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Category: Romance/Gay Fiction
Description: Keith Montgomery never thought he'd be so weary at twenty-eight, mourning the deaths of his lover and mother. Deciding he needs a break, he rents a house at Reeds Beach on Delaware Bay. The house and beach are beautiful, and Keith's good luck holds: when he takes the plunge and buys a pair of Speedos, he attracts a hot young sales clerk and ends a long dry spell. Something's missing until Sam, his Scottie dog, introduces Keith to Jeff, who is tall and well-built with blond hair still in the crew cut he wore in Afghanistan. Intrigued rather than put off by Jeff's mood swings, Keith befriends the recently returned soldier and they build the tentative beginnings of a relationship... until a surprise visitor from Jeff's past threatens to bring a bright future crashing down.
eBook Publisher: Dreamspinner Press/Dreamspinner Press, 2012 2012
eBookwise Release Date: February 2012

1 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [123 KB]
Words: 29717
Reading time: 84-118 min.

It had been a particularly harsh winter in New Jersey, and Keith was happy to see spring finally come. Warmer temperatures began later than usual, but when they arrived, they arrived with a bang. Tired of sloshing through the snow and shoveling his sidewalk and driveway for the past six months, Keith wanted to celebrate the coming summer in style.

He decided to rent a beach house at the Jersey shore for the entire summer. He wasn't sure exactly where to rent, but he knew he didn't want anything overcrowded or too commercial. That put Atlantic City and much of that part of the coastline out of contention.

He decided to use the services of a real estate agent who specialized in summer rentals. He got the name of an agent from a friend who had used her before, and gave her a call in the middle of May.

"Hello, this is Jenny Garvin," the agent said.

"Hi, this is Keith Montgomery. I'm looking for a house to rent for the entire summer, somewhere on the Jersey shore but nowhere crowded. Can you assist me with this?"

"Certainly! Do you have more of a description of what you're looking for? What would be your ideal house?"

"Well, it has to have phone service and Internet, since I make my living via computer. I intend to live in the house all summer. I'd love to be able to look out from the front porch and see water. Air-conditioning is not required, nor do I need more than two bedrooms and one bath. Oh, parking that's actually assigned to the house would be great, or one with a driveway. I don't wanna waste a lot of time hunting for a parking space."

"Would you be interested in something along the Delaware Bay side of the Jersey shore?" she asked.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Like I said, if it's at the shore and there's a beach and water, it works for me," he replied.

"I might have exactly what you're looking for. It's a two-bedroom, one bath, with a beautiful front porch that's both screened-in and glassed-in, in case there's a storm. It looks out at the water and is directly across a small road from the beach, which comes with the house. It has parking for two cars next to the house and is on well water and septic tank. Sound okay?"

"Yeah, it does! How much and where is it?"

"Let me see. I'm pulling up the fact page on it. Okay, it's $950 a month plus propane gas and electricity. There's no water bill or sewage bill since, as I mentioned, it's on a well and septic system. The house is located in a low-key, laid-back town called Reeds Beach, and is about fifteen miles or so from Wildwood. I can send you pictures if you give me your e-mail address."

"Sure, it sounds great. Send them to me at keithmontgomary@roscan.com."

"Okay, Keith, you should have them in a minute. Look them over--there are about a dozen shots--and get back with me. I'm going to be with a client shortly, so e-mail me what you want to do, okay?"

"You got it! Thanks for your help."

While Keith waited for the photos to come in, he grabbed a road map of New Jersey and looked down toward the Delaware Bay for a town called Reeds Beach. It only took him a moment to find it, which was a good sign, since it was on the map. The location was good. It seemed to be out of the way, but not far from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry that ran between Cape May and Lewes, Delaware. Also, the amusement piers in Wildwood were just a short drive away.

He heard the chime of the computer telling him a new message had come in, and when he clicked on it, he found the promised pictures of the house. It had a gorgeous front porch, and the rest of it looked decent. The rooms weren't that big, but large enough for what he needed. The shot that sold him on the house was taken from the front porch, looking out toward the bay. It was beautiful, and had an unobstructed view, so anytime he wanted to see the water, he could simply look up.

