My Summer

by Declan Rhodes

  I poured glasses of orange juice to go along with our coffee and waited until Sir sat at the table before joining him. “Is there anything interesting in the day's email? Please tell me there’s something to take my mind off Hank.”

  Breaking a strip of bacon in half, I nodded yes. Sir knew how to cook the bacon to perfect crispness. I bit down and let the smoky, savory taste flood my mouth.

  "That's it? Just a nod? What did you find?”

  I shrugged. "I don't know. I wished I could open it, but I decided I should save it for you."

  "Who's it from?"

  Inside I was dying to know what was in the message, but I didn't want to inflame Sir's already existing agitation. I heard his words calm and obedient echoing inside my head. “It was from Dr. Owens, my graduate advisor. I don’t know why he would be contacting you, and I’m following your multiple suggestions to remain calm." I looked down to avoid an impudent smirk.

  Sir laughed. "You want to know, don't you?"

  I tightened my fingers around my fork and continued to look down. "I can wait until after breakfast, Sir."

  The rest of the meal we ate in relative silence, and I struggled to eat slowly. Sir did not appreciate me hurrying through anything. I watched him take every bite and exhaled when he swallowed the last forkful of scrambled eggs. "You clear the dishes, and I'll investigate this message."

  I rose from the table and carried the dishes to the kitchen. I carefully scraped them before placing them in the dishwasher and washed out the skillet Sir used to cook both the bacon and the eggs. As I turned to leave the kitchen, Sir exclaimed, "Exciting news! This is even better than Rita’s boyfriend!”

  I bolted for the door of Sir’s office holding my breath waiting to find out about the message. "Good news? What does it say?"

  He shook his head. "You won’t believe this. I know that I don’t. It might be the solution we've been waiting for."

  Unless it was a Get-Out-of-Jail-Free card from Dr. Owens, I didn’t know what could be such good news. “The solution? To which problem?” I nervously shifted my weight back and forth from one foot to the other.

  Sir pointed at the floor by his side. "Come over here and kneel my boy. You're making me nervous. And have you been in contact with Dr. Owens about your summer with me?”

  I nodded as I fell to my knees. "When Dr. Owens notified me about the teaching vacancy, he also asked about my summer. I wrote almost a full page on my thoughts about working for you and all that I was learning. Well, not everything. I talked about learning the structure of fiction, the business side of writing, and discipline."

  Sir raised an eyebrow. "Discipline?"

  A tiny smile played across my lips "Yes, Sir. The discipline and focus required to make good things happen."

  "Well, something got through to Dr. Owens."

  "How so?"

  He glanced at the computer screen one more time before turning back to me. "Dr. Owens’ message informs me that he received an outstanding report from his team member Joel Buckley. He said that it sounded like you couldn't have chosen a better option for your summer at this stage in your career development. And he is writing to present a third option for our future.“

  I blushed as I listened to the praise. “Third option?”

  Sir looked back at the computer screen. He pointed at the message. “He goes on to say that his email message should be considered a formal invitation for me to come to your campus this fall as a guest lecturer in English literature. He says that he realizes the compensation offered may be well below my expectations, but he believes my presence would be of tremendous educational benefit for you and your fellow students. He says that the legal invitation will follow in a few days via snail mail.“

  My mouth fell open. Dr. Owens asked Sir to come north with me. It was an option three. It was an alternative to going home alone or abandoning my coursework to stay in the Florida Keys. I struggled mightily to figure out something adequate to say. I thought of only one thing. "That's very kind of him to ask.”

  Sir shook his head. "I don't think he's doing it out of kindness."

  I tilted my head to the right. "Would you like to do something like that?"

  Sir shrugged. “I’ve never done anything like that. I was a fairly mediocre student, but this sounds like an adventure. As you know by now, I didn’t go to graduate school, and I've certainly never taught a college course, but you’ve done that, correct?”

  I nodded. "Yes, I teach freshman seminars."

  "Would my boy be up for giving me a few pointers?"

  Laughing, I said, "Oh, I think I could manage that." I choked up. “Are you saying you would come north with me? It gets cold up there, and there’s snow. Do you think they can pay you enough?"

  He shook his head. "Joel, I don't need any money, but, I think I need you."

  Sir's phone rang again. He glanced at me with a quick smile whispering, "Good things come in threes. That’s what they always say.“ He pulled the phone out of his pocket and answered.

  I held my breath.

  "Hank! It's great to hear your voice! I hope the morning is treating you and your boy well!"

  I heard only Sir's side of the conversation, but his smile kept growing bigger and bigger. The call had to be good news. He nodded and said things like, "That sounds good," and, "I understand," and, "Excellent!"

  After saying, "You're an absolute gem Mr. Effington!" Sir hung up the phone.

  I rose up off my ankles and stared at Sir’s dazzling white smile. “And so?”

  “We're off the hook my boy! The Marathon cartel is officially smashed. The bomb exploded directly on target with zero collateral damage." He held up his hands for a high five.

  I slapped Sir's hands and reached forward to wrap my arms tight around his right leg resting my head in his lap. "It's a perfect morning. Nothing could be any better."

