Eli is a doctor who came into medicine later in life than most, after his career in the police force ended due to an injury.  Rather than taking a desk job, he threw himself into medical school and now, at forty-three, works at a hospital where he is well-regarded.  His best friend is Zane, a forty-one-year-old doctor who works for the free clinic at the hospital.  Eli admires Zane and enjoys his company so much they’re almost always together.  Their friends are always teasing them, insisting there must be something else going on.  When Zane suggests they try a little experiment—one kiss to make sure their friends aren’t right—Eli’s exasperated enough to agree.  What happens when the experiment doesn’t go the way they expected it to?

And Call Me in the Morning proves once again that Willa Okati has just as deft a hand with serious topics as she does with lighthearted, funny romps.  Eli and Zane were fantastic characters.  I loved that they were older, and set in their ways.  Eli is a wonderful doctor and friend, but he has a temper.  His unexpected feelings for Zane throw him for a loop.  He’s not sure how to react, and at times pushes Zane away, but on the whole he deals with the situation as well as anyone could.  Zane is a passionate man, both in his career and in his relationships.  He doesn’t have the safety net of family, so his friendship with Eli is very important to him.  The conflicts that arise, with their careers, their friends, and their own confusion, are realistic and compelling.  Even the whole “gay for you” theme, which I normally don’t like all that much, was so well done here that I didn’t mind it.  With heroes I loved, several great secondary characters, lots of emotion as well as heat, and a situation I really didn’t see coming at the end, And Call Me in the Morning was a read I enjoyed immensely.  This reviewer’s orders: read And Call Me in the Morning!  It’ll be sure to take your mind off whatever ails you.