CHAPTER 150

I don’t remember having a better day in my entire life. After our embrace, we walked along the beach holding hands, splashing water, and acting silly. For such a big serious guy, Joel had a soft and fun side too. I appreciated the fact that I didn’t catch him staring at my chest again. I don’t think I was quite so respectful. I suffered from a serious muscle fetish.

I awoke well rested on Monday. I called Charlie, who’d sent me a text the day before reminding me to visit the newspaper. It was a quick drive and I was there by nine. The building was larger than I expected, and a small thrill passed through me at the thought of owning a newspaper. The front had floor-to-ceiling glass windows with a large desk just inside. There was a bell, which I didn’t ring because I got caught up in the photography on the walls. Most were rugby players and holy hell there were a lot.

They were eight-by-ten autographed collectibles like Charlie told me. I recognized many of the players—action shots, st