Cody Whitley teaches creative writing at Brockton State College in upstate New York. As he struggles to keep a few unruly students from failing, a larger dilemma hits close to home. His father Henry is in the last stages of his life, dying of liver cancer. Cody visits him everyday in the hospital, bringing him tea from the cafeteria and sitting by his hospital bed, sketching him in his notebook and watching the man he admired as a child slowly deteriorating. Having watched his mother die a few years ago, Cody is in a state of worry and flux, wondering how he will go on after he loses his father. When he receives a text message from a handsome man named Liam he met on a dating app, Cody realizes there is still hope for happiness and a promising future. Amidst the turmoil, Cody accepts Liam's offer to meet him for lunch the next day. Not everything goes as planned, but Cody learns that he is not the only one going through hard times. Will Cody allow the death of his father to alter his chances of finding lasting friendship with a complete stranger? Or will both men find comfort and romance in each other's painful pasts?

The Two of Us

I hung up, and turned to Liam. “I’ve got to go,” I said, tossing my napkin across my plate and pushing my chair in.


Liam looked startled, leaning back to examine the sudden change in my behavior. He stood. “Is there anything I can do?”


I dug into my wallet for a twenty-dollar bill and tossed it on the table.


Liam shook his head, scooped up the bill, and tried to hand it back to me. “It’s on me,” he said.


I thanked him for the pie. “This was nice,” I said, navigating through a knot of students to get to the front door. Before I left the coffee shop, I could hear Liam yelling at me over the rising voices in the room. “Call me.”


But I was already out the door and getting in my car before I could answer him.Chapter 12


Chapter 21