Page 78 of Heart

“What?” Mikey said.

“Well, you live in Baltimore, but you work in DC, you shop in DC—Virginia technically—and you socialize in DC. Just seems like you would have moved here by now.”

“The pull is strong. But, I have Ma and my sister, you know...”

“Maybe you need a little more incentive,” George said, coyly.

“Maybe I do... but you were telling me about Borders.”

“Yes. Sorry, I got sidetracked. It was at a signing for one of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“You will soon enough. I never miss her television show. She’s very adept in the kitchen. Some chefs don’t like her because she wasn’t professionally schooled. But believe me, they’re just jealous. She taught herself, mainly via the works of Julia Child. Anyone else could do it these days with the Internet, but she did it long before. She and her husband lived here for a while too. She got her MBA at George Washington University. She also worked in the Ford and Carter administrations. Oh, and she used to flip houses in Dupont Circle. How about that?”

Mikey stared at George, clearly overwhelmed with information.

“Sorry. I’m digressing again.”

“It’s OK. I like it. I like listening to you, George—learning the things you value.”

“Same. I want to know what kind of books you read.”

“Deal. Tell me about meeting David first.”

“Yes. So, he was standing behind me in a long line, waiting to get our cookbooks signed. We chatted—I guess it could have been flirty—I really don’t recall. He had beautiful brown eyes, though—kind eyes—like yours.”

Mikey smiled.

“So,” George continued, “when we reached Ina, I handed her my book. She asked for our names to personalize it, presuming we were a couple. I was flustered, stammering... but David didn’t miss a beat. He said,make it out to George and David,and then handed her his copy adding,and this one is just for George.”

“That’s so sweet.”

“Yeah, andbold.” George chuckled. “But he made sure to get one personalized for me solo, just in case it didn’t work out.”

“But it did.”

“It did, Mikey. Fast. He swore he knew immediately. It took me about a week. And from then on, we told everybody that it was Ina Garten’s fault.”

“That’s so romantic.”

“Yeah, right out of a movie.” He took Mikey’s hand. “Not too different from falling for your mailman because you see him every day.”

“Are you falling for me, George?”

“Yes, Mikey. I do believe I am.”

“Thank God.”

“Unless you tell me you’re reading books by Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter. That could be a deal-breaker.”

“Nope. And to betransparent—” Mikey grinned with his use of George’s word, “—I started out with comics as a kid.”

“Yeah? Let me guess—big-muscled superheroes.”

“Well, I wasn’t readingArchie.”

“I think many a gay man gravitated to superheroes even before they knew what being gay was—something deep in the subconscious maybe... dormant, yet developing libidos.”