He sent Jenny Garvin a message telling her that he'd be taking a ride down to Reeds Beach that very day, since it was only about three hours from his home in Audubon, New Jersey. He printed off the pictures to take with him, and also packed the road map, a bottle of soda, and his Scottish terrier, Sam.

They piled into his car and took off for the unknown. As he drove toward his possible residence for the summer, he thought about the past year. Almost twelve months before, his mother and his lover Jeremy had been killed in the same car accident. They had gone to the store to buy Keith's favorite foods for a birthday party they were throwing him when a drunk driver, doing over seventy, ran a stop sign and struck the vehicle they were in, killing everyone instantly.

Keith had been with Jeremy for almost five years, and he'd really felt he had found that certain person his mother had insisted was "out there" for him. They were more than lovers; their friends described them as soul mates who would go on forever, in this world and the next. The trouble was that, at only twenty-eight, he didn't think he could live the rest of his life without male companionship of the intimate and loving variety. Because of this "failure" on Keith's part, massive guilt had consumed him each time he'd tried to date in the past couple of months. It never worked out beyond the dinner or the movie, and Keith's sex life had effectively died with Jeremy.

The one bright spot was his business. Keith was a financial advisor who used the daily stock market reports as well as other business sources to advise his clients on what they should be buying or selling. The business could be run from any location, which gave him the freedom to live at the beach for the summer while continuing to earn a nice living.

Sam the Scottie, his best friend, was totally devoted to him. He followed Keith everywhere and knew instinctively when he was feeling down. He gave unconditional love, and all Keith had to do in return was to provide food, water, and shelter. A summer beach house was a bonus!

Keith had drifted away from his friends, mostly because they became uncomfortable whenever Jeremy's name came up in remembrance of a situation or a fun time they had all shared. Keith realized that he would be unable to separate himself from Jeremy within their circle of friends.

After driving for almost three hours, Keith saw a sign that read "Reeds Beach," with an arrow that pointed right. He turned off and traveled down a long road toward what he assumed was the bay. He passed houses separated by long distances until he came to an S-curve in the road, where he stopped at a store with gas pumps, boats, and a bait house. Inside, he found two little old ladies who, he discovered, owned and operated the store. There were odds and ends of foodstuffs that could get you by for a week or so if you didn't need meat--things like bread, jelly, peanut butter, and canned goods. At one end, he saw comic books and various small toys, such as army figures and tanks that were obviously for boys of different ages.

The ladies stood behind a glass penny-candy case that held all types of loose candies that were sold by the ounce and given to the customer in a small paper bag.

"Hello, what can we do for you?" one of the elderly ladies asked.

"Hi, I'm down here to look at a house to maybe rent for the summer. Maybe you can tell me how far from here it is?" he asked as he pulled out the photos of the property.

"Oh, that's the old Thompson place. It's down the road maybe four hundred yards on the right. With that picture, you can't miss it. I'm Ms. Edith Erickson, and this is my sister, Lilith Erickson," she said, introducing them to their prospective summer-long customer.

"Pleased to meet you both. I'm Keith Montgomery. What's that over there?" he asked, pointing to the bait shop.

"That's where you can buy bait to fish with, and next to it is an electric boat ramp, to put boats into the water and bring them back out. We provide storage on that lot for those that need it. 'Course, you gotta have a boat trailer," she said.

"Very nice. Well, I'm gonna get on down the road and see the Thompson house and decide if I wanna rent it. Pleasure again to meet you both."

"Have a nice day, Keith, and come back."

He left the Erickson General Store and got back into his car. He rounded the S curve slowly and then drove at about twenty miles an hour down the beach road until he came upon the house in the picture. He pulled over as far as he could, to allow traffic to get past, since the parking area was closed off by a chain stretched across the entrance to the little lot.

He got out of the car and, instead of going to the house, he first walked up the small dunes and onto the beach. His nostrils filled with the scent of salt air and water. He filled his lungs and sighed in contentment. "His" part of the beach was actually quite large. A look at the boundary markers told him that he had about one hundred and sixty feet of beach with the house. He finally turned away, walked back over the dunes, and crossed the street to the house. He went down a little walkway to the front door, where he looked into the porch. Very comfortable-looking furniture ran the length of the porch, and he decided he had nothing to complain about yet.

