide to the Afterlife.<br><br>But when the angel makes brazen overtures, Hubert realizes his soul may have taken a wrong turn. Hubert beseeches Bartholomew to keep his hands to himself and help him find his rightful place in the Heaven he's always heard about. As they set out to explore his options, Bartholomew hopes Hubert will learn a thing or two along the way about the deeply personal definitions of Paradise.

Sin to Get Saved

Bartholomew leveled a look at Hubert; he wasn’t buying it. “I pulled this entire ecosystem out of thin air, and I’m about to turn the water into chocolate. If you need me to summon a sporting goods store, I’ll do it, but what if you just try taking off your clothes?”


Hubert looked at his feet. “I’m just…I’m a little shy.”


“That’s okay, Hubert. It’s just us. Here, I’ll turn my back.” Bartholomew did so. “Does that help?”


Hubert toyed with the snaps on his shirt but couldn’t bring himself to tug on one. “Not really.”


“I’ll get in, then.” Bartholomew dove across the shallow water. “I won’t even watch or anything,” he hollered when he surfaced on the other side of the pool. “See?” He made a show of splashing around. “Just frolicking, here. You go on about your business.”


Hubert laughed. He wriggled out of his shoes, but danged if his snaps weren’t acting like they were glued shut.


Chapter 20