by Jade Astor
“Hey, bro. You’ve been away too long.”
Maybe not long enough, Argo’s look seemed to say. Ignoring him, Warren turned to Darian.
“You’re from Florida, Maddy says. Better get used to that northern wind. It’ll get a lot worse before it gets better.”
Darian marveled that Argo had related his whole biography to his sister. “I’ll do my best.”
“How’s Brittany?” Argo asked.
Warren fiddled with the grill’s controls. “Fine. Busy with college.”
“Does she like the city?” Darian asked.
“She’s been there before,” Warren said with a shrug. “School trips and stuff.”
“Sure.” Darian noticed that Warren hadn’t actually answered his question. “Makes sense.”
“She can get better music instruction there than she could at any of the smaller colleges around here,” Maddy said, rejoining them with an armload of disposable picnicware. She turned to Darian. “Do you eat hamburgers and hot dogs or are you vegetarian? Argo didn’t say and I didn’t think of it until just now.”
“Luckily, I’m carnivorous. Or maybe omnivorous would be a better way to put it,” Darian said. He noticed Warren rolling his eyes. “In other words, hamburgers sound great. Thanks for going to all this trouble. Is there anything Argo and I can do to help?”
“Nope. Just go over to the table and I’ll call you when it’s ready.” After unwrapping the meat, Warren set grimly to work. Abandoning the chitchat, Darian accompanied Argo and Maddy over to the patio table, where she had spread out various condiments, plastic bags of buns, and potato chips. Argo was already munching on the chips.
Maddy looked as though she was groping for words. Finally she blurted, “I’ve made up the guest room for the two of you. I hope that’s all right.”
“Not necessary,” Argo said. “There are a couple of motels off the highway ramp. When we’re done in the attic, we can backtrack and check into one of them later this afternoon.”
“You most certainly will not,” Maddy said. Darian assumed Warren could hear them, but he didn’t look up from his cooking. “I haven’t seen you in so long. I want us to spend time together. Warren agrees with me. Don’t you, honey?”
Warren grunted in response.
Argo ignored him. “It’s good to see you too, Maddy.”
“I was surprised you wanted to talk to about Uncle Rod after all this time.”
“Same here,” Warren called. Maddy twisted in her chair and called across the deck to her husband.
“Do you remember that weekend we visited Uncle Rod and watched the rugby game? It was some kind of parents’ event and they had a big outdoor feast and booths like you’d find at a carnival. You won me a stuffed unicorn in a dart-throwing game.” She smiled at Darian and Argo. “I still have it on the shelf upstairs.”
Warren lifted his head. “I remember.” For the first time Darian saw warmth spread across his face. Just as quickly, it faded. “That was about the only pleasant part of that visit. I also remember the way your uncle talked to me, like I wasn’t good enough to walk on the sacred grass of Birchwood. Remind me again what’s so great about that place. When you get right down to it, it’s just a fancy high school for kids whose parents have too much money for their own good.”
“Darian teaches there, you know,” Maddy chided.
“Then he knows exactly what I’m talking about. I don’t hold that against him, though. We all have to make a buck somehow, don’t we?”
“That was the same year Uncle Rod died,” Maddy said, turning back to the two of them. “I guess it’s true he wasn’t especially welcoming of Warren, but then Warren didn’t try very hard with him, either. I always regretted that they didn’t come to some sort of understanding. Even then, I had a feeling I’d end up marrying Warren. Dad was already gone, so I’d hoped Uncle Rod would be the one to walk me down the aisle. But that never happened, obviously.”
Argo started to say something, but she interrupted him with a hasty little laugh. “Not that you didn’t do a wonderful job instead, Argo. I was so glad you were willing to step in.”
“It never occurred to me not to.” Argo’s gentle tone made Darian suspect that he, too, had voiced his objections to her choice of a mate—to the extent that Maddy had worried he would refuse to participate in the wedding.
