Can I come over now?”

“Yes. And hurry!”

Of course I knew Jess was adopted. It didn’t require much due diligence to discover that tidbit. But I had no idea she knew, and wonder why she never mentioned it in any of the heart-to-hearts we’ve shared. As I wait for her to tap on my door I rush through the room, tidying up, picking up stray clothes, pulling the sheets tight to remove the wrinkles, fluffing the pillows. I find my heart racing at the notion Jess finds me desirable, and though I’ve never been with a woman before (Oh God, should I say girl?) —I always wanted to try. But I never dreamed I’d enjoy it as much as I did last night.

Moments later, we’re in the bed naked. “I wish you weren’t so sore,” she says.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Returning the favor.”

“In that case, I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“Never better! Not to mention I’ve taken two pain pills since…it happened.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“At this point it would hurt more if you didn’t.”

She digs in, and we’re both right: it hurts, but it’s worth it. Afterward, I order room service and we get dressed while waiting for our food to arrive. As we eat, I ask, “How was your mom this morning?”

“Loopy. She got up, brushed her teeth, put her skirt on backwards and didn’t even know. Good thing I was there to tell her.”

“Did she happen to mention the detectives accused me of having an affair with your dad?”

She laughs. “Wait, are you being serious?”

I nod.

“Why on earth would they think that?”

“You know that selfie I took with him the day after Christmas?”

Her face falls. “Oh shit. I’m sorry, Nicki.”

“For what?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t find out about that. I wanted to get it fixed.”

“What happened?”

“When I walked in and saw Daddy’s body I went crazy. I ran for the door and knocked the photo off the table and it broke.”

“The detectives said they found it on the opposite side of the room, and that it had been thrown so hard it made a dent in the wall.”

“Baseboard.”

“What?”

“When Mom saw the body and realized he was dead she screamed at him, called him a bastard, and for a minute I thought she was gonna punch him in the ribs. But she changed her mind and kicked the picture frame instead. It didn’t have anything to do with your selfie. She was just mad at Daddy, and it was there.” She pauses. “What does that have to do with them thinking you had an affair with Daddy?”

“They saw the broken picture of me and him and wondered if maybe he broke it out of anger. And if so, then maybe we had an affair, and I threatened to tell your mom, and that’s why he killed himself.”

“They said all that?”

“Everything except the part about telling your mom. I added that, but I think it’s what they were implying.”

She shakes her head. “That’s crazy.”

“I said the exact same thing.”

Fifteen seconds pass with no response from Jess, so I say, “I didn’t have an affair with your dad. You know that, right?”

“You swear?”

“On my life.”

She studies my face. Then says, “I believe you. I mean, it’s not like you even live here. When would you have the time?”

“There are better reasons than that! Aside from the fact he was nearly twice my age, I would never do that.”

“Of course not.”

We’re quiet till she says, “And just so you know, I never suspected you!”

“Of what?”

“I mean, toward the end I thought he might be having an affair because Mom accused him of it. I just never knew who the woman was. Do you?”

“How the fuck would I know?”

She laughs.