Austin Murray is fifty years old, owns a bookstore, and loves to walk on the beach at sun-up. He's a beachcomber, too, always in search of something unique to add to his collection. One such winter morning, an unkempt, sad-looking stranger roars into his life on a motorbike and his heart turns over for the first time, ever.<br><br>Murphy Vickers is world-weary, hurting, and unable to connect with anyone. He travels from place to place looking for work, but never stays anywhere very long. He's trying to outrun a painful event in his past that haunts him to this day. When he stops in a seaside town, he meets Austin, who offers him a job and a bed for however long he needs them.<br><br>Murphy is surly and reticent, But Austin won’t let that stop him from breaking through his barriers, and maybe getting a biker of his very own.

Happiness Is a Warm Bum

“It was as if all the hurt in the world, all the pain was trapped in that moment, and I was powerless against it. Smithy was my friend—more than that. He was my lover, and to lose him like that, the one person who had ever accepted me no matter what I said or did or how grumpy I was…It was the last straw.”


Murphy gulped down the rest of his coffee. “I finished my tour and didn’t re-up. I’ve spent my life since then going from state to state, trying to outrun the ache inside me, the despair. It haunts me, you know? I…” He shook his head and got up from the table. “I need some air.”


I watched him leave through the front door and knew he was heading for the beach.


Chapter 10