pretty enough to be in a book.”
When Brighton said the word “book,” Captain Lang bolted from the wicker chair
and shouted, “I’ve got it, Dexter. I know how you can make a living without leaving Keel
Cottage.”
Dexter looked at him and smiled. But he didn’t say anything. He went back to
taping the cardboard box.
Captain Lang pressed his palms together and rubbed them back and forth. “I have
hundreds of stories to tell about my adventures at sea and the places I’ve been. I’ve been
promising to tell you about them anyway, but we haven’t had a chance. Stories that no
one else could ever tell except me. I wanted to retire and write about them when I was
alive. But I died before I could.” He crossed the porch and stood next to Dexter. He
placed his palm on the small of Dexter’s back and said, “You’re going to write a book.”
Dexter looked up. “I’m going to write a book?” He said it out loud.
Marion was removing corn husk garland from the railing. She stopped moving
and stared at Dexter. Kellan and Paige moved closer with the camera to see what Dexter
was going to say next.
Dexter just stood there staring at them. His knees felt weak; he gulped a few times.
Then Jesse walked toward him, tilted his head, and said, “Well, what kind of book
are you going to write?”
Dexter looked at Captain Lang. Lang smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “You’d
better tell them. They’ll think you’ve lost your mind if you don’t say something.” Dexter gave him a look. Then he turned to the others and said, “I’m thinking
about writing a book about the man who built this house. His name was Captain Lang.
I’ll make it fiction, of course, and I’ll write about all his adventures.” Dexter looked at
Lang and raised an eyebrow. “I have a feeling that a man as good looking as Captain
Lang left many broken hearts on his travels around the world.”
Marion smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful idea, Mr. Moore. I’d read a book like
that.”
Brighton placed a neatly rolled ball of Halloween lights in a box and said,
“Sounds good to me, Dad.”
“I’m really just thinking about it,” Dexter said. “I haven’t made up my mind yet.”
Captain Lang waved his arm. “Of course you’ll do it. I have stories to tell and you
need money.”
Dexter clenched his fists. He didn’t like being forced into anything. He wasn’t
even sure he knew how to write a book. He’d always been an avid reader and he
devoured books. But writing them was something else. He looked at Captain Lang and
asked, “How will I get this published?”
Jesse lifted his arm and pointed. He thought Dexter was talking to him. “I know
the senior editor at a very large publishing house,” he said. “I’ll hook you up with him.”
“You have to talk to my agent in Hollywood first,” Dexter said. “I’m sure he
knows a literary agent who can represent me.” Dexter had been with his agent for a long
time. He never made a professional move without him and he liked to play by the rules.
Captain Lang smiled and patted Dexter on the ass. “See?” he said. “It’s meant to
be.” Then Lang tried to slide his hand down Dexter’s pants in front of everyone. But
Dexter stepped back fast and crossed to the other side of the porch with a huge smile on
his face. Captain Lang pressed his lips together and walked down to where Jesse was
standing on the lawn. He looked Jesse up and down, and gave him a small pat on the ass.
Jesse’s body jerked forward and he turned fast to see if anyone was behind him.
Dexter leaned over the porch rail and asked, “What’s wrong, Jesse?” He’d seen what
Captain Lang had done.
Jesse rubbed his eyes and shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “I’m fine.”
But he didn’t look fine. His face grew pale and his eyebrows furrowed. And for
the rest of the day he kept looking behind his back to see if anyone was there.
Chapter Fourteen
A couple of weeks before the special meeting that would decide whether or not
the town would continue with the Memorial Day fundraiser, Dexter did an in-depth
interview with a popular magazine. It was the kind of magazine that focused on pop
culture and entertainment, which was perfect exposure for someone like Dexter. His old
TV show had just started coming out again in reruns on a cable channel. The new reality
show would air soon. Jesse Barlow had arranged the magazine interview to promote the
reality show. But Dexter wanted to take advantage of the publicity to get more local
people involved in his cause. His efforts with the Internet and handing out fliers had
reached some, but he knew there were plenty more he needed to reach if he was going to
sway the Board of Selectmen.
The timing was perfect. The magazine hit all the newsstands a week before the
meeting and everyone in town started talking about it. Some people had to drive all the
way to Chatham to get a copy because all the copies in Provincetown sold out fast.
People stopped Dexter in the street and thanked him for working so hard on something so
important to the community. A few people asked for his autograph. The local newspaper
interviewed him and he started receiving fan mail. He heard that the Board of Selectmen
had been inundated with phone calls and letters from residents in support of the
fundraiser.
Dexter gave the magazine an honest interview. He invited the reporter to Keel
Cottage and he spent the afternoon with him walking around Provincetown, with Kellan and Paige not far behind so they could film the interview for the TV show. Dexter was
used to having them around by then. He ignored them and told the reporter how much he
believed in the fundraiser and how hard he and the Retail Association were working to
save it. And instead of focusing on the mundane aspects of the reality show, the reporter
focused on how Dexter, a former childhood TV star, was now fighting hard in
community service for causes he believed were worthy.
The reporter also brought along a photographer. They took photos of Dexter in the
house wearing casual clothes, photos of him talking to other members of the Retail
Association, and photos of him walking around half naked on the beach. It had been a
bright, sunny day. Though the beach at Herring Cove was empty and the temperature was
only in the fifties, Dexter put on a skimpy bathing suit and posed in the sand as if it were
still summer. The beach shots had been Jesse Barlow’s suggestion. Jesse figured that if
people saw how good Dexter still looked they’d buy more magazines and his TV show
would get higher ratings when it aired. The reporter from the magazine agreed.