Another, darker thought struck him as well. If Uncle Rod had been vociferous in his opposition to the match, would Warren have gone so far as to make sure he couldn’t interfere in their plans?
“Sorry to bore you with all this family drama,” Maddy told Darian. “It was such a long time ago. We were all different people then.”
“I know I was.” Argo flashed her a smile. “If anything, I’m even more stubborn now.”
“So explain to me why you want to look through Uncle Rod’s stuff after all this time,” Warren said, coming to the table with a platter of hamburgers and hotdogs. Without waiting for anyone else, he grabbed a bun and slathered it with ketchup. “It’s mostly old books and papers. We donated the clothes years ago. I keep telling Maddy we ought to dump the rest of it too.”
“You know I don’t like to throw books out,” Maddy said. “Besides, some of them might be worth money. Uncle Rod had them for decades.” She addressed Darian. “We offered to donate them to the Birchwood library, but they said they didn’t have room. They’re not doing any harm up in the attic.”
Warren snorted. “No surprise there. That bunch of snobs would like to pretend your uncle never existed at all, never mind taught there for most of his life. Then again, I sure can’t blame them for that.”
“Besides, we sorted through it all when we cleared out Uncle Rod’s house all those years ago. You were there, Argo. You already took everything you wanted.”
“I did, yeah. I just want to go through everything one more time. I don’t know what I’m looking for, exactly.” Argo told her. “Like I told you, there have been some recent…events…I’ve been investigating at the school. I thought that with Darian’s help, I might find something to shed light on those cases as well.”
“Maddy told me what’s been going on at that school,” Warren said between bites of hamburger. A splotch of ketchup stained his chin. “Sorry to say that it all seemed straightforward to me—and I use the term ‘straight’ lightly.” He laughed at his own joke with Maddy looked mortified. Argo’s face betrayed nothing at all. “Anyway, I don’t really see why it’s worth going over again and again. Disgusting enough the first time around.”
“Because investigating is Argo’s job now,” Maddy reminded him. She darted an apologetic shrug at Argo and Darian. “He has to make sure the school is safe for the people who are still there.”
“Best way to make it safe would be to close it down altogether. Well, if you want to spend all day rooting around in the attic, it’s fine with me. I have to go out for a while anyway. Couple of deliveries to make.”
“We wouldn’t dream of keeping you,” Argo said.
Scowling, Warren got up, folding his paper plate double and crushing it between his hands. “Call you later,” he said to Maddy as he stomped off.
“I’m sorry,” Maddy told them after he’d gone. “It’s not you. He’s just having a hard time right now. Without having Brittany around...you know…things are sort of different between us. I mean, everything’s okay. We have to learn to talk to each other again, one on one.”
Privately, Darian wondered what it would be like to attempt a serious conversation with Warren, or if it would even be possible. Hopefully he behaved better when he and Maddy were alone.
Argo was plainly thinking the same thing. His steely eyes narrowed, and the corners of his mouth turned down. “I can have a word with him while I’m here.”
“Please let it go. I don’t get angry at him. The truth is, I know how he feels. I miss Brittany, too, but then I’ve talked to her more than Warren has.” She looked down at her plate and broke her last potato chip into smaller pieces.
“She tends to call when he’s not home. I’m sure she doesn’t plan it like that. Her free time just coincides with his work hours, I guess.”
“That must be it,” Argo agreed. Darian though it best to remain silent, though he could see the loneliness in Maddy’s eyes and felt terrible for her.
“I’ll get him to call her later this weekend. Maybe it would help. I haven’t pressed him about it too much, because I didn’t want to make him feel worse. Maybe it’s good that she’s busy with her schoolwork and her new friends. We’ll see her at Christmas, I’m sure.”
“They have to leave the nest sometime, sis.”
“I know.”
They finished lunch without saying much else. Maddy cleared the plates and utensils away, refusing help, but Darian and Argo pitched in anyway. After they’d stored the leftovers in the fridge, she motioned for them to follow her.
“Come on, I’ll show you the guest room. You can bring up your bags and get comfortable.”
