Dean, a struggling financial analyst from New York City, embarks on a vacation to Cape Cod to get away from the daily grind. Right from the start, the vacation seems to be a disappointment. At first he doesn’t meet anybody interesting, and then, to make matters worse, the wrong kind of person. When a group of guys invite him to join them at a local bar, Dean’s luck -- and possibly his future -- changes immediately. Dynamic Marco, a travel planner from Boston, doesn’t take no for an answer. With his charming Italian looks and compelling character, he pursues Dean and quickly wins him over. They spend the rest of Dean’s vacation together, but Marco wants more. Too soon, Dean’s vacation comes to an end. Both Dean and Marco are determined to continue their dalliance, but the odds are stacked against them, and they are left with all the challenges of a long-distance romance. As both men are equally committed to their jobs, will they be able to overcome the distance and differences separating them, especially when Dean starts to have doubts about Marco’s carefree lifestyle? Do they have a future together?

Nine Days in Provincetown

That afternoon they took one last walk together before Dean had to start home. “Six weeks will pass quickly,” Marco said. “We’ll be together again soon. And then, I hope, all the time.”


No pressure,Dean thought to himself as he tossed his bag in the car.


“Call me when you get home. Hell, call me every night if you can.”


The six weeks did go by quickly, as summer often does. Suddenly it was July, and Dean was spending a lot of time in stressful thought each evening, trying to come to a decision. There had been no word on a transfer. He simply couldn’t imagine what he was going to tell Marco. The thought of leaving the security of his job, abandoning his plans for retirement in Florida—that meant giving up almost everything that he had worked for up to now. He still didn’t think he could do it. What would be Marco’s reaction to further continuance of their long-distance relationship?


Chapter 40