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

The door chime jingled. It was late, they were technically open for about five more minutes, but business had been slow all night, and the stove had already been shut down. The grill would be stone cold by now, so there wasn’t much chance Scooter would turn it back on for a late-comer.


“Hey, Goldilocks,” said the person who came in, a voice that Scooter recognized immediately even though he couldn’t see yet, “somebody’s been sleeping in my bed.”


Andy rather pointedly kept sweeping. “Sorry, we’re closed for the night.”


“Closed? How are you closed to me, slick? I know the owner!” That was a very good snotty tourist accent, someone for whom knowing the owner was supposed to encourage obsequious behavior. Not generally Scooter’s style. He couldn’t get out of his desk chair; he was trying too hard not to laugh.


“If you’re looking for late dinner,” Andy said, “there’s Neptune’s Cove up the street a bit; theyseat until midnight.”


Chapter 96