Dinner at Fiorello’s

by Rick R. Reed

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  He hurries back to the kitchen.

  Vito grins at him from the stove, then barks, “You got about half a dozen orders for your braciole! Get busy!”

  Henry moves toward his station, smiling. Later, his mother has promised to come in with John. She’s been to the restaurant many times, and Henry’s made his peace with her over the past several weeks, coming to understand that she, just like him, needed to find love and acceptance for who she was and not some idealized image. Her husband, over the years, lost the capacity to do that.

  She’s met Vito, and she too saw the resemblance between Vito and her own beloved. In a weird sort of way, it helped mother and son come back to one another and to bond.

  THE NIGHT’S over. It almost seems like an illusion, like some sort of time warp, the evening went by so quickly. Henry shouldn’t be surprised. It’s always this way when they’re slammed in the kitchen. They’ll be deep in the weeds, thinking it’s never going to end, and then, all of a sudden, four or five hours have passed like minutes.

  And Henry should be exhausted. Not only has he cooked, chopped, and cleaned, he’s also had an emotional catharsis, serving both of his parents.

  Instead, Henry feels exhilarated. He waltzes over to Vito, who’s putting away his knives in their case, and takes a look around to make sure Rosalie is nowhere in sight. He gives Vito a deep kiss and smiles. Rosalie knows about their relationship, but she still doesn’t permit any “PDAs” in the kitchen. “I don’t need to see that!” she says.

  “You wanna go out?” Henry asks.

  Vito shakes his head. “What I want to do is go home, walk the dogs, then put my feet up with a glass of wine.”

  “Wildwood has wine,” Henry says, referring to one of the few gay bars this far north, in their Rogers Park neighborhood.

  “Wildwood has swill.” Vito closes the case. “Aren’t you tired?”

  “Not a bit. Isn’t that odd?”

  “No. Not really. I get that way sometimes too. Everybody does. Working like we do, I think we get an extra hit of adrenaline.”

  “So does that mean we can go out for a drink? I mean, come on, what was the point of you getting me that fake ID if we’re never gonna use it?”

  Vito smiles. “Sometimes I have to remind myself that only ten years separate us.” He chucks Henry under the chin as he would a baby. “But yes, if it will make you happy. But we have to stop by home and take care of the girls first.”

  “Of course. And change.”

  “And change.”

  They step out into the autumn night, and Henry thinks they’ve both changed a lot in a short time.

  The air has a snap to it, almost a note of iciness that portends frost by sunrise.

  Vito takes Henry’s hand in his own. Henry revels in the heat and strength of the hand and interlaces his fingers with Vito’s, squeezing. He looks up at Vito and says, “Maybe just staying in will be okay after all.”

  “You sure?”

  “Oh, I’m sure. But don’t get any ideas about going to sleep anytime soon.”

  The wind coming toward them from off the lake holds the promise of winter. Leaves rustle in the trees, sounding dry. A shower of them falls to the earth before Vito and Henry as the pair heads south, toward home.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  RICK R. REED is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery, and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love. He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation, and The Blue Moon Café). Lambda Literary Review has called him, “a writer that doesn’t disappoint.” In his spare time, Rick is an avid runner, loves to cook, and reads voraciously. Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever “at work on another novel.”

  Rick always enjoys hearing from readers and answers all e-mails personally. Contact Rick at:

  E-mail: jimmyfels@gmail.com

  Website: http://www.rickrreed.com

  Blog: http://rickrreedreality.blogspot.com/

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rickrreedbooks

  Twitter: @RickRReed

  Also by this author

  Bashed

  By Rick R. Reed

  It should have been a perfect night out. Instead, Mark and Donald collide with tragedy when they leave their favorite night spot. That dark October night, three gay-bashers emerge from the gloom, armed with slurs, fists, and an aluminum baseball bat.

  The hate crime leaves Donald lost and alone, clinging to the memory of the only man he ever loved. He is haunted, both literally and figuratively, by Mark and what might have been. Trapped in a limbo offering no closure, Donald can’t immediately accept the salvation his new neighbor, Walter, offers. Walter’s kindness and patience are qualities his sixteen-year-old nephew, Justin, understands well. Walter provides the only sense of family the boy’s ever known. But Justin holds a dark secret that threatens to tear Donald and Walter apart before their love even has a chance to blossom.

