Everyone hopes his road to happily ever after will be carefree and smooth, but too often hair-pin turns and detours seem to get in the way. Having thought he was on the road to forever before, former Silicon Valley programmer Dan Lassiter is leery about pedaling down it again. His elderly companion Charlie urges him to get to know Rick Reardon whose bakery is across the street from Dan’s bicycle shop. Under the watchful eye of Charlie, Dan and Rick take tentative steps toward each other, all the while trying to avoid potholes such as exes, homophobes, and family problems. As summer turns to fall and then winter, they hope that the road will be smooth going from their first date and first kiss to having what Rick’s sister euphemistically calls their “sleepovers.” At each step, though, they are tripped up and wonder why there seem to be so many bumps in their road. Maybe Dan and Rick should heed some of Charlie’s sage advice, or maybe they should listen to their hearts instead of the ghosts from their pasts.

Heart of the Holidays

We were closer than this in bed, usually tangled up in one another whenever one of us wasn’t in the other. We’d brought each other over the top of bliss so many times. Yet us holding hands here with candle light and flamenco music playing softly and snow falling down outside the picture window, our reflections looking like two men in love, I felt closer than I sometimes did afterward in his arms.


People we knew surrounded us. We were making a statement to our community, to the people who came into our businesses and chatted with us. We were confirming the rumors and changing people’s perceptions of us for better or worse.


“Yeah, I feel bad for the kid. But I’m glad we’re here, now. Together.” His hand clasped mine. “I feel like all the raw edges built up from our former relationships have rubbed off, leaving us the same guys, but different. We’ve learned and grown. And you know what?”


Chapter 12