Calvin could either attend an end-of-the-semester picnic arranged by the faculty, a picnic Marlo wasn't invited to, or pay him a visit at home. He chose the latter.

     He rang Marlo's door bell with a box of donuts on one hand and a vase of flowers on the other.

     This would be his first, and perhaps his last, glimpse into Marlo's personal life.

     Marlo opened the door dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. "Good morning."

     Calvin shifted his weight to one foot. "Good morning."

     "Come on in."

     Lisa came out of the living room and joined them. "You must be Calvin. I'm Lisa."

     Calvin stared at Lisa's eight-month-old pregnant belly. Marlo? A father? He looked at his brother for answers.

     He gave Calvin a single nod.

     "Why didn't you tell me?"

     Marlo slid his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Must have slipped my mind."

     Calvin reminded himself not to take it personally that Marlo didn't tell him the news, even if he would have loved to have known during one of their few conversations.

     He handed Marlo the donuts and flowers. With his hands now free, he shook her hand gently and kissed her cheek. "Calvin Leblanc. Pleasure to meet you, and congratulations."

     "Thank you," said Lisa. "The pleasure's all mine. Marlo mentions you almost every day when he comes home from work."

     Calvin stood up straighter. "Does he?"

     "Sure does."

     Lisa led the men to the backyard through the kitchen door. "The patio table is open for the two of you. I'll be right out with breakfast. How do you take your coffee?"

     "Black, please," said Calvin.

     He liked Lisa, partly because she was closer to his age than Marlo's. "You won't be joining us?"

     "I have a few chores to finish, so you men have the yard to yourselves."

     Being alone with Marlo in his own home scared him more than being alone with him in his office.

     Once outside, Marlo motioned him to sit as he did the same. "You look different."

     Calvin scratched the back of his ear. "I feel different. I'm sorry it took so long to return your calls."

     Marlo reclined in his chair. "I'm glad you're here. I needed to talk to you outside of school grounds."

     "About the Shelley Stone case?"

     "Yes. As it turns out, it was all a misunderstanding. The responsible parties have been reprimanded and there's no need for further investigation."

     Calvin mirrored Marlo and reclined on his chair. "Okay."

     Marlo cleared his throat. "You can return to Julian and continue your career as you planned."

     It was Calvin's cue to deliver his set of news. You can do it, Leblanc. "Yes, about that. One of the reasons I came over was to personally inform you that... well, that I'm leaving Julian."

     "And going back to Joan?"

     "No, I mean, I'm moving back to Los Angeles."

     Marlo adjusted his jaw. "Los Angeles."

     "Yes. George Cassles offered me a job there. He's putting something special together and needs my help."

     Marlo rested his right ankle on his left knee. "I see. Well, congratulations."

     Calvin wasn't expecting Marlo to jump for joy at his new job, but he didn't picture him acting so disappointed, either. Maybe Marlo needed to see the silver lining. "That's great for you too, isn't it? I won't be around to cause you trouble."

     Marlo looked insulted. "Cause me trouble? Calvin, I was happy when I heard you'd come back to San Kolbe."

     Marlo? Happy? There was so much about his brother that didn't compute. "You were?"

     "Yes. I thought..."

     He looked down at the grass, then up at Calvin. His shoulders dropped. "I thought I'd be able to look after you better. I even thought, perhaps, we could bond."

     This was in no way the Marlo Calvin knew. This new side was sadder than any other side of his he'd ever seen. "I thought I was a pain to you."

     Marlo cracked a smile. "Sometimes, but we're still family, aren't we?"

     The word 'family' echoed in his brain. Calvin made a commitment to limit crying to once a month at most, but Marlo's use of the word 'family' made it difficult. He cleared his throat. "I always thought I was the reason you had a broken family."

     "Calvin..."

     "No, let me say this. When I heard about what mom did, I felt horrible. I'm sure that if I hadn't been born, she would have returned home to you."

     Marlo took a deep breath, as if the conversation was draining him, too. "Mother had her problems. They had nothing to do with you. If anything, they had to do with me. The truth is I was a pain in the rear. Looking back, I don't blame her for leaving."

