BooksBarbecue
Back Before Anyone Else
Chapters (66)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  43. Chapter Forty
  44. Chapter Forty-One
  45. Chapter Forty-Two
  46. Chapter Forty-Three
  47. Chapter Forty-Four
  48. Chapter Forty-Five
  49. Chapter Forty-Six
  50. Chapter Forty-Seven
  51. Chapter Forty-Eight
  52. Chapter Forty-Nine
  53. Chapter Fifty
  54. Chapter Fifty-One
  55. Chapter Fifty-Two
  56. Chapter Fifty-Three
  57. Chapter Fifty-Four
  58. Chapter Fifty-Five
  59. Chapter Fifty-Six
  60. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  61. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  62. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  63. Chapter Sixty
  64. Chapter Sixty-One
  65. Chapter Sixty-Two
  66. Acknowledgments

“Really, now? Maybe that is why I made reservations for seven o’clock. I thought we could have cocktails at Stevie’s Lounge beforehand.”

“How do you do that? How did you know I would want to try that restaurant out? And how did you get reservations?”

“Because I know and love you, and I saw you reading the review and sticking it in that big bag of yours. I just figured you might want to check it out.”

I smiled, finishing up the last bite of food on my plate. I heard that Julian had done the interior for Conrad’s as his final project before retiring. I was very interested to see what he had done.

Elliott removed the tray, and I let him unbelt the bathrobe and extract payment for such a fine meal.

Afterward, we stayed intertwined and connected. We glided from one topic of conversation into another as was customary for us. I loved the smell of him: fresh jasmine. It made me think of Daddy and how he, too, never bore the smells of his kitchen. Elliott and I touched each other frequently. Right in the middle of a sentence, he would imprison me in a huge bear hug.

I thought we had exhausted topics of conversation. I thought we had exhausted all of the words in the English vocabulary. I thought we had even exhausted each other. But each time, there was a thrill and a newness to each topic and body part we had yet to discover about each other. He was tender, yet strong. He was funny, charming, and insecure. He was a perfectionist but was open enough to show his weaknesses. In many ways, he was the yin to my yang. Where I looked at the big picture in a restaurant and wanted to articulate the “vibe,” Elliott started with the smallest detail, expanded out, and then returned to that tiny detail. I was easygoing, and Elliott could be temperamental. He was late, and I was punctual. I was serious and introverted, and Elliott tended to be whimsical and extroverted. Our particular quirks laced together to form a beautiful pattern.

When we finally got out of bed, he walked me to the bathroom. “There is a basket of soaps and lotions that Elle said you fancied on one of your shopping trips. I hope you like the selection.”