Free The Ghost and Mr. Moore by Ryan Field

muscular legs were covered
     
with more hair. He wasn’t fat, but he had love handles forming, a slight paunch, and the
     
beginning signs of middle-age man-breasts.
     
“It’s nice to meet you, Dexter,” Elliot said. “I’ve been living here year round for
     
the past five years. I moved up from New York and opened a shop after my lover of ten
     
years died. He had cancer, not AIDS.”
     
Dexter’s eyebrows went up and his head jerked back. Elliot’s voice sounded
     
defensive.
     
When he saw the surprised expression on Dexter’s face, Elliot lowered his head
     
and smiled. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That didn’t come out right. It’s just that when people
     
hear that a gay man in his thirties died, they automatically assume that it was AIDS. I
     
hate stereotypes. My partner had leukemia, and he suffered for a long time.” Then he
     
squared his shoulders and looked into Dexter’s eyes. Dexter shrugged his shoulders. “I understand,” he said. “Sorry to hear about your
     
partner. It must have been hard. I was with the same guy for ten years and he left me.” He
     
reached for his beach towel and asked, “Do you mind if I park here?”
     
Elliot patted the sand. “Have a seat,” he said. “I hate sitting on the beach alone. I
     
get bored.”
     
They sat together for the rest of the afternoon. Elliot told Dexter he owned a
     
men’s clothing store in the middle of town, on Commercial Street, called Naughty,
     
Trendy Bad Boiz. It was one of those shops that catered to young gay men with great
     
bodies and more attitude than money. It was stocked with expensive low-rise jeans,
     
trendy T-shirts, and funky designer shoes. Elliot said he rarely went to the beach during
     
the summer season, and he loved it when September rolled around and he had some free
     
time to just sit and relax. When Dexter told Elliot about his past and his famous role on
     
the TV sitcom, Elliot pressed his palm to his mouth and said he knew there was
     
something familiar about Dexter. But Elliot was more impressed by the fact that Dexter
     
had adopted a child and that he was raising her alone now. Elliot had always wanted a
     
child, but he’d always been apprehensive about going through with it.
     
When Dexter told Elliot that he was living in Keel Cottage, Elliot laughed and
     
said, “Ah well, you’re the guy who bought the haunted house. Everyone in town’s been
     
dying of curiosity about you. Provincetown is a very small town, and everyone knows
     
everything. From what I’ve heard, the previous owners left that house screaming.”
     
Dexter laughed. “Well, everyone in town will be disappointed to know I haven’t
     
seen any mean ghosts yet. Actually, I fall in love with the house more each day. I thought
     
the transition from Hollywood to Cape Cod would be hard. But it hasn’t been. I feel like I’ve lived in Keel Cottage all my life.” He wasn’t lying. There weren’t any mean ghosts,
     
just the attractive ghost of a sea captain who looked like Hugh Jackman and fucked like a
     
porn star.
     
“You don’t have to explain it to me,” Elliot said. “I don’t believe in ghosts. But
     
people love these urban legends.”
     
Dexter sighed. “Lately I’ve been wishing there was a mean ghost.”
     
“Why?”
     
“In two weeks there is going to be a film crew at my doorstep,” Dexter said.
     
“Hollywood is coming to Provincetown to shoot a reality show with me. I’m worried that
     
it’s going to be very dull. I haven’t worked in years, and I live with my daughter and a
     
housekeeper. Who on earth is going to want to watch a reality TV show like that?” He
     
didn’t mention he needed the money. He didn’t know Elliot well enough yet.
     
Elliot lowered his eyebrows and thought for a moment. “You know,” he said. “I
     
have an idea that might help you and me both. Are you willing to get involved in some
     
community service