alieicanlivewith by Eden Winters Read Free Book Online Page A

lunch."
    A Lie I Can Live With - 45
    It gave Otis a bit of smug satisfaction to leave on Garret's arm, Danny and Steve's mouths hanging open while watching them leave. Imaginary boyfriend indeed!

    ***
Otis made another trip to the grocery store, stopping before the dwindling pile of pumpkins. He selected a few he thought might do the trick, then perused the fresh veggies for a large onion, a bunch of celery, and button mushrooms, placing them into his cart. Finding a bin labeled "Ginger" he turned a rather largish ugly wooden knob over and over in his hands, contemplating how much he'd need. Checking the specimen against the recipe card he'd picked up at the store entrance, he shrugged and tossed it in the cart. He could always use the extra for his pies. Although Garret wouldn't be coming over until morning, Otis wanted to try his hand at preparing Chinese food for his lover, eventually, and thought about practicing a bit first. Lover. I have a lover.
    His cheeks tightened as he smiled. An elderly couple smiled back.
    Next he headed to the cold foods section to pick up eggs and fresh cream, backtracking to the meat counter to pick up a package of chicken breasts. Oops, forgot the remaining spices. Looping back through the store, he found stick cinnamon and whole cloves. Pies always came out better if you ground your own, in Otis'
    opinion. Now if only I can match Nonna's.
    He grinned and hummed to himself all the way home, and arriving at an empty house didn't bother him this time, for when he imagined a partner waiting for him, his fantasy man now had a face and a name.
    After unpacking groceries he took a brisk walk, breath fogging before his face in the late November A Lie I Can Live With - 46
    chill. Head clear and heart light, he returned home and reduced the pumpkins into bowls of cinnamon-scented mush, bound and determined to make Nonna proud.
    The fragrant aroma of spices filled his kitchen while he set to work chopping, coating, and cooking the chicken and vegetables. He rolled out dough while they sizzled in a pan, carefully shaping two crusts.
    He let the crusts rest while he sampled his first attempt at Moo Goo Gai Pan. The end results didn't exactly match the full-color picture on the card, but it didn't taste bad at all. After wolfing down two helpings, he resumed work on his crusts, filling them with pumpkin custard. Worried he'd forget to check on them, he avoided his game and the TV in general, waiting for the ding that would announce that his labors of love were done.
    Placing them on a rack to cool, he breathed deeply.
    They certainly looked and smelled like Nonna's.
    He went to bed, tossing and turning instead of sleeping, worried about meeting Garret's folks. Would they like him? Would they take one look and tell their boy, "You could do better"? When he finally did go to sleep he dreamed he was in the kitchen, and every time he took a pie out of the oven, an alien horde stole it and he had to all start over again.
    A Lie I Can Live With - 47

Meet the Mims
    "Hey, Otis. Got any plans today?" Barry asked.
    Where once he'd have reluctantly lied, Otis proudly announced, "Garret's taking me home to meet his folks."
    Barry grew quiet on the other end of the phone line.
    After an awkward silence he spoke again. "Have fun.
    Maybe we can catch a game when you get back."
    Oh shit. Otis' happiness took a plunge. He'd never even considered that Barry, whose folks also lived out of town, might be alone for the holidays. Why hadn't he thought of asking? He wouldn't have had to be alone for his Thanksgiving feast after all, with Barry around, not that he had to worry about that now. "I thought you were going to your folks' for Thanksgiving."
    Barry sighed. "The whole lot of them have the flu.
    But don't worry about me."
    "I loaded the last bag. You 'bout ready?" Garret asked, stepping back into the house, rubbing his hands together to warm them and shaking snow from his sweater.
    Asking for a minute with an upheld