  He reached out and lifted my chin with his fingers. "I know one thing that could make it even better.”

  "Sir?"

  "See if you can catch me!" He bolted out of the chair and raced through the house, out the door and down to the beach. I followed as quickly as I could. He dove into the water with a triumphant splash twenty-five yards ahead of me. As I caught up, he turned to face me treading water. "Come on my boy! Can't you keep up with an old man?"

  He reached out his hands and playfully dunked my head under water. I came up flailing and gasping then splashed water at him. Soon we were wrestling and horsing around filled with infectious joy inspired by the three messages we received. Sir wrapped his arms tightly around me until we both calmed down. “Is this a perfect day or what?”

  I stared into his deep, brown eyes. "Every day with you is perfection.”

  He fixed his gaze on me. "And who do you belong to, my boy?"

  I listened to myself as I said the words in a bold and brave tone. "I'm yours! I belong to you!"

  He wrapped a hand around the back of my head pulling me closer until our lips met. I parted mine to let his tongue slip inside. A surge of warmth and excitement flowed through my body. My perfect summer was going to stretch into the fall.

  Sir shared more details of Stark's encounter with Rita's father. Stark called from an anonymous cell phone, but he had so many details that the Elliots were overwhelmed. Stark knew the identity of the dead man, the location of the body, and the date, time and location of the conversation about the murder. To top it all off, he played a recording of the conversation over the cell phone. Rita's father asked if his group could have some time to think over Hank's demands. Stark gave them 18 hours.

  Rita's father admitted to manufacturing the new evidence about her disappearance, and he pledged that Cal would drop all charges. Two hours after we returned to the house from our swim, the sheriff’s department called. They were happy to report to us that all the charges against me were dropped based on a lack of eyewitness testimony. No one was willing to speak out in court against me. They wanted to thank us for exemplary cooperative behav
ior and wanted to make sure that we knew they were there to serve the entire community including us.

  Sir hung up the phone and said, "We need to have a celebration!"

  "Celebrating the fact that I'm not a criminal?"

  He laughed. "That's only one small part of it. We need to celebrate this summer and our fantastic friends. We need to celebrate the continuation of our life together.”

  "How do you propose we do that?”

  "I think we'll have a small, intimate cookout right here on the island."

  "Rita and Hank?"

  He nodded. "And Sam, and...what was his name, Sterling?" Sir laughed again. "I"m still trying to process the idea of Rita with a man named Sterling. I must see him for myself."

  I grinned. "He must be something else to impress Rita.“

  "This is your project for the rest of the day. Put together the plans, come up with a date, and draft messages for invitations. You will have a completed plan for me by…4:00 p.m.?”

  "Done Sir. You don’t need to ask twice.”

  16

  Epilogue - Summer’s End

  I scheduled our celebratory party for ten days before the end of my summer adventure. Sir insisted that I take charge of all of the food and the timing of the party. It gave me two solid weeks to practice my cooking. I made a few mistakes along the way. We endured flat biscuits, overcooked, tough steaks, and baked potatoes with hard centers, but most of my dishes were successful.

  As I learned more, our breakfasts became more elaborate than the usual scrambled eggs and bacon or biscuits with gravy. I whipped together frittatas, eggs Benedict, and delicate, sweet coffee cakes. I prepared light salads for lunch and grilled everything from red snapper to marinated pork chops for dinner. The day before the party Sir declared my cooking lessons a success. I led a grocery shopping expedition to prepare for the party.

  Sir also made progress on his new book. His lead character was a bookish young man who reluctantly gets drawn into a murder mystery after overhearing a conversation in the stacks of the university library. As he found out more about the crime, the plot grew more complicated. The evil mastermind of the book had additional nefarious plans beyond a simple murder. He was dead set on wreaking havoc for the entire university. The hero did get tied up, and it gave us an excuse to play around a few more times with rope. Sir declared our research a success, too.

  We requested that Hank and Sam arrive early, approximately 2:00 p.m. on the day of the party. That gave Sam the opportunity to help me out with food preparation. I also practiced mixing cocktails. Sam and I helped Sir and Hank settle in with tall mojitos before getting to work on the dinner preparations.

  While we worked, Sam and I discussed the good fortune of Sir's guest lecturer appointment. He also expressed some disappointment about us leaving the Florida Keys. I explained that I didn't expect it to be forever, and the Keys would remain our getaway spot. Money was little concern for Sir which meant Key West was just a connecting plane flight away.

  I said, “The two of you could come north, too. I’d love to show you Lake Michigan, and you could see the fall leaves.”

  “You know, I’ve never seen hillsides full of colored leaves in the fall in real life before. I’ve seen photos and movies and TV. That would be fun. Getting Master to travel isn’t the easiest thing, but maybe Sir Tom can do it.”

  About ninety minutes after Hank and Sam arrived, we finished with all of the necessary food prep. We didn't need to do more until Rita's arrival. That’s when the cooking would begin. Sam and I joined his Master and my Sir quietly kneeling on cushions placed on the deck beside them. Sir ran his fingers through my hair and whispered, “One more haircut in the chair before we leave."

