Well-known artist Ellis Williams is in a slump and feeling all his fifty-three years. He's lost the joy which used to permeate his painting and despairs of ever regaining it. It doesn't help when he runs into a young man who comes on to him to win a bet, thus destroying more of Ellis's confidence.<br><br>Then, at a party, Ellis meets Martin Lovell, a man his age whose partner died soon after they adopted their son. Will these two middle-aged men learn they should never let go of hope? Or is it too late for men their age to open themselves to the possibility of love and being loved?

Never Let Go of Hope

“And a very nice evening it’s been,” Martin declared when they broke apart. He circled Ellis’s waist with his arm as they joined the rest of the passengers on their way to the gangplank. “We should do it again. Well, maybe not the cruise but something else.”


Impulsively Ellis said, “If you want, you can come over for dinner. You and Todd. Maybe next Saturday?”


“And get to meet the marvelous Janice?” Martin asked with a grin.


“Oh boy. Would Friday work? She’s off on the weekends.”


“Friday would be perfect,” Martin agreed as they walked off the boat onto the pier. “What time?”


“Six? No, six-thirty. That will give you time to go home and change into something comfortable.”


Martin asked, “Do you think I wear a suit to work? Because believe me I don’t, even when I’m meeting with a client. One of the perks of my job—it’s always casual Friday, even on Mondays.”


“Great. Still, let’s make it six-thirty. I’m about a half hour drive outside the city.”


Chapter 24