Page 100 of The Fireman and the Flirt

“We’ve been through a lot this year. But you, especially. I want you to know that you are my priority. How are you feeling about Cary? Specifically me dating Cary?”

I was still getting used to my daughter knowing I was dating a man. I regularly checked in with her over lots of father-daughter stargazing to see how she was handling dear old dad having a boyfriend. She was remarkably unfazed. She said that I might not be bisexual at all. I might be demisexual or pansexual. Maybe I was old-fashioned, but it was a little weird hearing my thirteen-year-old daughter say sex so many times.

“Cary’s cool, Dad.”

She really liked Cary and was excited about the prospect of him being around more. The two of them got along great, though I wondered how their relationship would handle the conflict that came between kids and their caregivers. It would be a bridge we would eventually cross, and we would get through it. Cary knew that he wasn’t a replacement for Paula, and he didn’t try to be.

“You mean it? You’re not just saying that? I want us to have an open dialogue.”

“That sounds like something Uncle Russ would say.” She cocked an amused eyebrow.

I hung my head. “Guilty.”

The ceremony was heldat a fancy banquet hall I’d always driven past but never had the chance to visit. I took tons of phenomenal pictures when Cary and Hannah went up to receive their plaques for salespeople of the year. Portrait mode for the win. Their boss also bestowed them with leis, pre-welcoming them to the Bali trip for top sellers. I found out later Cary got a plus one. I was going to Bali!

I looked around for the Morris brothers, but they were the only agents who had decided not to show up.

Jolene and I schmoozed with Cary and his co-workers. Hannah took her to the bathroom and helped her with a makeup emergency, leaving me and Hannah’s husband John to have a conversation about semiconductors where I smiled and nodded.

We left the banquet early to hightail it to Stone’s Throw Tavern.A Mountain Man Christmashad proven to be so popular that the network was rerunning it into January. They finally realized that audiences were so desperate for queer romances onscreen that they were willing to rewatch a Christmas movie a month after the holiday ended.

“For the record, I don’t give a crap about this movie. But others do, so I might as well capitalize on it.” Mitch told me at the event. All of the tables and chairs were organized to face the wall of TVs above the bar. He had stubbornly held out on doing a premiere during the Christmas season, but Charlie finally convinced him to acknowledge the movie once it became a hit.

Lucien and Skip made an appearance, too, taking selfie after selfie with fans. They looked wildly different when not dressing up as Mitch and Charlie. Jolene ran over to get a selfie. She had watched the movie three times already.

“Cary, where’s your plaque?” Charlie asked, more excited than a dog whose owner had a plate of food.

“I left it in the car. Why would I bring—I’m just kidding.” Cary whipped open his winter coat and pulled the plaque from the inner pocket.

“It’s so shiny!” Charlie’s eyes glowed. Cary let him hold it. “When do you leave for Bali?”

“Not until June.” Cary beamed with excitement. I was excited, too. Mostly at the thought of having sex in a hotel bed overlooking the ocean.

“Nice work, Cary.” Mitch clapped me on the shoulder. He let out a groan as yet another fan squealed over meeting Lucien. “I can’t wait for this movie to die down.”

Judging by the initial reception, that wasn’t going to happen for a while.

“You should air it here every Christmas,” I said.

Mitch groaned again.

“Oh cheer up! It’s okay to be in the post-holiday spirit,” said Charlie, who was wearing a tight muscle T-shirt with the movie’s title stretched across his chest. “Mitch has been talking nonstop about the movie.”

“Only that they drove me crazy for a month.”

“‘Drove me crazy,’” Charlie repeated with large air quotes. “You loved all of it, you gorgeous Grinch.”

“Why don’t you go refill the ice, Tiny Tim?” Mitch cocked an eyebrow at his husband.

“Hey, I’m not tiny where it counts. Porterfield out!” Charlie backed away, blending into the crowd. Mitch rolled his eyes at his perpetual fratboy, but a loving smile on his lips let the whole world know he was crazy about him.

Cary and I moseyed through the crowd to order drinks at the bar. He hugged the plaque to his chest as if shielding a baby from commotion.

“Are you ever going to put that thing down?” I asked.

“No. I hope you’re up for threesomes.” Cary held up the plaque and gave it a kiss. It was the culmination of twenty years of hard work, so I couldn’t blame him.

“Proud of you.” I winked at him.

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