Vee answered my knock with an enthusiastic, “Welcome, Manny!” He was a handsome South Asian guy in his mid-thirties, and one of the most outgoing people I’d ever met. He’d probably sensed I was feeling a bit lost during the whirlwind of activities leading up to the wedding, so he’d ended up taking me under his wing.
“I’m so sorry I kept you waiting,” I said. “It took a while to find parking.”
“It’s totally fine. We’re just kicking back out on the patio.”
I followed him through the house, and we joined Yolanda and JoJo in the beautifully landscaped backyard. The two women owned the Victorian, and they’d always treated their tenants—and by extension, me—like family.
JoJo raised a glass and called, “Hi, Manny! We already started drinking.”
I apologized again for being late and said, “I’m glad you started without me.”
She looked stylish in a yellow sundress, with a floral scarf tying back her platinum blonde hair. It made me think I should have dressed up a bit. Then again, Vee had gone with a mesh tank top and cargo pants, and Yolanda was in a sweatshirt and cut-off denim shorts, so the dress code was pretty hard to pin down.
“We’re having mimosas,” JoJo said, “because Kit and Devon sent us home with six bottles of leftover champagne after the reception. Can I make you one?”
“No, thanks. I overdid it on the champagne last night, so I don’t plan on drinking again any time soon.” I sat down on a rattan armchair and cut right to the chase. “Speaking of drinking way too much, did I say or do anything embarrassing last night? Please be honest. I need to know how much of an apology I owe my son and his husband.”
“You were fine.” Yolanda pulled her dark hair into a ponytail, fastening it with an elastic band from around her wrist as she said, “Everyone was a bit tipsy, but it was to be expected. That’s why Kit and Devon had reserved a block of rooms for all of us. They knew we’d all be sloshed and in no condition to drive after that open bar.”
JoJo asked me, “Did you go to the after-party? Yolanda and I gave it a skip. After all that dancing at the reception, we were more than ready to relax in the huge jacuzzi bathtub in our hotel room.” She and her wife exchanged flirty smiles.
“I went, but I didn’t stay long.”
I thanked Vee when he handed me a glass of orange juice, and he said, “You were definitely hammered by that point, but you didn’t do anything embarrassing. You came in and saidsomething to me about meeting a hot guy. Two minutes later, you hugged Kit and Devon, told them you loved them, and left again.”
JoJo said, “A hot guy? I didn’t know you’re bisexual, Manny.”
“I guess I’ve never really talked about my personal life.” Probably because it was nonexistent. I paused to take a sip of juice before saying, “If I decide to go out with the person I met last night, it’ll actually be my first time dating a man.”
“Oh wow,” Vee exclaimed, “good for you!”
“It’s kind of terrifying,” I admitted. “I feel so clueless.”
Vee asked, “You mean, about having sex with a man?”
Damn, way to cut right to it. I felt the color rising in my cheeks as I told him, “About all of it, but definitely that, too.”
“You should do some research beforehand, especially if you plan to bottom,” he said, very matter-of-factly. “And don’t be afraid to talk about this with your partner. Do you think it might be his first time, too?”
“There’s literally no way.”
Tory had to be, what, about forty? That was a total guess, but he’d seemed so confident and mature that I couldn’t imagine he was much younger than that. And he couldn’t possibly be as inexperienced as I was. For one thing, he’d been on his way to pick up men at a gay bar when I’d thrown myself in his path.
“Well, even if he’s more experienced than you are, don’t rely on him to think of stuff like lube and condoms. It’s important to take responsibility for your own well-being,” Vee said, sounding a hell of a lot like a sex ed teacher. That made sense when he added, “I volunteer as a community outreach coordinator at a nonprofit LGBTQ health center. Please feel free to call me any time, Manny. I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have.”
I muttered, “It’s kind of funny to be on the receiving end of a sex talk. I remember when Kit was a teenager, and I was trying to give him advice. He was mortified.”
Yolanda came to my rescue by saying, “And you look like you are too, so we should probably talk about something else.”
To my relief, the conversation shifted to the wedding. Everyone agreed it was perfect, and that the food had been incredible. After a few minutes of raving about the various delicacies we’d enjoyed, Vee got to his feet and said, “All this food talk is making me hungry, so I’m going to go finish up our brunch dishes. Manny, would you mind helping me by making some eggs?”
“I’d love to.” Maybe it was all those years working in the food service industry, but it was hard to sit back and let people cook for me.
As I followed him inside, he said, “Thanks for giving me a hand. I figure you’re the king of breakfast foods, since you run a diner.”
“I can’t even count the number of eggs I’ve cooked in my lifetime.”
“I can imagine. You’ve worked there forever, right?”
