"Just writer's block. No booze. Bored."
"Times is hard up on Walton's Mountain."
"Beulah Mountain," Alec corrected.
"Same thing. Call the cowboy. Giddy-up."
"He's a widower. His wife died of cancer."
"That's sad. Listen, I hate to be curt, but I gotta go. Someone's signaling me."
"Wait a minute," said Alec. "Is that Andy Cohen I hear in the background?"
"Yes," Demarco whispered and then turned the phone slightly to where Alec could see the
famous Bravo TV host clinking glasses with some blond bombshell.
"Who else is there?"
"Zachary Quinto and Brian Sims to name a few."
"Oh, my God… Are you going home with Brian Sims?"
"You know I don't kiss and tell."
"It's me. And yes you do. You just did."
"Ta-ta."
The screen went blank.
Damn. So much for diversions. Demarco'sfunctionsusually involved unattractive politico of the closeted persuasion. This sounded like an A-list event. Good for him. He deserved it.
He closed the laptop and went over to the couch, reaching for the clunky over-sized remote. He
clicked the ON button and the monolithic console flashed, hummed, and gradually a picture appeared.
It was the TV Guide channel. A basic grid showing times and channels for the next two-hour window.
Alec clicked to the following channel and then the next. After ten or so channels he was back on the TV Guide channel.
"Really? You've got to be kidding me."
He considered reactivating his Netflix account. He had deactivated it for the same reason he
hadn't bought booze, less distraction. No. He needed to just chill for a moment, relax his mind.
Eventually, inspiration would come.
He looked for movies. On Lifetime wasThe Twelve Suitors of Christmasstarring Kristin
Chatsworth. He clicked to that channel and saw the pixie soprano being courted by various perfect
men, none of whom he knew by name.
Must be models, he thought.Bet they had a cattle call audition, the director picked twenty,and then cast the twelve that slept with him.
He clicked over to the following channel. Hallmark was airingThe Twelve Blessings of