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Blink

  By Rick R. Reed

  Life can change in the blink of an eye. That’s a truth Andy Slater learns as a young man in 1982, taking the Chicago ‘L’ to work every morning. Andy’s life is laid out before him: a good job, marriage to his female college sweetheart, and the white picket fence existence he believes in. But when he sees Carlos Castillo for the first time, Carlos’s dark eyes and Latin appeal mesmerize him. Fate continues to throw them together until the two finally agree to meet up. At Andy’s apartment, the pent-up passion of both young men is ignited, but is snuffed out by an inopportune and poorly-timed phone call.

  Flash forward to present day. Andy is alone, having married, divorced, and become the father of a gay son. He’s comfortable but alone and has never forgotten the powerful pull of Carlos’s gaze on the ‘L’ train. He vows to find him once more, hoping for a second chance. If life can change in the blink of an eye, what will the passage of thirty years do? To find out, Andy begins a search that might lead to heartache and disappointment or a love that will last forever….

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Caregiver

  By Rick R. Reed

  It’s 1991, and Dan Calzolaio has just moved to Florida with his lover, Mark, having fled Chicago and Mark’s addictions to begin a new life on the Gulf Coast. Volunteering for the Tampa AIDS Alliance is just one part of that new beginning, and that’s how Dan meets his new buddy, Adam.

  Adam Schmidt is not at all what Dan expected. The guy is an original—witty, wry, and sarcastic with a fondness for a smart black dress, Barbra Streisand, and a good mai tai. Adam doesn’t let his imminent death get him down, even through a downward spiral that sees him thrown in jail.

  Each step of Adam’s journey teaches Dan new lessons about strength and resilience, but it’s Adam’s lover, Sullivan, to whom Dan feels an almost irresistible pull. Dan knows the attraction isn’t right, even after he dumps his cheating, drug-abusing boyfriend. But then Adam passes away, and it leaves Sullivan and Dan both alone to see if they can turn their love for Adam into something whole and real for each other.

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Chaser

  By Rick R. Reed

  Caden DeSarro is what they call a chubby chaser. He likes his guys with a few extra pounds on them. So when he meets Kevin Dodge in a bar bathroom, he can’t help but stare, even if he does make an ass of himself. As far as Caden is concerned, Kevin is physically perfect: a stocky bearded blond with a dick that’s just right. (They met in the bathroom—of course he looked!) But Caden gets tongue-tied and misses his chance.

  When Caden runs into Kevin one night on the El train, he figures it’s fate offering him a second shot. Caden manages to get invited back to Kevin’s place
for a one-night stand that turns into the kind of relationship he’s dreamed about.

  But the course of true love never did run smooth, and Kevin and Caden’s romance is no exception. When Caden returns from a few weeks away on business, Kevin surprises him with a new and “improved” body—one that fits Caden’s shallow friend Bobby’s ideal, not Caden’s. Caden doesn’t know what to do, and his hesitation is just the opportunity Bobby was looking for. This isn’t the same Kevin he fell in love with… is it?

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Dinner at Home

  By Rick R. Reed

  It only takes a few days for Ollie D’Angelo to lose his boyfriend, his job, and his home. Instead of mourning what he doesn’t have, Ollie celebrates what he does: the freedom to pursue his real passion—cooking. He begins Dinner at Home, a home-catering business, and it takes off.

  Late one night, Ollie catches Hank Mellinger, a streetwise hood down on his luck, about to rob his car. Ollie soon discovers that appearances aren’t necessarily what they seem. Hank isn’t a criminal caught red-handed, but a hungry young man trying to make a life for himself and the four-year-old niece he’s trying desperately to take care of.

  Instead of calling the cops, Ollie offers Hank a job and a way to pull himself up by his bootstraps. Together, they discover they can really cook… and that their shared passion for food just might lead to a passion for each other.

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Raining Men

  By Rick R. Reed

  It’s been raining men for most of Bobby Nelson’s adult life. Normally, he wouldn’t have it any other way, but lately something’s missing. Now, he wants the deluge to slow to a single special drop. But is it even possible for Bobby to find “the one” after endless years of hooking up?

