Table Of ContentNot Alone | Sonja Spencer
2
Not Alone
ANDY carried his shopping basket through the narrow aisles
of the little mom-and-pop grocery store that serviced the lake
resort patrons. He walked through the small produce area,
choosing a head of lettuce, some tomatoes, and mushrooms.
The store was small, but well-stocked. Reaching the
condiment aisle, he looked for his favorite dressing. It was on
the top shelf. Fuck being short! He looked around, eyes
lighting on a tall guy dressed in the telltale blue smock
bearing the grocery store‟s name on the back. “Excuse me,
sir. I need help reaching something.”
Turning from where he was opening a box of canned
goods, Eddie left the box and offered the small, very striking,
blond man a courteous smile. “What would you like?” he
asked, glancing up to the top shelf before looking back at the
customer.
Andy reached up, shirt coming untucked as he gestured
at the spot on the top shelf. “Creamy vinaigrette.” He smiled
shyly, eyes roaming over the huge man. He had big hands
and even bigger shoulders, and he looked like a lumbering
farm boy.
Eddie blinked, just smiling at him for a few seconds,
enchanted by the elfin features before he shook himself and
reached up for the bottle the customer requested. “Here you
go,” he said, meeting bright blue eyes again and mustering
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
3
another smile. “Just let me know if I can help you with
anything else,” he said.
Andy took the bottle, startling as sparks passed between
them as their fingers touched. He lowered his eyes to a broad
chest to see a name badge that read “My name is Eddie.
Happy to be of service to you.” He looked back up again,
meeting brown eyes that matched plain brown hair.
“Actually, Eddie, I‟m new here and haven‟t met anyone. I‟ve
been lonely. Would you like to come and have dinner with
me tonight? Salad for one is depressing.”
The taller man‟s mouth dropped in surprise as he gaped
at the customer, eyes wide. “I uh… uh….” Eddie snapped his
mouth shut, still staring in shock, although he didn‟t look in
the least offended. “Uh… okay?” he answered weakly.
Andy reached out a hand, offering a greeting. “My name
is Andy Parker. I‟m in the old Tanner cabin up on the lake. I
inherited it from my uncle.” He didn‟t know why he felt the
need to spill his life‟s history.
Eddie shook Andy‟s slim hand, wrapping long fingers
around it. “I know the Tanner cabin. Nice guy. Kept to
himself but supported the local shopping.” He smiled. “Oh,
I‟m, um, Eddie.” He shrugged after looking down at the
nametag. “I was born and raised around here, but left and
only came back a few years ago.”
The warm hand that wrapped around his own gave
Andy a thrill of excitement. “I love it here,” he murmured.
“Perfect place to take some time off and forget about the rest
of the world.”
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
4
Eddie shrugged with a grin. “Or you can just stay and
let the world go on without you. It‟s a great place to settle.”
A slow, lazy smile spread across Andy‟s features. “I feel
very welcome here.” His voice was low. “But I notice… there‟s
not a lot of men here, is there?”
Both eyebrows raised, Eddie ducked a little to hear
Andy as he lowered his voice. “Oh, well, no, I suppose not.
Most of the husbands work up in the city, so you‟ll only see
them at night. The women stick around and run the resort,
the shops, and restaurants.”
Andy blushed a little, shaking his head. “No. I mean…
well, I‟m gay.” He raised worried eyes to meet Eddie‟s. “That
doesn‟t bother you, does it? I mean, this isn‟t a date or
anything. I just want a friend.”
Eddie blinked and then grinned. “No, hey, that‟s great.
We‟re real accepting here. Tim Blakeman and Rodney
Stewart lived down on Hall Street until a couple years back.
Everyone sort of got over the novelty of it. I think you‟ll be
fine,” he said easily.
Andy bit his lip nervously. “But there‟s nobody else, is
there? I‟m going to be alone here.”
