Dinner on Friday was perfect. Sam and Toby went to Shame on the Moon, a place one of the guys at Desert Pride had recommended as elegant, casual and good. When they arrived they were greeted by a warm, friendly woman who announced herself as Ginger and escorted them to their table. No sooner were they seated than a very good-looking young waiter came over, introduced himself as Dennis and offered to take their drink orders. Sam ordered Beefeater martinis for both of them, after Toby nodded his agreement.

"This was a good choice," Toby said, looking around the room. "The concierge at the hotel recommends this place a lot."

"Well, so far I can see why." Sam picked up the card that sat in the middle of the table and welcomed them-by name. "Nice touch," he said, handing the card to Toby.

The drinks were perfect. "You know," Toby said with a smile, "I could get used to this in a hurry."

"Well, I don't know. Let's wait until we see how the food is."

The food was wonderful. It was so good, in fact, that they both had to try the desserts.

On the way out they received handshakes from Dennis and hugs from Ginger. In the car on the way home, Sam said, "That was a keeper. We'll definitely go back."

When they got to Toby's place, Toby turned in the seat and gave Sam a long kiss. "Thank you, Sam. It was a perfect evening." He didn't, however, invite Sam in.

Well, Sam thought on his way back to Desert Pride, almost perfect. He went to bed a happy-but unfulfilled-man.

The next morning, Sam went out to his house. He found the place boarded up and Bill yelling into his phone. From what he could tell, the glass company, on the other end of the phone call, had greatly overestimated their ability to fabricate the windows and glass doors Bill had ordered. A new delivery date was being hammered out. Sam left Bill to his hammering and went next door to see if he could promote a bloody Mary.

He could. Tom and Dan were on lounge chairs by the pool under an umbrella, a large pitcher of red fluid between them. Sam was made welcome and handed a drink. Tige, who had been shooed off a lounge chair so Sam could sit, promptly went over to Dan and climbed up to lie next to him.

"Haven't seen you around for a while," Tom said. "What've you been up to?"

"Not much. Except that we did have a little excitement at the complex." He went on to tell them about finding Martin's body. He found this time that telling the story was not nearly as emotional as it had been earlier. He supposed he was getting used to the telling.

"So he committed suicide," Dan said, patting Tige's head. "Why ever would he do something like that?" Tige looked up at Dan and drooled a little.

Sam shook his head. "Money, maybe. Everyone seems to think he was in some sort of financial trouble. I know he hadn't paid his Home Owner's assessment for a while, and his car wasn't running. I don't know, though; it just seems such a silly reason to kill yourself."

"That's because you have money, Sam. It's different when you're poor."

Sam shook his head. "I've been poor, and he wasn't that. Poor people can't live in Desert Pride, don't have Cadillacs they bought new and can't dress the way Martin did."

"Maybe he had it and lost it," Dan said with shrug. "Maybe he spent it all."

Sam thought for a moment. "Yeah, he did tell me once that he'd lost his job a while back. But he seemed pretty unperturbed. Said he could get a job in L.A. any time he wanted." He frowned. "I guess he could have been kidding himself. But he was in TV; TV guys can always get jobs up in L.A."

"Or maybe he got into the market," Tom said, refilling their glasses, "like Jack and Larry." He pointed towards Sam's house. "They lost a bundle in a very short time. If it hadn't been for your Harry, they would have lost their house, too. Maybe... I don't know... but maybe, for this Martin guy, suicide was preferable to whatever was going on in his life."

Sam made a mental note to see if he could find out the status of Martin's condo. Maybe he was going to lose it. Aloud he said, "I don't know, either, but something about this is bothering the hell out of me."

When he'd finished his drink, Sam excused himself, saying he thought he'd better go next door and see what Bill was up to. "He keeps working Saturdays, and I'm going to be the one with no money."

Bill greeted Sam with an easy hug. "All taken care of," he said with a grin. "We'll get our windows in a couple of weeks, along with an additional three percent discount. Now, how are you, Sam? Haven't seen you around for a while."

Sam shrugged. He didn't particularly want to get into another discussion of Martin. "Just the usual. Hey, how come you're working on Saturday. You getting away from the wife?"

Bill laughed. "Not hardly. She's off with Alice, my youngest, shopping for God-knows-what. My boy, Davy, is working on a science project that I want to be all his, and if I was there, I'd be giving him all kinds of advice. I just ducked out while the ducking was good."

