Schoolteacher Julian Reynolds is disillusioned with the seedier side of gay life in New York City with its self-absorption, vanity, and preoccupation with sex. When his long-time relationship with his high school sweetheart ends, he returns to his hometown and vows to live a simple life free of the extremes of the gay lifestyle and romantic entanglements. With that end in mind, he rents the carriage house next door to a large Tudor-style home.<br><br>Tate Butler, a former student of Julian’s, lives in the big house with his mother. Tate is bitter and withdrawn after losing a leg while serving in the Marine Corps during the war in Afghanistan. Fearing rejection from his mother and blaming himself for his father’s death, Tate stays firmly in the closet and punishes himself by refusing to learn how to walk again.<br><br>Can Tate and Julian help heal each other’s pasts and forge a real and lasting future together? Or will the driveway that separates their houses prove too wide a gulf to cross?

The Marine Next Door

On several occasions during his comings and goings to the carriage house he thought he saw someone in the sunroom across the drive, looking at him. But when Julian moved to get a better look, whoever it was had vanished. Julian decided maybe it was his eyes playing a trick on him or it was merely a shadow.


Midweek he got the dreaded call from Craig about the party. “Hello, sweetie.”


Craig continued. “Well, everything is set up. Stephen’s being a pain in the ass as usual, but the party is going to be this Friday. Will that work for you?”


“Yes,” Julian said, thinking that if it was all set, wasn’t it a little late to be asking the supposed guest of honor if he was free? He was tempted to tell Craig he’d made arrangements to pick up his stuff in New York, but figured that would send Craig into an apoplectic collapse.


Chapter 5