  Hank raked his fingers through Sam's spiky blond hair. "Tom, you and Joel will be missed down here in the Keys. Do you promise to make regular visits?"

  Sir raised his arms and placed his hands behind his head. "No need for worrying, Hank. In fact, Joel and I might even consider locating here permanently once he finishes his education. He wants to take his own plunge into writing fiction. If it doesn’t pan out, there’s always the option of teaching at the community college in Key West."

  "Well, let me be the first to say you are both valued additions to the cultural fabric of the Florida Keys. We will permit your temporary exit, but I'm not certain we will allow a permanent relocation."

  A familiar voice pierced the brief silence following Hank’s comment. ”May we join the party? I want you all to meet Sterling!"

  Rita wore a pale orange sundress complimenting her tan skin. Sterling was not at all what I expected. He was every ounce as handsome as Rita’s bubbly enthusiasm suggested. He was at least as tall as Sir but stockier. The additional bulk was not fat. His biceps bulged pulling his turquoise polo shirt tight. He wore khaki walking shorts that barely concealed thick, muscular thighs. Sterling was only slightly less muscular than a professional bodybuilder.

  Sir stood and walked up to Sterling offering his hand. “I want you to know the advance notices were very positive."

  A deep bass voice answered, "Oh, that's good to know." He glanced at Rita. "You can never know for sure with Rita. She keeps me on my toes."

  Rita wrapped both hands around Sterling's thick bicep. "And the toes are as perfect as the rest of him. I’ve inspected every inch.“

  Sir waved his hand at me. “I want you to meet my boy, Joel Buckley. He has made this summer one of joy and wonder for me."

  I blushed and offered my hand to Sterling for a shake. The grip from his big, beefy paw was solid but gentle. "Great to meet you, Sterling!"

  Sir gestured to the other guests. "And this is our good friend Hank Effington and his boy, Sam." They both offered their hands in turn. "Come have a seat. Rita, find yourself a place, too, unless you want to sit in his lap. I understand that Joel and Sam will have dinner ready to serve within the hour. They could bring you a cocktail in the meantime. He nodded his head toward the kitchen. Sam and I took the hint and scrambled for the kitchen.

  As we prepared dinner, Sam told me that he had not left the Florida Keys since his trip to Mexico with Hank. He was very intrigued by the idea of traveling north. He said, “Maybe we could go to Chicago, too. The Mexico trip was one of the best times of my life.” I gave him a hug telling Sam they were welcome at any time.

  Dinner was a success. Sir led champagne toasts and made special mentions of me, Sterling, and Hank. He lauded Hank’s talents at “problem-solving.” We all drank heartily and enjoyed grilled grouper as our main course. I ate slowly because I couldn't stop myself from continually glancing around the table and realizing I’d known none of the people at dinner just three months ago. They were already family to me. I basked in the atmosphere of warmth and support.

  After slices of key lime pie for dessert, Sam and I gathered up the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. We boxed up the leftovers and tucked them into the refrigerator. After asking for permission from Sir and Hank, we headed to the beach for a moonlight swim. Sam said that he’d not been swimming anywhere but his Master's pool for months. He floated on his back and stared up at the moon and stars sprinkled across the dark sky.

  After Sam spent several minutes staring up at the constellations, he asked the question that was foremost in my mind. "Joel, after spending the summer bound to Tom, do you think you can ever go back? Has it changed you?“

  I paddled my hands gently treading water. "I still have to answer that question with, 'I don't know,' but what I do know is that I don't want to. I’ve never felt more at home than I am in Sir’s arms.“

  "A most diplomatic response, Joel."

  We filled the final ten days with preparations to help the house withstand storms during hurricane season. Sir explained that it would be obliterated if there was a direct hit, but the chances of that were slim. Instead, the little house was more likely to be faced with tropical storms bringing torrential rain and fierce but not catastrophic wind. He expected a few coconut dents when we ret
urned. We boarded up all of the windows before leaving and stored furniture in the shed to stop it from blowing around. Our final night we fell into bed together exhausted but pleased knowing the island was fully prepared to withstand our absence.

  For the final ten days, we ate each dinner at a different bar or restaurant in Marathon or on Big Pine Key. Sir said many goodbyes, but he insisted to everyone that his absence would only be temporary. The Florida Keys were his spiritual home.

  Sir parked his Mazda Miata at the home of a friend in Marathon, and we climbed into their van for a trip to the Miami airport. I held Sir's hand and smiled to myself when I thought about how much I’d dreaded the moment only a month ago. I expected a return to Miami would mean flying home alone. Instead, my chest swelled with pride about the beginning of the next steps forward in my new life with the bestselling author Thomas Albertson at my side.

  Thank you for reading My Summer! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  If you can’t get enough of Joel and Tom, you can receive a free bonus chapter of the book just for signing up for my newsletter. As part of my mailing list, you will never receive spam, just notices about upcoming books, brand new releases, free stories, and recommendations of other great gay romance books to read. Just click the link below.

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