"Well, don't run the overtime up too far. We're not in that much of a hurry around here."

"That's not actually true," Bill said. "We need to get the new roof on before it gets to be too damn hot to be working up there, and there's lots to do before we can tackle the roof." He smiled, and they began walking back to their cars. "But don't worry, Sam. I'm just the contractor. I do the thinking and planning, but I don't get overtime. The guys who do what I tell 'em: they get it." He scratched his head and laughed. "Doesn't seem quite fair, does it."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, but you're the guy who gets the big bonus at the end when you pull this thing off. Think about that."

Bill nodded. "Nice to hear that, Sam. Don't think I won't hold you to it."

"That I believe. Now, why don't you get on home and annoy that kid of yours."

"Not me." He waved at a set of golf clubs in the back of his truck. "I'm gonna see what I can do on the driving range for a couple of hours. By the time I do that and have a little refreshment with the guys in the clubhouse, the shopping will be over, the project will be done, and good smells will be wafting out of the kitchen." He climbed into the truck. "See you next week?"

"No doubt," Sam said with a wave, "no doubt."

Back at Desert Pride, Sam decided he needed some exercise, so he changed into loose shorts, a tee and sandals and headed for the pool.

The day was very warm, and there were a number of guys at the pool, some of them swimming laps and all of them naked. Sam found a locker, stripped and joined the lap swimmers.

An hour later he'd had enough and went to the locker room. There was a little good natured ass-grabbing going on in the shower, but Sam didn't join in. He had seen Howard, the older guy with the very young lover, lying on a lounge chair by the pool and thought a talk with him might be instructive.

There was an empty lounge chair next to Howard that Sam stretched out on. "Hi, Howard," he said, turning to the man and offering his hand. "Sam. Sam Davis."

Howard shook his hand and nodded. "Oh yeah, Sam. I've seen you around. Didn't you buy ol' Tom Avery's place?"

Sam nodded. "I liked the condo, and it turns out that this is a great place to live."

Howard nodded. "We think so."

"That's right, you're partners with that young guy, what's his name? Duane, isn't it?"

"That's him. He had to work today, but," he looked at his watch, "he should be along pretty quick."

"What's he do that he has to work on Saturday?"

"E.R. nurse, over at Desert Regional. The hours can get pretty long, but the pay's good, and he loves the work." He grinned at Sam. "Besides, he's got lots of stamina. He's still a kid, not an old guy like us."

Sam smiled back. "He did look kind of young when we all met at that party out here."

"Twenty-five," Howard said with a nod. "Been together seven years now."

Sam did the arithmetic. "He was eighteen? There has to be a story there, right?"

"I suppose. I was his English teacher his last couple of years of high school. He waited until he was eighteen and graduated before he told me how he felt." He shrugged. "I felt the same way. I'd had an offer from College of the Desert here, so we both came. He decided to try the nursing school and found that he was a natural. So, here we are. End of story."

"And quite a story it is, too. I admire you, keeping up with a twenty-five year-old."

Howard smiled. "It's not too difficult, actually. Except for the hours he works, we live a pretty normal, routine life together. We're pretty much equals in the relationship, and that helps keep it stable. We didn't make the daddy-son mistake so many couples do, and we try to keep it very simple." He looked directly at Sam. "You ever been in a relationship with someone older or younger than you?"

"I guess I have to answer that one both yes and no." He went on to tell Howard about Harry and how he and Harry had been a couple-just not a sexual one-and how well it had worked for them.

Howard laughed. "Sex is the least of the potential problems. You'll have to ask Duane some time how we handle the sex thing." He shook his head. "No, the real problem is being equals, taking equal responsibility for things and especially for each other. It's hard, you know, when you're well along in your career and he's just starting out. Or when you make a lot more money than he does. That can really be a problem. No matter how much you love him, you can't let him feel like you're buying him."

A light went on in Sam's head, but he didn't have time to think about it, because just then Duane came up to them.

"Hi, guys," he said, giving Howard a quick kiss.

"Hi, honey. How'd it go today?"

"Not as bad as a lot of Saturdays." He shrugged. "The usual cuts, scrapes and broken bones."

"You remember Sam?"

