I gave a helpless laugh. “Because she dyed her hair black, dated some guy in a garage band, and apparently that was enough to scandalize the family for life.”
That almost got a smile out of him.
“She was the black sheep,” I said. “At least, that’s how Andrew made it sound. He never talked about her much. His mother liked things neat and tidy. Gwen didn’t sound neat.”
I gave a helpless laugh.
Leo pushed his phone toward me. “I messaged her.”
I closed my eyes for half a second, then held out my hand. “Okay, show me.”
He unlocked the screen. “I kept it simple.”
His first message was careful, polite, and almost too adult:
“Hi. My name is Leo. I think your brother, Andrew, may have been my father. My mom’s name is Heather, and she had me eighteen years ago.”
“I messaged her.”
Then Gwen’s reply:
“Oh my God. If your mother is Heather… I need to tell you something. Andrew didn’t leave her.”
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“Mom?” Leo said quietly.
I kept reading.
