Andy Howard dropped out of college to get away from his abusive father. When his longtime boyfriend reveals similar tendencies, Andy refuses to endure another moment of it, running away with nothing more than the cash in his pockets. He makes it to Virginia, where he's taken in by Scooter Stahl, a restaurant owner looking for an extra hand who's willing to be paid cash under the table.<br><br>Scooter's been struggling for years: to keep the beachside restaurant he inherited from his parents above water (both financially and literally); to live down the fact that he's gay in a small southern town; to get over the man who's owned his heart since he was fourteen. But he's never had to struggle as hard as he is now, to keep his hands off Andy.

Nights in Sandbridge

He straightened, leaned back. Andy was extra weight on the board’s nose, dragging them at a sharper angle than Scooter was used to, but then it was all instinct, keeping the board upright and moving. Scooter flexed his knees and pushed them harder toward the crest and then zipped along the smooth curl. He kept his mouth shut—it was always tempting to let loose with a war cry, but that was a great way to choke on a mouthful of ocean and seaweed.


It was a lesson that Andy was going to learn fairly shortly if he didn’t stop laughing like a loon, but Scooter couldn’t quite tell him to stop, it was such a warm and happy sound.


Chapter 20