Raising a shoulder, Eddie shrugged awkwardly. “I‟m
sure you‟ll have no problems making some friends. Just…
invite people for salad,” he suggested with a reassuring
smile.
Andy smiled somewhat wistfully. Friends were nice, but
now that he had finally come to a point in his life when he
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
5
wanted to settle down, there was no one to settle down with.
He realized he was still holding Eddie‟s hand, so he squeezed
it once more before pulling away. “Something tells me I‟ve
made my first friend here.”
Eddie watched Andy as he looked away almost sadly,
and he wished he could do something to see that smile
again. Oh boy. This could be… an interesting development.
“So, can I bring anything tonight?”
“Just yourself. And maybe some cheap, local wine?”
Andy joked. “I‟ll pick up a couple of steaks. I can grill them
out on the dock. There‟s a lovely table out there. When the
sun sets, it‟s….” He pressed his lips together, stopping his
inane babbling. “It‟s a nice place to eat,” he said instead.
Eddie swallowed and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“When the sun sets it‟s romantic,” he said softly.
At the tone of Eddie‟s voice, Andy asked, “I‟m not pulling
you away from a wife or a girlfriend, am I? I don‟t mean to.”
Eddie‟s smile faded a bit, and he shrugged. “No. No
girlfriend, no wife. I‟m divorced since this summer.”
Andy tilted his head to the side. “Divorced? Ah, that‟s
too bad, I guess. Any kids?”
Nodding, Eddie‟s smile returned. “Yeah. Two girls. They
stay with their mother in the city during the week and go to
school, and I have them most weekends and awhile in the
summer.”
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
6
“Girls. Lovely. I always thought that I would have liked
to have had daughters, but then, well….” Andy stopped his
chatter. “So tonight? Around seven-ish?”
“Sure. I‟ll see you then. Rosemarie is at the register up
front. She‟ll help you check out,” Eddie said as he turned to
head back to the boxes he‟d been unpacking.
Andy nodded, stepping to the end of the aisle before
turning back. “It was nice to meet you, Eddie.”
“Welcome to town. I hope you‟ll like it here,” Eddie
answered, raising a hand in a short wave.
“Me too,” Andy murmured, making his way to select
steaks and then on to the register. “Rosemarie?” he guessed.
“Can you help me check out?”
The teenager perched at the counter smiled and nodded.
“Sure. I‟m good with the register.” She popped her gum and
good-naturedly rung up Andy‟s groceries.
Andy watched, amazed as she did three things at once—
talking, chewing gum, and ringing up and packaging his
purchases. In short order, she had him checked out and
headed toward the door. His head seemed to spin at the
speed of it all. He handed her a bill. “Tip?”
Rosemarie giggled. “Thanks! That‟s very nice of you. Dad
will even let me keep it, if I really earned it and all.”
“Your dad runs the store?” Andy asked, confusion
bringing his brows close together.
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
7
The young girl nodded, ponytail bobbing.
“He‟s around here somewhere. I can go get him if you
want.”
“Nah, that‟s okay. Just tell him you really deserved it
and that I demand you be allowed to keep it.” Andy smiled at
the young, dark-haired girl.
“Great. Thanks! Hey, you‟re new here, aren‟t you?
What‟s your name? You know mine,” Rosemarie smiled
charmingly.
“I‟m Andy. I‟m living at the Tanner cabin now. If your
dad will let you, you‟re welcome to come swim. I have one of
those diving platforms out in the lake. It‟s lovely there.”
“Cool! Can I bring my sister and our friends? We‟re here
for the summer, and we love to go swimming,” Rosemarie
enthused.
“Sure, as long as your dad says it‟s okay.” Andy blushed
a little at her enthusiasm. “It‟s pretty quiet up there, so
having some people around will be great.”
“Thanks, Andy!” An older lady came up to the register
and Rosemarie waved to her. “I better go. Thanks for coming
to Ferguson‟s, Andy. Come back any time you need
groceries, okay?”