The upstairs was warm and tastefully, though simply, furnished. It did have an empty feeling, as if Brittany’s absence had sucked all positive emotion out of the air. Maybe she was just busy in her new environment, but Darian suspected she had decided to leave her father’s pessimism behind and make a new life for herself. He would ask Argo’s opinion later, when they were alone.
The guest room had an appealingly rustic design, with exposed wood beams and a thick patchwork quilt on the double bed. Maddy had turned down both sides of the covers for them. She didn’t seem the least bit hesitant.
“Is it all right?” she asked, gesturing around.
“Fine.” Argo smiled at her. “Much appreciated.”
Darian knew he was thanking her for accepting Darian into the family without fuss or argument, possibly—or even probably—against Warren’s wishes. He was grateful, too.
“Looks really comfortable,” he said, then blushed as he realized how she might have interpreted that. Not that he and Argo had much time to spend romping in bed anyway. They had several hours of attic-searching ahead of them.
Maddy pointed to the left. “Bathroom’s just down the hall to the left. You’ll have it to yourselves. The master bedroom has its own.”
Presumably, the one they would be using had been Brittany’s. He decided not to dwell on that sore spot. “Everything’s great,” Darian said. “Way better than a motel by the highway. Thanks so much.”
“No way I’d let you stay in one of those roach traps. I was hoping we could spend some time catching up tonight. When you’re done with Uncle Rod’s boxes, of course.”
Argo started back toward the stairs. “I’ll go out to the car and get the suitcases,” he offered.
“Need help?” Darian asked.
“Nope. I’ll let you two talk until I get back. Get to know each other, and get to gossip about me besides. Win-win.”
Alone with Darian, Maddy smiled weakly, as if unsure what to say. Darian pretended to examine a framed reproduction of an antique map on the wall. In one corner of the print, two colorful sea monsters cheerfully paddled on top of swelling, foam-capped waves. An old-style schooner sailed toward them, oblivious. He had to admit he kind of felt like that doomed captain right about now.
“Thanks again for inviting us,” he said. “And for putting us in one room like it’s no big deal.”
“It’s not a big deal, or even a small one. Not to me, anyway.”
“Sounds like it’s been hard for Argo. He appreciates your acceptance.”
“I think Argo had a harder time with his sexuality than any of us did. He thought we’d be disappointed in him when he told us. I for one didn’t care at all. My mother wasn’t happy about it, but by the time she passed she’d come to accept it. Of course, Argo never…you know…brought anyone home to meet us or anything.”
“No one?”
“Nope. You’re the first.”
Darian marveled that Argo had never introduced any man besides him to his family. Secretly, he was pleased, even if it meant Argo had lived a solitary and perhaps lonely life up until now. “What about Warren? Does he mind us being here?”
“Warren doesn’t have a problem with you or Argo, or your relationship. Granted, he didn’t accept everything right away, but over the years he’s made a lot of progress. Society has in general, I guess.”
“That’s for sure. Legalized marriage has made a huge difference, among other things.”
“Speaking of that….”Maddy gazed at him with blatant curiosity. “Argo told me you had two mothers, and they’re married to each other.”
“Yep, it’s true. Proof that gayness is either hereditary or contagious.” Darian spoke in a dead-pan voice and waited for her to look flummoxed. Then he grinned at her and she laughed.
“People probably ask you about your family all the time. You must get really sick of it. I’m sorry.”
“Yes, they do, and no, don’t be. I really don’t mind talking about it. For one thing, it’s important that people know, since it helps build acceptance. For another, I’m proud of both my moms. I never get tired of bragging about them.”
“That’s sweet. Looks like they did a good job with you.”
“Probably without much help on my side, but yeah—so far, so good. And to tell you the truth, I know they would have accepted me even if I’d turned out straight.”
“Are you and Argo serious? I mean, do you think the two of you might settle down? Or even get married, now that it’s possible?”
