Two gorgeous military men. One Lonely Diner, where people often search for romance. (The food is good there, too.)One man plays it straight. Another grieves over a lost lover.Though clearly meant for each other, Lance, an Air Force computer engineer, and Ryan, a former submariner in the Navy and now a military college professor, are conflicted gay men blinded by painful wounds of their past decisions.A younger Ryan Ball decides he can be happy only by conforming to social expectations... moreTwo gorgeous military men. One Lonely Diner, where people often search for romance. (The food is good there, too.)One man plays it straight. Another grieves over a lost lover.Though clearly meant for each other, Lance, an Air Force computer engineer, and Ryan, a former submariner in the Navy and now a military college professor, are conflicted gay men blinded by painful wounds of their past decisions.A younger Ryan Ball decides he can be happy only by conforming to social expectations. So what does he do? He decides he must have a wife and kids. Though he acknowledges to himself that he can never be straight, he is convinced that, with effort and determination, he can play the necessary roles.At thirty-one, Lance Dingle falls for his best friend and roommate, Randy, a stunt pilot who agrees to a friends-with-benefits arrangement. Then, tragedy strikes. Lance finds himself alone and lonely, living with memories of Randy and an ever-expanding list of “what-might-have-beens.”Callie Yenti, a transwoman and drag performer extraordinaire, enters the picture. She owns Lonely Diner and possesses an uncanny insight into the workings of the heart.Even the complicated hearts of her two stubborn friends, Lance and Ryan.An HEA gay romance.Though part of a series, LONELY DINER may easily be read as a standalone.Trigger Warning: This novel includes scenes from a sexual assault and a PTSD episode.Tropes: Military Romance, Coming Out, Overcoming Adversity, Second Chances.CHAPTER TITLESChapter One: Here, From the BeginningChapter Two: The Winning OptionChapter Three: Lonely, Party of OneChapter Four: Ryan's Long, Winding RoadChapter Five: Sebastian the IbisChapter Six: Family on FireChapter Seven: Alliance for Full AcceptanceChapter Eight: Late-to-Party Gay Man Gets InvolvedChapter Nine: The Cocktail ClubChapter Ten: A Gentle Kind of LovingChapter Eleven: The Baby Will Be LovedChapter Twelve: More Queers than a Man Can CountChapter Thirteen: Drag Me to Brunch at Dudley'sChapter Fourteen: When the Guests Are No-ShowsChapter Fifteen: The Impossible #Me-Too DecisionChapter Sixteen: A Gay Man in the WoodsChapter Seventeen: A Sordid ReputationChapter Eighteen: Even Lonelier at Lonely DinerChapter Nineteen: No Erection on SiteChapter Twenty: A Human Resources InterventionChapter Twenty-One: Empathy Paves the Way to AttractionChapter Twenty-Two: Diamond Sparkles into TownChapter Twenty-Three: Trash at Colonial LakeChapter Twenty-Four less
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