"Oh, yeah. Hi, Sam. You bought the end condo, right? Next to Martin?"

Sam flashed a smile. "That I did."

"You like it here?" Nodding at Sam's nakedness, he answered his own question. "I guess you do. You fit right in with the rest of us. Speaking of which, if you'll excuse me, I'll go and get into the uniform of the day." He headed off to the locker room.

"Nice guy," Sam said. "Good sense of humor. You're a lucky man, Howard."

"Yeah, he makes my life pretty bright. How about you? You gonna stay single forever?"

"Not if I can help it. There's a guy I find myself very attracted to. Young guy, about Duane's age." He shrugged. "We'll see."

"You brought him around here yet?"

Sam shook his head. "Didn't want to scare him off. He's been to the condo a couple of times but not out here." He looked around at the naked men. "But I guess I will one of these days. See how he reacts."

"Good idea. Some guys, especially young guys, are kind of nervous around a bunch of naked older men."

"How'd Duane react?"

"Oh, he thought it was great. Jumped right into the big middle of it. Loves the whole concept."

Sam nodded, wondering if Toby would react the same way. He sighed, thinking he probably would. After all, he'd liked Some Guys. Then he wondered if he'd be jealous when Toby went to the showers.

When Duane came out, Sam thought again how lucky Howard was. Duane was a very handsome young man and didn't seem to be at all aware of it. Sam got up from the lounge chair as Duane approached, and said, "Here, take this. It's time for me to go in. Good talking with you, Howard."

Howard nodded. "Let's get together for dinner sometime. Get to know each other better."

Duane nodded. "That'd be fun, Sam. Howard's a fantastic cook." He glanced at Howard. "How about next Sunday? Not tomorrow, a week from."

Howard nodded. "Sam?"

"I'll be there. Thank you."

He went into the locker room to retrieve his clothes but got sidetracked and ended up spending a pleasurable half hour in the steam room.

When he got home the message light on the answering machine was flashing. It was Jay inviting him out for dinner "and stuff." Sam called him back.

"Thanks for the invitation, Jay, but I think I'd better not. I just got back from the pool and I...uh, I..."

"Oh, so Sam's been a naughty boy, has he? How many times?"

Sam had to smile at that. Jay was checking the odds on getting him off again. "Uh... a couple."

"My, my. I wish I'd been there. But I tell you what, why don't we make it for brunch tomorrow? Surely you'll be recharged by them."

Sam laughed. "I think so. I recharge pretty rapidly."

"Good. Get lots of rest tonight, and be sure you keep your hands outside the covers. I'll call you in the morning."

Sam spent the evening reading and went to bed early. He thought about what Howard had said and decided it was excellent advice. He thought back to that disastrous evening at Spencer's and cringed at the way he'd handled it. It's no wonder he reacted the way he did. You were insensitive, Sam, and stupid, he thought. You've got to do better. And soon. He fell asleep with a picture of Toby in his mind, thinking how much he liked being around him.

True to his word, Jay called at ten and said he'd be over in a half hour. When Sam asked what the dress of the day was to be, Jay replied, "It's brunch, Sam. Wear anything you want. Go naked if you like." He laughed. "Yeah, naked would be good. See you soon, Sam."

When he hung up the phone, Sam broke out in a mischievous grin. He went into the bedroom, laid out the clothes he'd wear to brunch and then stripped. When Jay rang the bell, a very naked Sam opened the door. Jay's eyes lit up.

"Care to come in for a moment?" Sam asked, gently tugging on his pubic hair. "Maybe have a drink or... something?"

Jay laughed and pushed Sam back into the room. "I think I'll have some of the 'or something,'" he said, pulling Sam by the dick over to the couch. "Sit!" He then proceeded to give Sam a world-class blow job.

It took a while-which made it all the better for Jay-because Sam couldn't seem to concentrate on it properly. When it was done, Jay rocked back on his heels and said, "Good, Sam, very good." He stood and gave Sam a quick kiss and a smile. "Now then, you going to go to brunch that way? It'll wow them at Spencer's."

Sam shook his head. "I don't think Spencer's is ready for me naked. Give me a minute, huh?"

After brunch, when they got back to Sam's place, Sam asked Jay if he wanted to come in.

