Page 41 of The Fireman and the Flirt

Cary: An astronomy geek studies the stars and galaxies beyond our planet. An astrology geek says things like “It’s Leo season.”

I was totally an astrology geek, but that was just the Aries in me. Even though miles separated us, it felt like Derek was beside me, and we were having this conversation together.

Derek: Having fun with the cousins?

I sent Derek a picture of me, Harold, and Maudrey taken earlier tonight. We were doing a silly pose. It was impossible not to be silly with them. We were goofballs when we were kids, and we were goofballs now. We’d likely be this silly when we were in our fifties…which wasn’t that far off.

Derek: Nice.

Derek: Your cousin is cute.

Cary: Audrey has a really pretty face.

Derek: She does. But I was talking about the other one.

Cary: Harold?

Derek: Yes.

I stared at my phone, making sure I understood. A silence hung over me as I processed what he was trying to tell me. Lots of straight men were comfortable enough with themselves to compliment a guy’s attractiveness. But I knew what this was. I could feel it with my gay sense, the quiet release of truth in the dark.

Derek: I’m bi.

Well, there he went confirming it.

Cary: Cool.

I was anything but cool. Fortunately, he couldn’t see me, so I didn’t have to play cool.

Only now he was FaceTiming me. My screen buzzed urgently with his name.

“Hey,” I said. Fuck, Derek looked so good. He was outside, too, silhouetted by moonlight, his knit cap adorably plunked on his head. I wanted to burrow into his beard, let it scratch against my skin.

“Sorry for the surprise. I’d been thinking of telling you, but I didn’t know when.”

“There’s never a right time to come out.” Should I say I had my suspicions, enough suspicions to write him a saucy letter? Some guys took that the wrong way. They wanted their coming out to be a total surprise.

I had so many questions, but I didn’t know how much I could dig.

“It’s something I’ve known about myself for a while, but never felt a need to explore since I was married.”

“Yeah, I get it. The whole adultery thing. Although that’s kind of ironic.”

“Yeah.” Derek huffed out a laugh of cloudy breath.

“Does Cal know?”

“Not yet. So far, it’s just you.”

I was overwhelmingly honored to be his first…person that he told. That would be the only first I would be for him. Because he was my client. My client who was probably dynamite in bed.

“I won’t tell anyone,” I said. “How do you feel?”

“Feels kind of weird. Buzzing a little. I can’t believe I told someone. Like I said, it’s something I’ve known about myself for a while.”

“But now it’s in the public record.”

“What do you mean?”

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