Caregiver
Rick R. Reed
Gay Fiction
Re-Release Date: 12.01.19
BLURB
Winner of the 2013 EPIC eBook Award for Best Contemporary Romance
It’s 1991, and Dan Calzolaio has just moved to Florida with his lover, Mark, having fled Chicago and Mark’s addictions to begin a new life on the Gulf Coast. Volunteering for the Tampa AIDS Alliance is just one part of that new beginning, and that’s how Dan meets his new buddy, Adam.
Adam Schmidt is not at all what Dan expected. The guy is an original – witty, wry, and sarcastic with a fondness for a smart black dress, Barbra Streisand, and a good mai tai. Adam doesn’t let his imminent death get him down, even through a downward spiral that sees him thrown in jail.
Each step of Adam’s journey teaches Dan new lessons about strength and resilience, but it’s Adam’s lover, Sullivan, to whom Dan feels an almost irresistible pull. Dan knows the attraction isn’t right, even after he dumps his cheating, drug-abusing boyfriend. But then Adam passes away, and it leaves Sullivan and Dan both alone to see if they can turn their love for Adam into something whole and real for each other.
CAREGIVER BUY LINKS
Dearest Dan, my sweet “buddy”,
I wanted to write to you while I still felt well enough to hold a pen. Yes, I think I’m getting sick again. I feel all the same rumblings I felt the other times I came down with pneumonia—the cough, the ache in my chest, the fever at night. It’s like a monster waiting just outside my door.
Only this time, strangely enough, I feel as though Mr. Monster really means business and plans to kick some serious ass.
Que sera, sera, as my heroine, Doris Day, used to sing. I love that quote I once heard about Miss Day, ‘I knew her before she was a virgin’. Hah! But I digress.
I wanted to write and ask a favor of you.
Now, don’t go getting all weepy and sentimental on me. I know I’ll probably weather this storm and come out smelling like the prison daisy I have become, stronger to thwart another rape attempt in the showers. If only! No one here wants to touch “Spot” for fear of contamination.
I know, my humor is too dark for a sweet boy like you. Hell, it’s too dark for most of the boys I knew on the outside, which is why Sullivan was the only one who ever bothered to stick around. He was the sole man who could stand me.
Which brings me to my favor….
Just in case the AIDS monster does get me this time, I wanted to ask you to look out for Sullivan. I know, from what little time we had together, you’re good at caring for other people… and Sullivan needs someone to care for him. He’s not as tough and butch as he first appears.
He keeps it all bottled up inside—any pain, anger, frustration…. They all just eat away at him. He’s made suffering in silence into an art form.
So, if something does happen to me—God forbid—would you check in on my man? Make sure he’s eating his meals, bathing, and having some fun once in a while? Good lord, the man had a serious absence of fun, especially when I arrived on the scene down here in Florida.
Can you do that for me, hon?
I know you can. I love you like I love my luggage.
And I am so, so tired. Gotta stop now.
I’ll write again when I can.
XXOO,
Real Men. True Love.
Rick R. Reed draws inspiration from the lives of gay men to craft stories that quicken the heartbeat, engage emotions, and keep the pages turning. Although he dabbles in horror, dark suspense, and comedy, his attention always returns to the power of love. He’s the award-winning and bestselling author of more than fifty works of published fiction and is forever at work on yet another book. Lambda Literary has called him: “A writer that doesn’t disappoint…” You can find him at www.rickrreed.com or www.rickrreedreality.blogspot.com. Rick lives in Palm Springs, CA with his beloved husband and their fierce Chihuahua/Shiba Inu mix.
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