  When Bobby’s father passes away, Bobby finally examines his rocky relationship with the man and how it might have contributed to his inability to find the love he yearns for. Guided by a sexy therapist, a Sex Addicts Anonymous group, a well-endowed Chihuahua named Johnny Wadd, and Bobby’s own cache of memories, Bobby takes a spiritual, sexual, and emotional journey to discover that life’s most satisfactory love connections lie in quality, not quantity. And when he’s ready to love not only himself but someone else, sex and love fit, at last, into one perfect package.

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Dignity Takes a Holiday

  By Rick R. Reed

  Pete Thickwhistle doesn’t live what one might call a charmed life. At age forty-seven, he’s a flamboyant gay man who believes no one knows he’s gay, still living at home with his harpy of a mother. Worse, he’s still a virgin, longing to find just the right man to make his life complete. Pete’s an upbeat kind of guy, yet he’s never learned that the answer to his motto “What could possibly go wrong?” is always: “Everything.”

  Pete’s road to love and happiness is full of potholes, yet he never tires of searching, despite job losses, weight battles, clothing faux pas, and disastrous vacations, parties, and dating debacles. Pete is the ultimate underdog living a television situation comedy, one named Dignity Takes a Holiday.

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  Homecoming

  By Rick R. Reed

  After losing his partner Toby, Chase faces a long, painful road back to life and love. At first, he doesn’t see how he can go on, but then Chase and Toby’s old friend Mike cajoles him into returning to Chicago for the annual International Mr. Leather Competition. There Chase revisits a world of hot, casual sex that he had forgotten existed, meets a friend who cares more for him than he ever realized, and discovers the possibility that he might yet find his way home.

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Hungry for Love

  By Rick R. Reed

  Nate Tippie and Brandon Wilde are gay, single, and both hoping to meet that special man, even though fate has not yet delivered him to their doorstep. Nate’s sister, Hannah, and her kooky best friend, Marilyn, are about to help fate with that task by creating a profile on the gay dating site, OpenHeartOpenMind. The two women are only exploring, but when they need a face and body for the persona they create, they use Nate as the model.

  When Brandon comes across the false profile, he falls for the guy he sees online. Keeping up the charade, Hannah begins corresponding with him, posing as Nate. Real complications begin when Brandon wants to meet Nate, but Nate doesn’t even know he’s being used in the online dating ruse. Hannah and Marilyn concoct another story and send Nate out to let the guy down gently. But when Nate and Brandon meet, the two men feel an instant and powerful pull toward each other. Cupid seems to have shot his bow, but how do Nate and Brandon climb out from under a mountain of deceit without letting go of their chance at love?

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Husband Hunters

  By Rick R. Reed

  You never know where the love of your life might turn up.

  When Matt Connelly suggests to his best buddy Cody Mook that they head to downtown Seattle to audition for the gay reality TV show Husband Hunters, both agree the experience might be a lark and a chance to grab their fifteen minutes of fame. What they don’t know is that the show, modeled after HGTV’s House Hunters, will open doors of longing neither expected. For Matt, the secret love he has long harbored for Cody might be thrust into the spotlight. Cody might realize his search for his perfect-forever-man extends no farther than the man who’s always been at his side.

  Husband Hunters promises laughter, tears, and, just maybe, a happy ever after. Will Cody and Matt’s story be one of best-friends-to-lovers—or an outright disaster?

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Legally Wed

  By Rick R. Reed

  Love comes along when you least expect it. That’s what Duncan Taylor’s sister, Scout, tells him. Scout has everything Duncan wants—a happy life with a wonderful husband. Now that Seattle has made gay marriage legal, Duncan knows he can have the same thing. But when he proposes to his boyfriend Tucker, he doesn’t get the answer he hoped for. Tucker’s refusal is another misstep in a long line of failed romances. Despairing, Duncan thinks of all the loving unions in his life—and how every one of them is straight. Maybe he could be happy, if not sexually compatible, with a woman. When zany, gay-man-loving Marilyn Samples waltzes into his life, he thinks he may have found his answer.

  Determined to settle, Duncan forgets his sister’s wisdom about love and begins planning a wedding with Marilyn. But life throws Duncan a curveball. When he meets wedding planner Peter Dalrymple, unexpected sparks ignite. Neither man knows how long he can resist his powerful attraction to the other. For sure, there’s a wedding in the future. But whose?

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com