The directness of her question surprised him. It also reminded him that though it seemed like he had known Argo forever, it had actually been less than two weeks. “I think it’s a little soon to tell, actually.”
“We’ll have to wait and see, then. For what it’s worth, I’ve always hoped Argo would find someone who can appreciate him and make him happy.”
“That’s more or less what everyone wants, isn’t it? Either for ourselves or for the people we care about.”
She nodded. “Argo had a lot of responsibility dumped on him at a young age. He always stepped up to the plate when it came to me and my mom, but worrying about us took its toll. Losing Uncle Rod made things even worse. He’d always kept to himself most of the time—and I understood why after he came out to us—but after the funeral he just seemed to shut down emotionally.”
“He told me about that. I can see why it was rough on him. On all of you.”
“Well, we can’t go backward in time, and I for one don’t want to. We have to make the future better than the past. At least in Argo’s case, that seems to be working. I think I’ve seen him smile more just since you got here than I have in years. So maybe I should be the one thanking you.”
She reached out and squeezed his hand just as Argo returned with their overnight bags. He lifted a brow, but said nothing. Maddy slipped past her brother toward the door.
“I’ll let you two get settled. You can go right up to the attic when you’re ready. The stuff is all over in the far left corner. The boxes are labeled. Will you let me know if you find what you’re looking for?”
“Of course I will,” Argo said.
“Or if you find anything interesting, really. I’m glad I kept it despite Warren’s complaining. It’s good to know it might be useful for something, after all.”
Maddy closed the door behind her.
“Ready to get started?” Argo asked.
“She thinks we’re hiding something from her.”
“Nothing I can do about that. I wish I knew what, exactly, we’re looking for. When and if I figure it all out, I’ll fill her in. That’s the best I can do for now.”
“Fair enough, I guess.”
They stepped out into the hall and headed for the attic door, located at the end of the hallway. Argo opened it and motioned Darian through. A set of narrow steps led up to the next floor. No one had gone up them for a while. Darian’s sneakers left rounded patterns in a light coat of dust.
“What did you two talk about while I was ge
tting the bags? Why was she holding your hand?”
“She was reading my palm to see if we were compatible.” Darian’s joke prompted a grunt from Argo. “You should spend some time with her tomorrow, you know. I get the sense she needs someone to talk to you. It’s clear she misses her brother almost as much as she misses her daughter.”
“Yeah. I know you’re right. I have stayed away. It’s not just because I don’t like Warren, though I guess that’s obvious. It’s because when I look at Maddy, I see the past, and that hurts. I know I need to get over it.”
“You’re right. You do.”
Argo moved ahead to scan the contents of the cramped space around them. Boxes of all shapes and sizes, along with a huge dollhouse and a collection of child-sized furniture, filled nearly every inch of floor space.
He pointed to a pile of taped-up cartons few with the letter “R” written in thick black marker. The dust and cobwebs covering them looked much thicker.
“Over there.” Kneeling on the floor, he took out his pocketknife and began sawing at the heaving packing tape. He peered inside each one while Darian claimed a nearby spot for himself. “A lot of textbooks and typewritten papers, just like I remembered. Uncle Rod saved everything from his grade school years on.” He blew out a frustrated breath.
Darian nodded. “We’ll have to go through each and every one of them, piece by piece. Flip through the pages of all the books. We’re looking for any notes or letters he might have tucked inside, or even something he might have jotted in the margins.”
“I warn you, this is going to take forever. Or at least it’s going to seem that way.”
“No worries. That’s why you brought me, remember? I’m here to help. Twice as many hands and eyes. Besides, I’m a scholar. We have a high tolerance for boredom and dead ends, especially when it comes to old books and papers.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Argo shoved two of the boxes toward him. “If it helps, keep in mind that we aren’t just doing this for me or for Uncle Rod. It’s for Timothy and Aaron, too.”
“You’re right. It is.”
Squaring his shoulders in determination, Darian bent back the cardboard flaps and dug into the first box.
