alieicanlivewith Read Online Free PDF Page B

another chance.
    A Lie I Can Live With - 33
    The Way to a Man's Heart
    Thursday found them dining Italian at Otis'
    suggestion. Between bites of spaghetti, the questions continued, this time led by Otis. "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"
    "Three sisters, one brother."
    Otis beamed. "Wow! What a coincidence? Me too! If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?"
    Garret swirled his wine around the glass, taking a sip before answering. "Italy. Some friends went last year and loved it."
    "Oh, man! That's where I'd go too! I've got great uncles over there, and I've always wanted to visit."
    Friday, dining at Garret's choice of a trendy Indian eatery, they explored their future plans over steaming bowls of curry.
    "So, Otis…"
    Otis swallowed hard, sensing a serious question coming.
    "Where do you see yourself in ten years?"
    Now that was a loaded question, and the answer might send the man running into the night -- a risk worth taking, in Otis' opinion. While his dreams may never pan out, he needed to answer honestly, especially if he and Garret stood a remote chance of establishing something long term. He laid down his fork, eyes glued to his bowl. "I want to wake up every morning to a partner I love and who loves me, then make breakfast together and get the kids off to school."
    He held his breath, waiting. He risked a brief glance up, only to be greeted by a lazy smile that slowly stretched across Garret's face. "Sounds good to me. How many kids?"
    A Lie I Can Live With - 34
    Heart thudding, Otis replied, "At least two."
    With a bashful duck of his head, Garret murmured,
    "Yeah, me too. I coach a little league team every spring, and would love nothing more then to teach my own sons, or daughters, to play some day."
    Otis continued eating, sneaking sly glances as his date and visualizing little Garrets nestled on the couch between their two fathers, learning about sports.
    The conversation flowed freely; they got along great, but at the end of the evening, as always, Garret said good night before Otis could invite him over. And though the handshakes had escalated into a hand on the shoulder or back, Garret made no move to be more physical, nor did he kiss Otis goodnight, which frustrated Otis no end. Surely Garret wasn't faking interest. Was it simply that he found comfortably padded bodies a turnoff?
    Before the man could get away, Otis used his night to pick restaurants to invite Garret to "La Casa di Tucker ."
    Garret cocked a brow and studied him before answering.
    "Sure, what time?"
    "Seven?"
    Garret nodded and Otis watched the man he couldn't quite figure out back out of the parking lot in a shiny silver BMW.
    Saturday morning Otis tore through the house in a whirlwind of panic, cleaning more thoroughly than he'd ever done before. He even put out the fancy towels he'd gotten as a housewarming gift from his mom four years ago. Satisfied with the state of his domicile, he visited the grocery story, not a bit put out this time about shopping alone. While he couldn't fully understand Garret's stand-offishness, the guy hadn't run yet. Otis would have to see to it that he didn't. And Nonna always A Lie I Can Live With - 35
    said that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach.
    He made it through the checkout line and home in record time, whistling all the while. An assortment of leafy greens were torn and tossed, then set in the refrigerator for chilling. The air ripened with fragrant tomatoes, garlic, and oregano as Otis stuffed manicotti shells for manicotti al forno . Once he'd placed his cheese-laden masterpiece in the oven, he dunked lady fingers into a bowl of espresso, counting "One, one thousand, two, one thousand," before layering them in a glass bowl for tiramisu, another recipe he'd learned from Nonna. He fought the urge for a taste here and a taste there, forcing himself to wait until Garret arrived.
    With the pasta warming and desert chilling, he showered, shaved, and donned a