He made his way around the house and looked in the windows where he could. Nothing he saw gave him cause for concern, and there were the added bonuses of having no neighbor on the left side of the house and one small house on the right side. He went back onto the beach one more time and made up his mind. This was the place for him.

He returned to his car, got Sam, put him on a leash, and took him onto the beach with him. At first Sam was baffled by the sand and why he seemed to sink down into it, and then he realized there was an awfully large water bowl in front of him and took off toward the waves gently rolling in to the beach. The movement of the water seemed to confuse him also, but as quickly as he had become fascinated, he lost interest, and after drinking a little, decided he didn't care for it at all. As he walked back to the dunes, Sam added a little color to the sand in one spot and signaled that he was good to go.

On his return trip to Audubon, Keith became very excited at the prospect of spending the summer in Reeds Beach. He began to plan the various steps he'd need to perform in order to make the temporary change of address. He wanted his mail forwarded, and calls made to his home phone would be transferred to the beach house. Of course, he always had his cell phone.

When he reached home, he gave Sam a biscuit to reward him for being a good boy on the trip, and then sat down at his computer to send an e-mail to the real estate agent.

Hi, Jenny:

I love the house, and I'll take it. When can I sign the lease and move in? When can I get utilities turned on and all that? Please advise, I would like to move down as soon as possible.

Thanks,

Keith

He made phone calls to his three best friends and told them of his plans. Without exception, they not only wanted to visit for a weekend, but to spend their summer vacations with Keith at the beach. He told them that would be cool, but he wanted to be alone for at least a month before he began to receive visitors.

He went up to the attic and brought down various suitcases to begin packing for the move. He didn't have too much trouble deciding what clothes to bring, and quickly filled up the first suitcase as Sam lay on the bed, watching. Normally Sam got really nervous when he saw a suitcase, because it meant that Daddy was going away and someone else would be taking care of him.

"Don't look so worried, Sam! You're coming with me this time. You're gonna get to summer at the beach along with Daddy!"

Sam turned his head like he was trying to understand, but in reality he was listening closely for one of the ten or eleven words that he understood.

The phone rang, and Keith ran to get it before the answering service picked up.

"Hello?"

"Keith? This is Jenny."

"Hello. You got my e-mail?"

"Yes, I did. I'm so thrilled that you liked the house, especially since you couldn't get in. The house is yours until Labor Day. I've talked to the owners and told them what little I know about you, and they will let you have the house right away instead of waiting for Memorial Day. So you get an extra three weeks for free. When can you get me the rent and security deposit?" she asked.

"I can drop by your office tomorrow. I'll bring a check for the entire summer and one for the deposit. Is that okay?"

"Sure! Owners like it when the entire lease period is paid for instead of waiting for monthly checks."

"Well, tell them it's my way of thanking them for allowing me to get in early. I can't wait. I talked to the ladies who run the general store there. They're pretty nice, but obviously you have to do large shopping at the supermarket I saw out on the main road. But it is nice to have the general store at the beach, in case you run out of something."

"Sure. Do you know when you'll actually move down there?"

"This weekend. I can't wait. I suppose there'll be instructions on where to get gas, phone numbers, and so on, right?"

"Yes. At present, you have two full tanks of propane, and that's the way you leave them at the end of the summer. I don't think you'll need the gas for heating, since it's pretty warm already, so the only things you'll probably be using it for will be cooking and bathing."

"Sounds great. I'll be by in the morning to sign and pick up the keys."

"Great! See you tomorrow," Jenny said.

"You hear that, boy? We can move into our new temporary home this weekend! I better get busy finishing the packing."

Sam didn't understand any of those words, but he knew his Daddy was in a good mood and that was always good.

Keith walked into the bathroom, stripped, and gave himself a once-over in the mirror. After all, he was going to be at the beach for the entire summer. He saw a man in his late twenties with black hair, blue eyes, nice pecs, respectable biceps, a four-pack of abs, and his main asset: his cock was of the larger variety, which pleased him, as it would most men. He hung down six thick inches over two nice-sized balls. When he looked at his ass in the mirror, he continued to be pleased. His daily runs and squats had paid off handsomely, turning his ass from flat to plump.

After his inspection, he jumped into the shower, and then took Sam for a walk.