At first, Dexter frowned and refused to do it. He’d always had a more family
oriented image and he wanted to keep it that way. But when he looked to Captain Lang
for advice, Lang reminded him he’d be stripping down for a good cause. He frowned and
clenched his fists when he talked about Dexter posing this way, but he said the more
attention the article received, the better their chances were of saving the fundraiser.
So Dexter agreed, with reservations, and put on a sheer bathing suit so skimpy it
almost looked like a thong. If he hadn’t shaved his pubic hair, it would have been
exposed. His genitalia busted out of the fabric; the ring around the head of his penis was
more than evident. Jesse supplied the bathing suit. When he handed it to Dexter, Dexter’s jaw
dropped. When he put it on in the car while everyone waited, he almost didn’t come out
of the car. He had to walk slowly across the beach to keep his balls from falling out, and
the back kept riding up his round ass and getting stuck in the crack. At one point, while
they were on the beach taking the photos, Jesse pointed to Dexter’s crotch and smiled.
Dexter looked down and saw that the head of his penis was falling out of the side. He
gave Jesse a look and packed his dick back into the bathing suit, wishing he’d never
agreed to pose this way at all.
But it worked. His sexy beach photos made the cover of the magazine that week
and his story was featured in the centerfold, with more beach photos. The photographer
managed to miss getting full frontal shots, and it didn’t come off looking as obscene as it
could have.
A day after the magazine hit the stands the article was mentioned on several
national television shows. Anderson Cooper talked about it on his show. Bill O’Reilly, of
all people, called Dexter a “patriot” on his “Pinheads and Patriots” segment because
Dexter was working so hard for a good cause. And David Letterman devoted his Top Ten
list to Dexter one night, poking fun at Dexter’s beach photos. Provincetown’s small fight
over Memorial Day suddenly became a national topic. Evidently, even though Dexter
hadn’t been in the public eye for a long time, the public hadn’t forgotten about him.
The exposure only lasted a few days, and the national media moved on to other
things. But it lasted long enough for Dexter to stand before the Provincetown Board of
Selectmen and state his case once again. This time his hands didn’t shake and his knees
didn’t feel weak. He spoke with a clear, well-trained voice and everyone listened. Dexter’s side of the room was jammed with new supporters who wanted to save the
Memorial Day fundraiser. Fred and the Chamber of Commerce sat on the other side of
the room with wide eyes and sunken expressions. The first meeting had been well
balanced, with just as many people in favor of the fundraiser as against it. But that night
Dexter’s side of the room outnumbered Fred’s side of the room by three to one. Fred kept
biting his bottom lip and fidgeting with papers on his lap. The Board of Selectmen stared
into the crowd and murmured things to each other.
The majority of residents shouted praise and support for Dexter and the Retail
Association. The Board of Selectmen sat quietly, giving each other knowing looks,
waiting for the Chamber of Commerce to offer a viable rebuttal.
When it was finally time for the chamber to reply, Fred stood up and smiled. But
the audience booed and jeered. Arms waved and people stood up on chairs shouting
against his proposed plan to end the fundraiser. Fred’s face turned red and his hands
started to shake. He leaned over, said something to one of the restaurant owners, and then
stood up again with his arms in the air. The Board of Selectmen had to bang the gavel to
quiet the booing crowd so Fred could speak.
When there was silence, Fred took a deep breath and smiled. He looked around
the room and said, “While the Chamber of Commerce thought it was doing something
good for the town by offering an Arts and Crafts Festival on Memorial Day weekend, we
now see that it’s probably best to leave the traditional fundraiser intact, and switch the
Arts and Crafts Festival to another weekend.” He smiled at the crowd, then he smiled at
the Board of Selectmen. “We
love
the Memorial Day fundraiser. We really do. And after
seeing how much everyone else in town loves it, we’d like to ask the board if we can have the Arts and Crafts Festival sometime in the fall. We’ll go back and prepare a
specific proposal, and then we’ll present it to the board in a few weeks.”
The crowd roared with applause. Fred smiled and thanked them for their support.
Dexter was sitting beside Elliot, watching everyone praise Fred and the Chamber
of Commerce. He leaned in and whispered, “I don’t know how he did it, but Fred just
became a hero and he was the one who wanted to end the fundraiser in the first place.”
Then he shook his head and smiled. “I feel like all this work was for nothing now that the
chamber is agreeing with us. I wanted to win. I didn’t expect them to concede so easily.”
Elliot laughed. “Fred always knows how to come out of a bad situation smelling
like bay rum on a hot summer night. He’s made it an art. And trust me, this wasn’t all for
nothing. If you hadn’t worked this hard to defeat them, they never would have changed
their minds.”
Dexter sighed. “Ah well,” he said. “At least the matter is over, the fundraiser is
still a town tradition, and everyone’s happy.”
When the meeting was adjourned, Dexter ran into Fred and Steve out in the
parking lot. At first, Dexter stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets. But Fred
walked over to him and said, “I’m so glad this is all settled. And I’m glad about how it all
turned out.” Then he put his arms around Dexter, hugged him, and said, “We
love
you.