For years, Emerson has tried to be content with rare visits from Paul, a former lover he still adores.  Once, they were partners in work and life, but since then Emerson has become a homebody, while Paul, a musician, has toured and gained fame.  On Thanksgiving, Paul and their friend Liz come to Emerson’s home for dinner as usual, and Emerson hopes to spend some time with Paul while they’re in town.  He doesn’t expect anything more, especially since he’s been hiding something from Paul.

For his part, Paul is weary of only seeing Emerson once or twice a year.  After all this time, he’s ready to commit, if he can show Emerson they’re meant to be together.  Will he still feel that way when Emerson’s secret is revealed? 

Leftovers packs a surprising emotional punch for a novella.  Treva Harte does an excellent job of dealing with Emerson’s secret (which I won’t reveal here, but it’s not the typical kind of secret, so expect to be surprised).  Emerson is a sweet, caring man who wants what’s best for others and doesn’t think so much about himself.  He’s never really seen himself as worthy of love.  He takes whatever scraps he can get and tries to be content with them.  Paul, on the other hand, has musical talent, an outgoing personality, and enjoys new things.  He cares for Emerson, but for years he kept their relationship in a holding pattern of rare togetherness followed by long separations.  Now he’s tired of that, and ready to show Emerson they can be together for real.  Paul came across, at first, as a bit spoiled, but as the story progressed he showed how much he was willing to put himself on the line for Emerson.  Leftovers is a lovely story of coming home, and finally seeing what’s been in front of you all along.  I enjoyed it immensely.