“Okay.” Andy backed out through the door, fumbling for
his key fob as he pressed the button to unlock his car. He
loaded his groceries into the back before looking back
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
8
through the plate-glass windows of the store. “Ferguson‟s.
Nice place.”
Eddie headed up front at closing time to find Rosemarie
locking up the register. “Everything okay, Rosey?”
“Yeah, Dad. Register balanced and everything. Hey, did
you meet Andy? He‟s staying at the Tanner cabin and said
we could go swimming.” Rosemarie bounced in place with
the overwhelming energy of a thirteen-year-old.
Eddie smiled and lifted a bag. “Yes, I met him, and I‟m
going to visit this evening since you and your sister will be at
Katie‟s.” He locked the door behind them as they closed the
store and then hugged Rosemarie. “Have a nice night.”
“See you tomorrow, Dad!” Rosemarie ran off down the
road and around the corner. Eddie sighed and turned to
start the walk over to the small liquor store, thinking ahead.
Andy. One look at the man threw Eddie for a loop. He shook
his head, not sure what to think. Just being close to him
made Eddie feel warm and very aware.
ANDY put the steaks on the grill, checking his watch yet
again. Still ten minutes until Eddie should be here. He
straightened the tablecloth, fluffing the daisies in the vase as
he rearranged the silverware. The salad was ready, dressing
and all on the table already. The wineglasses sparkled in the
light given off by the citronella torches surrounding the deck.
The moon was rising fat and full in the sky as the night
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
9
darkened to twilight. He cast a glance around. Fuck. This is
too romantic for a friendly dinner.
The wood creaked as Eddie walked out onto the dock,
heading to the grill and torches that were little pinpoints of
light. He could smell the steaks and his stomach growled. He
grinned as he approached. “My good luck to get asked to
dinner by a man who can cook!” he complimented as he
arrived.
“My good luck to have such a handsome dinner
companion,” Andy countered as he raised his eyes to take in
the relaxed appearance of the man who sauntered along his
dock.
Eddie chuckled and bowed, holding a wine bottle in one
hand, paper bag in the other. “Too kind. But since I brought
wine and dessert, I suppose I should deserve a little
stroking.”
Andy lifted an eyebrow. “You do remember that I am
gay. Stroking to me might imply a completely different
outcome than it would to you, Mr. Heterosexual.”
Eddie smirked and set the bottle and bag on the table.
“Let‟s just say I‟m comfortable with who I am, that I can take
a little teasing, and leave it at that, hmm?”
Andy grabbed the bag, opening it to peer inside. “Oh! I
love you! Crème brûlée!” He set the bag back down, opening
the wine and pouring them both a glass. “Steak should be
ready any time.”
Not Alone | Sonja Spencer
10
Chuckling, Eddie pulled out the bench and sat. “You‟ve
only known me six hours. Is that long enough for a
declaration of love? Man, am I behind the times!” he teased,
eyes sparkling.
Andy blushed a little as he opened the grill and flipped
the steaks a final time. “Well, the empowered gay man
doesn‟t hide his feelings. At least not according to Oprah.”
Eddie‟s laugh rang out strong over the water. “Christ.
Remind me to monitor what my girls watch on TV, okay?
Lord help me if they decide they‟re empowered.”
Sitting across from Eddie, Andy took a sip of wine. “And
just what will you do if they decide they are empowered? My
dad was surprisingly okay with my declaration that I was
gay, but I was never very overt about anything.”
Eyes growing big, Eddie winced. “Well, I hope I have at
least a few more years before we have to start having talks
about sexuality. But I suppose I‟ll be more accepting than
their mother; they‟ll need someone who will listen to their
questions.”
“How old are they?” Andy asked, picking at a thread on
the tablecloth.
Eddie took a small sip of wine. “Hmm. Thirteen and
eleven. Going on thirty,” he said as he laughed.
Andy stood to take the steaks off of the grill, handing a
plate to Eddie. “I bet they‟re lovely.”
