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

Pathetic wardrobe or not, Andy’s eyes darkened gratifyingly, and then he was yanking off the apron andpractically tossing it at its hook. He slipped his arm through Scooter’s and winked at Kat—that wasn’t worrying at all. “Consider me stolen,” he said. “What’s cookin’?”


“Go grab Trick, we’ll take him with,” Scooter said. “He could use an outing, too.” He was milking the suspense, not because there really was any, but because Andy was too adorable when he was grinning like that. Scooter could imagine, just for a little bit, that he might be able to spring a real surprise at some point. Not likely; Kat had told him more than once he had a terrible poker face.


Watching Andy climb the stairs to go get the dog…well, that was just a bonus. Scooter leaned against the bottom pillars and didn’t bother to hide his ogling.


Andy glanced back as he fished out the key. “See something you like?”


“Every damn day, darlin’,” Scooter said. “Every day.” He winked.


Chapter 55