"I don't think so, Sam. You seem just a bit distracted this morning, and I think maybe you need some time alone. Oh, and by the way, I'm off to Paris tomorrow, maybe for a month. I'll call when I get back, okay?"

Sam nodded, gave Jay a kiss and went inside. He was a little chagrined that Jay had noticed how he couldn't concentrate this morning. He was more bothered that he couldn't quite put his finger on why he couldn't concentrate. Jay was very talented and always before had brought Sam great pleasure. What was going on now?

Nothing came to him so he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and went to the pool to swim laps. After an hour in the water he got out, put on his shorts and went home to shower. For some reason he just wasn't in the mood for any locker-room play.

That evening Bob from Some Guys called and asked him to dinner. He said that their son Sam and his partner Harry wanted to show off their new kitchen, and Harry was going to do something wonderful with a tenderloin of beef. He also asked if Sam had a friend he wanted to bring along.

"This going to be at Sam and Harry's home? We going to wear clothes?"

Bob laughed. "Yeah, we do that sometimes. Why? You got a shy friend?"

"Um... Well, maybe. Can I let you know later this evening or tomorrow?"

"Sure. We're flexible. Is he cute?"

"Yeah, like a puppy. We just don't... ah... know each other that well yet; what can I tell you?"

"Tell us you'll bring him along. We promise not to scare him."

After he said goodbye to Bob he called Toby, who answered on the second ring. When Sam told him about the invitation, he hesitated until Sam said that the dinner was to be at Sam and Harry's, not at the resort. Then he agreed.

That night, just before going to sleep, Sam wondered about Toby's hesitation. He can't be that shy, he thought. He's been around and said he liked Some Guys. Maybe it's me; maybe he's shy about being naked around me. No, that's silly. But I asked Bob where we'd have dinner. Am I shy to be naked around him? He drifted off to sleep telling himself that he'd never been shy about being naked with anybody. Still...

On Tuesday there was a Prime Timers dinner at The Cedar Creek Inn and Sam went. He was really enjoying the group. It was becoming like an extended family where he met new relatives at every meal and mixer. So far they'd all seemed like nice guys.

When he got to the restaurant, he looked over the name tags and saw that Toby was going to be there as well. He smiled to himself and headed for the bar.

When Toby arrived, Sam was well into his drink. "Hi," he said when Toby spotted him. "I wondered if you were going to make it. Rough day at work?"

Toby just rolled his eyes. "I think I need a drink."

Sam caught the eye of one of the waiters, who came over to take orders. Toby ordered a martini, and Sam asked for one also. When the drinks came, Toby paid for both of them. Sam smiled at him and said simply, "Thank you."

When it was time for the dinner to be served, Toby took Sam to his assigned table and went over to a red-headed guy with "Zach" on his name tag. Toby whispered something in his ear.

Zach looked up at Sam and grinned. "Sure," he said to Toby. "He's hot. No wonder you want to sit with him." He got up, leaving two places together. Zach looked at Sam's name tag, saluted him with a knowing smile and went off to find the table Sam was originally assigned to.

"You must know him," Sam observed when they were seated.

"From work," Toby replied. "He's fun, and we sometimes come to these things together."

"He's also very good-looking," Sam said, wondering if that odd feeling in the pit of his stomach was jealousy. He also wondered if Toby was sleeping with Zach but decided not to go there.

Dinner was very pleasant, and the other men at the table proved to be ideal dinner partners. A couple of them still worked, and one, who was a hair stylist, had some very funny stories to tell. The evening passed quickly.

After dessert Sam mentioned the dinner on Thursday with Harry, Sam, Bob and Roger. "Yeah," Toby replied. "Sounds like fun. I've never met any of them, but I do remember Harry from the resort." He laughed. "But then, I imagine every man who's ever been to that place remembers Harry."

That little ache in the pit of his stomach was back, but Sam tried to ignore it. This is getting ridiculous, he thought. I am not the jealous type! He held Toby's chair for him and asked him if he wanted to have a nightcap in the bar.

Toby looked at his watch. "Can't. Zach's riding with me, and he goes into work even earlier than I do." He smiled and gave Sam a quick kiss. "But I'll take a rain check."

Sam hugged him and sent him and Zach on their way. He then went into the bar and joined Matt Stevens, who was entertaining several guys with stories from the Coroner's Office.

