Free Family Man by Marie Sexton, Heidi Cullinan

right over.”
    Vince glanced at his watch. “Rach, it’s almost five now.”
    “Like I said, I’ll be right over.”
    She hung up, and Vince spent a frantic twenty minutes driving himself crazy. When the door opened and Rachel swept in, he almost pounced on her before she could even get her key out of the lock.
    “ Relax ,” she told him, taking his shoulders and turning him around to aim him at his bedroom. “Show me what we’re working with.”
    Rachel ended up putting him in a pair of suit pants but with a dark plum-colored shirt with iridescent silver pinstripes she dug out of the back of his closet. He tried to shoot it down, because it had always felt too flashy to him, but Rachel insisted.
    “You’re gay now, big brother. You can be a little flashy.”
    “I am not gay .”
    “Right. You’re just making yourself a nervous wreck over a night out with a man. Completely different story.”
    Vince ran a hand over his face. “Shit. Maybe this is a mistake.”
    Rachel pushed his hand away and cupped his chin. “Stop. Stop this right now. You’re either going on this date or you aren’t. Stop worrying about your machismo cred. Fierro boys, gay or straight, don’t stand up dates. Or not-dates. You told Trey you’d be there at six; you’re going to be there at six.” She looked him up and down and smiled appreciatively. “And you’ll probably make him melt into a puddle, which is as it should be.”
    Vince turned to the mirror, braced for the worst, but to his surprise he found that he actually looked pretty damn good. Except…he fussed with his collar. “I need a necklace or something, though, don’t you think?” He rooted around on his dresser for a gold chain.
    Rachel laughed. “Yes, Italian boy. Add a single red rose and you’ll probably get laid for sure.”
    “No.” Vince put the chain he’d found back down, unsure now. “That’s the deal. Trey doesn’t do that.”
    “What, get laid?” When Vince simply stared at her, Rachel’s eyes widened, and then they softened. “Oh, Vinnie.” She kissed him on the cheek. “You’re such a good boy, you know that? I hope it does work out with Trey. I hope this evens everything out for you, that it really is your magic bullet. I’d love to see you happy.” She patted his shoulder. “Now put on your gold chain. Even if it does scream Hot Italian Sex Machine, there’s no harm in making Trey desperate.”
    “You’re vicious,” Vince said, watching his reflection in the mirror as he reached around to fasten the chain.
    “Yes.” Rachel took the clasp from his hands, finished it, then dusted him off. “Go get on the EL, walk up to his door and ask him if he wants a cab or a train. Traffic in the Loop will be hell at this hour, so you might as well not even try to drive both ways.”
    That was a good plan. Vince took a deep breath, let it out and squared his shoulders.
    “Okay?” Rachel asked.
    “Okay,” Vince agreed.

Chapter Nine
    I had all day to think about the date that wasn’t a date. As the afternoon wore on I began to realize one thing: I had no idea what to expect.
    Where would we go? Why hadn’t I thought to ask? Where would macho, Italian, “I’m not gay” Vin take a boy like me? One thing I was absolutely certain of: he would go to great lengths to keep things casual. He’d want to make sure it felt like something other than a date. I figured I was looking at some kind of male bonding, boys’ night out. It was possible we’d end up bowling and drinking Bud out of a can.
    In the end, I narrowed it down to the three most likely scenarios: a movie—probably one with explosions and plenty of bosom. A restaurant—probably a sports bar. Or, best-case scenario, back to the jazz club, where we could dance—and I’d be lying if I said that option didn’t make my heart skip a beat and my blood head for places south of my brain. In truth, I didn’t care where we went, so long as I had a chance to flirt with him a bit.
    I had