AS THE EVENING wound to a close, Eli approached Carly, asking if she’d be willing to meet with him the following day. He knew he’d let this wait far too long. “If you’re available, we’ll go to Sunday brunch at Brynne’s. I’ll pick you up at eleven.” He knew he sounded more abrupt and businesslike than he’d intended, but he didn’t want to reveal the slightest hint of anxiety. If he turned out to be Carly’s father, he had to be ready for the changes that would bring. And if he didn’t…the disappointment.

“Okay.”

The house and driveway lights had been turned on, and he helped escort the remaining guests to their cars. Cleanup had begun—the chairs and tables, to be picked up by the rental company on Monday, the leftover food, the sound system and instruments…

Brynne brought him and Amos a beer each, and then Cord came over, asking for one, too. The three of them sat on the porch steps, dogs asleep at their feet. Eli was tempted to tell Cord about his arrangement with Carly, but it was too private to share with a colleague, even if that colleague was also a friend.

THE NEXT MORNING, Eli showed up at eleven sharp, to find Carly waiting for him. There was little conversation as they drove to Bailey’s; he saw immediately that Brynne wasn’t on duty. Too bad, but not unexpected, given the night she’d just put in.

He and Carly had coffee and the brunch special—scrambled eggs with pancakes. Their talk was slow to start, but once he’d made the overtures, by referring to her meetings with Cord and J.P., she launched into a point-by-point summary of everything he’d suspected and some of which he already knew. The family history, her hitchhiking journey, the YouTube channel and the money she’d made as a result. This public aspect of her recent life, and the money she’d made doing it, took him aback. But he didn’t hold it against her, recognizing that it was about survival. Different kinds of survival. Financial and emotional.

She ended with, “I assume you’d be willing to do the DNA test?”

He nodded emphatically. “All three of us are agreed on that. Might’ve taken us a while, but…” They discussed logistics for a few minutes, then moved on to last night’s party. She told him she’d helped Tina open her gifts and described some of them—books of all kinds, including a couple of celebrity cookbooks, several bottles of champagne, fancy bath products, jewelry and much more. She made a point of adding that Tina had loved his gift, a beautifully photographed history of Montana. He appreciated her telling him this.