Lacey took the photo from Brody’s hand and said, “That’s Clyde. I would recognize him anywhere. He was handsome, wasn’t he? You know, I see a little bit of you in his face, Mr. Sexton, even though the hair is very different.”

Brody brought one of the photos of Clyde and his lover to work to share with Lacey. He took one of them both facing the camera instead of kissing. It was easier to see their facial features so Lacey could attempt to identify them. “What about the other man?” asked Brody.

She held the photo closer to her face. The second man was looking slightly downward, so it was more challenging to make a positive identification. Lacey said, “It definitely could be Wiley Tarrant. I can’t say for sure, but it’s possible. As I said, they apparently hung out a lot together, so it wouldn’t shock me that it’s him in the picture. I always heard rumors that they were both gay.”

Lacey handed the photo back, and Brody retreated to his desk chair. He asked, “Do you know where Wiley Tarrant is now? I know his family is still running Tar-Mor, but he’s not one of the top executives, is he?”

“Wiley died,” said Lacey. “I think it happened at least ten years ago. I wouldn’t have known except a cousin works at Tar-Mor. They didn’t put an obituary in the newspaper.”

“He’s dead?” asked Brody. He looked at the photo and found it hard to believe that the two men who looked so happy and pleased with their lives were both gone. “Do you know what killed him?”

She shrugged. “I don’t have any idea. He was living off in California by then. I think I heard he moved to Palm Springs.”

Brody lowered his head. “I’ve got a good guess about it.”

Lacey, “Yep, there were plenty of rumors about that, too.”

“Maybe that’s why my mom didn’t tell me. It’s such a sad story. It would have torn her apart. She was so sensitive when bad things happened to people. Still, I wish I would have known I wasn’t alone in the family.”

“Would it have made a difference?” asked Lacey.

Brody shook his head and said, “I don’t know. I just wish she didn’t have to hide what was in her heart.”

---

When Brody arrived home from work, the house felt like home. Somewhere in the previous twenty-four hours, something shifted inside. He was no longer camping out at his mom’s house. Instead, he was home. He could feel it. It was a relaxing and soothing sensation

Brody looked around and saw traces of his occupancy spread through the rooms. His towels hung on the racks in the bathroom, and his toothbrush was the only one in the holder. His mail lay scattered on the small desk just inside the front door, and his mugs were in the sink waiting for deposit in the dishwasher. Brody smiled when he saw the yearbooks from high school he’d stuffed into the bookshelf in the living room as he unpacked one of the boxes from his apartment.

He grabbed a bottle of unsweetened iced tea from the fridge in the kitchen and sat down on the sofa in the living room. Brody pointed the remote control at the TV with a smile on his face. He thought perhaps the worst of the grief was over, and he was moving into the next stage of his life.

Brody wondered how his next stage would unfold. He had a decent job. He had the potential for a boyfriend, and he had a beautiful house. Everything was in place. If he was living in one of Dak’s romance novels, he was ready for the happily ever after ending.

That’s when the phone rang. Brody didn’t recognize the number. He wasn’t sure of the location of the area code, but something inside told him that he should answer.

“Is this Brody Sexton?” asked the voice on the other end.

“Yes, who is this?”

“You don’t know me. My name is Lin Miro, and I live in Palm Springs. I heard news of your mother’s recent passing, and I send my greatest sorrow.”

Lin had an Asian accent. Brody tried to sweep through his memory to identify anyone in his mom’s inner circle who could be Lin. She often mentioned other librarians, but he didn’t remember any Asian names. His brief memory search came up empty.

“I have a big surprise for you, Mr. Sexton.”

“Big surprise?”

“Instructions from a will. I think you will be pleased.”

The story about Clyde Miller and Wiley Tarrant unfolded even further. Lin was a personal accounts manager for Wiley Tarrant. He had a sizable check to transfer to Brody, and he’d been instructed to wait until the passing of Brody’s mother.

“Why didn’t they tell me before she died?” asked Brody.

“I don’t know the personal circumstances. This is the last matter in Mr. Tarrant’s will to be settled. His instructions were to forward the final disbursement from his will to you in honor of your mother Sylvia Sexton. If you can share the required information, I will transfer the check to your bank account tomorrow, Mr. Sexton.”

It took only five minutes, and Brody found out that he had $100,000 more to his name. After he hung up from the phone call, he stared dumbfounded into the distance.

It felt like the world had rained good fortune from the moment his mother passed away. The juxtaposition tore a new wound in his gut. He wondered why his mother had to die for the events to unfold. He wanted to ask her more about Clyde Miller and Wiley Tarrant. Why did they hold money in limbo until she was gone? Brody tried to lose himself in programs on TV.

At 11:00 p.m., he turned out the lights in the living room and trudged off to bed. As soon as the light came on in the bedroom, the wedding band gleamed gold on the dresser. Brody blinked hard before opening the dresser drawer and sweeping the ring into it. Closing the drawer, he willed all of the mystery to go away. He didn’t want to live in the mystery books of his childhood. Life was good, and he decided that he didn’t need to know why.

---

Brody woke up an hour early the next morning. He planned for time to accomplish a small task before heading off to work. Pulling out his laptop computer, he navigated over to the Facebook app and pulled up Dak’s personal profile.

The information included was sparse. Dak didn’t spend much time documenting his everyday life for the world to see. However, he did post a small set of excellent photos of himself.

Brody searched through the choices and narrowed it down to three. Finally, he selected one, and he printed it out. By the time he finished the task, Brody had to rush through his morning shower and smear butter on a bagel before rushing out the door.

Lacey looked up when Brody dashed into the office, and she said, “You made it with a minute to spare.”

Catching his breath, Brody asked, “Did you find one of those frames I asked about?”

Lacey pulled a small black lacquered photo frame out of her desk drawer and handed it to him. “This looked like a good match for what you requested.”

Brody grinned. “Yes, it does. Thank you.” He sat at his desk and pulled out the image he printed at home. The quality was lacking compared to a real photo, but it was clearly Dak in the photo, and that’s what mattered.

With scissors from his desk drawer, Brody trimmed the sheet of paper so the picture would fit the frame. He slipped it inside and smiled at his handiwork.

Brody held the photo up for Lacey to see. She said, “There’s the lucky man! He’s very handsome. You’ve known him for a long time, right?”

“A very long time,” said Brody. “We’ve been friends since we were kids.”

“Oh, that’s very sweet,” said Lacey. She reached for the photo and said, “Let me try something.”

Brody handed it over. “What are you going to do with it?”

“Nothing. Just a quick check.” Lacey instructed him to squat down slightly, and she held the photo of Dak up beside Brody’s face. Nodding, she proclaimed, “The perfect couple. Here, hold on to the picture while I get my phone out.”

“Your phone?” asked Brody as he held onto the image of Dak.

“Yes. I want a picture of this. I’ll share it with you, too. Where’d you say Dak is?

“Somewhere near New Orleans,” said Brody. “He works on a boat in the river.”

“Then you can email it.” She instructed Brody to smile and snapped the photo. He grinned when he saw the results.

“Dak’s gonna love it. Thank you, Lacey.”

“My pleasure, Mr. Sexton, and I’m very very happy for you. The two of you look like a perfect match. When does he get home?”

“Just over two weeks.”

“And you’re taking a few days off?”

“I hadn’t really thought…” said Brody.

“We can run the store. You need to be with Dak. Go to the Twin Cities or maybe spend a few days in Galena. Get away and enjoy yourself.”

Brody beamed. He decided that he would follow Lacey’s suggestion. He pulled out his personal calendar and added two days off next to Dak’s date for returning home.