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

Kat waved an impatient hand. “Jewelry stores also think that the amount you spend on an engagement ring is directly related to the strength of your love. Jewelry stores know nothing. But you, you cannot give Andy a gift for an apology.” She stressed it, carefully enunciating each word.


“I think you’re going to have to break that down for me, Kat,” Scooter said. “I’m gettin’ that it’s important, but I don’t understand why. So help me understand, because if I don’t get the reason for it, I’m gonna fuck it up somewhere down the line. Why not?”


She smiled a little, and then sighed. “Do you remember when Andy first came here?”


She nodded. “He was running,” she said, though Scooter already knew that. “He had been hurt—we all know this, even if he chooses not to talk about it. He was afraid. He could barely bring himself to say no, to argue with anyone.”


Chapter 48