Very little is as predictable in gay life as the sudden reappearance of a bitter ex- boyfriend at just the wrong moment. Robert, who referred to his former lovers as “a dynasty of dicks,” knew this. So, he wasn’t surprised when one of Lee’s exes, Gene, showed up a few nights earlier and spoiled their evening out.
But Robert couldn’t shake his discomfort. Gene claimed that Lee had disappeared in the middle of the night while he slept, after a year of living together in Florida. Sitting alone, Robert looked around Woodfire Grill, wondering if his boyfriend would show up now, after inviting him to meet there.
The restaurant building, Robert noted, has changed little in two decades, still featuring the formerly fashionable feel of a chalet.