Thursday was a beautiful day, bright, sunny and almost hot. Sam spent a lot of it by the pool, reading and talking to whoever was there. He did almost an hour of laps in the afternoon, decided to shower at home and called it an afternoon. Promptly at seven, armed with several bottles of excellent wine, he and Toby pulled up in front of Harry and Sam's.

Sam introduced Toby, and there were hugs all around. Once settled in the living room with drinks, Harry excused himself to tend to something in the kitchen.

"I understand you restored this," Toby said, indicating the entire house.

"Don't be modest," Bob said to his son, Sam. "Why don't you give them the fifty-cent tour?"

"Well, if it won't bore you, sure, I'll show you around."

Sam and Toby both nodded. "It sure won't bore me," Sam said. "I'm in the process of restoring that place of mine. It'd be great to see one that's already been done."

"Oh, yeah. Pop mentioned that. Bill Flint's doing it, right?"

"He's the one. He did this place, too, didn't he?"

"Oh, yeah. He's some sort of genius magician. Expensive, but a genius magician nevertheless. Come on, I'll show you guys around."

The house was, in a word, exquisite. They were shown where the workmen had had to piece together bits of the old molding and then carve new to match. They also saw where, in the den, the workmen had taken seven coats of paint and varnish off the walls and found beautiful inlaid walnut paneling beneath.

"Did you restore the bathrooms and kitchen?" Sam asked, thinking about his own place.

The response was a laugh. "We love the old Craftsman style, but we like our comfort, too, so the answer is, no. The bathrooms and kitchen are modern and functional, but we did attempt to blend them into the house as a whole. Come on, I'll show you."

They went into the master bathroom, and Sam was blown away. The room was paneled in marble, the same color as the light-oak paneling in the den, and the sinks were set in a cabinet of the same design as the window seat in the bedroom. The shower was large enough to accommodate three or four and had shower heads everywhere.

Pointing to the shower, their host said, "Harry and I shower together, and let me tell you, the shower in our room at the resort was a tight squeeze. This is wonderful, and it even has an instant-steam unit. Come on, now. I'll show you the kitchen."

As soon as they walked into the kitchen, Toby said, "Oh, wow. This looks like a smaller version of the kitchen at the hotel!"

Harry looked up from the stove and laughed. "Yes, and if I'd had the space, we'd have the full-sized version."

The room was functional but handsome as well. The countertops were white marble with oak-colored veining. The stove had six burners: four gas and two electric. There was a real charcoal grill, two large sinks but, Sam noticed to his dismay, no dishwasher. He asked Harry about it.

"Oh, yes, we do," Harry said with a twinkle in his eye. "Right there, those four drawers. Each one is a small dishwasher." He opened one so Sam could see. Sam's only comment: "Son of a bitch, they are!"

Dinner was marvelous. They started with artichoke soufflés and ended with fruit and custard in meringue shells. In between there was tenderloin of beef with red-wine sauce, roast potatoes and spinach done with pancetta, shallots and vinegar.

After dinner, sitting in the living room with coffee and brandy, Roger asked if Sam had known the man who had committed suicide at Desert Pride. Sam admitted that he had, and, in fact, had been the one who found him.

"It was pretty awful," Sam said, "finding him like that. I can't seem to get the image of him out of my mind." He hesitated for a moment and then went on. "I also have the feeling that there's something that isn't quite right about it all."

"What's that, Sam?" Roger asked.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I've thought and thought about it, and I just can't put my finger on it. But there's something gnawing at me. It'll come to me. Don't worry; it always does."

Later, taking Toby home, Sam couldn't stop talking about Harry and Sam's house and how well it had been restored. "I sure envy them that bathroom," he said. "The kitchen's nice, too, but the bathroom..."

"You know," Toby said, turning slightly in the seat, "maybe it's time you took me out to see that house of yours. There has to be a way for you to get a bathroom like Sam and Harry's.

Sam felt a swell of happiness, but knew he had to go slowly. "How about Saturday? You could take me to lunch at Tyler's and then I could play tour guide. Only don't expect anything like Sam and Harry's."

"I know. It's a different period, a different style." He hesitated for a beat. "Okay, it's a date. Come by around eleven, and maybe we won't have to wait so long for a table at Tyler's." To put frosting on the agreement, at least in Sam's mind, Toby kissed him before getting out of the car.