     Marlo was no longer a strict high school principal. He was a fifteen-year-old who missed his mom.

     "The baby's due very soon, and it's got me thinking that I don't have a lot of family left, except for you."

     No crying. No crying.

     "And it's too bad you're leaving. It would have been nice for my child to know their one uncle from their father's side."

     Calvin rubbed his eyes. "For what it's worth, I'm not leaving to get away from you. I just need a fresh start."

     "A fresh start. Away from Genevieve?"

     Her name still had a little power over him, and his face proved it.

     "I'm sorry you got hurt," said Marlo.

     Calvin pressed his lips together. "You could have warned me."

     "I could have."

     "Why didn't you?"

     "Because you wouldn't have listened."

     "And how do you know?"

     "Because I didn't listen."

     Calvin blinked.

     They sat in silence for a moment, save for the sound of coffee brewing in the kitchen.

     "Marlo, did you bring her to Julian?"

     "I did."

     "May I ask why?"

     Marlo smiled. "She's an intelligent, ambitious woman. An excellent teacher, really. For years, I tried to steer her away from business. I told her she could move up in administration if she worked hard enough."

     Calvin brought his elbows to the table. "Did you love her?"

     He chuckled. "Like a damn fool."

     "Does Lisa know about her?"

     "Of course. They met at a pre-semester dinner when I was teaching at Joan and she was at Andrade."

     Lisa stepped out with two mugs, held by the handle in one hand. The pink donut box was in her other hand.

     Marlo perked up, staring at her with all the admiration a man could have for the mother of his children. "We were just talking about Genevieve, love. You remember her, don't you?"

     "Your former business partner? Yes, I remember her. How is she?"

     "Well, she tried starting a business with Calvin here."

     Lisa looked at Calvin like he was an injured kitten. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

     Calvin wondered how far Genevieve's name and reputation spread. "I'll be fine."

     She handed Calvin and Marlo their respective hot beverages. She set the box down and opened it. "I'll be inside if you need me."

     Marlo kissed her before she walked back inside.

     Calvin took a slow sip of his coffee. Since the topic of Genevieve was clearly open, he was determined to push for as many answers as he could, even if he was uncomfortable asking. Anything to keep him distracted from crying. "Marlo, I don't mean to sound intrusive, but... you and Genevieve... how far..."

     Marlo pushed back his laughter as far as he could, but it wasn't far enough. "Oh, we were strictly friends. Looking back, it was for the best. That woman has too many problems."

     In a different situation, he would have defended her with foam in his mouth, but this was not a situation that called for that.

     "I can't disagree with that," said Calvin.

     Marlo stuck his hand in the box and pulled out a glazed donut. "She would drink a whole bottle of wine with dinner."

     "She would."

     "And she gambled recklessly."

     "That's true."

     Marlo quivered. "Not to mention her personal space issues."

     Calvin's smile collapsed. He must not have heard right. "Her what?"

     Marlo took a bite of his pastry. "Oh, come on. Genevieve's three favorite words are 'Don't touch me', am I right?"

     Since when? Calvin wondered how far Marlo could take a joke.

     "Since I met her fifteen years ago."

     Calvin blinked, having not realized that he actually asked his question out loud.

     That's a good one, but isn't it a little soon for jokes about the woman I love? He sat quietly, waiting for Marlo to reveal that this was nothing more than a prank designed to make him feel better.

     Marlo looked at him, a bit concerned. "What is it?"

     Personal space issues? Are we talking about the same person?

     Calvin picked up on Marlo's serious gaze. Nothing about him said this was a joke.

     Marlo stopped sipping coffee to speak to Calvin. "Are you feeling alright?"

     For a decade and a half, Genevieve established a reputation for not being fond of physical touch, but in less than four months, he couldn't get her hands off him.

     Something about that brought a smile to his face, a smile so large he was embarrassed by it.

     That same smile infected his ticklish nerve endings. He laughed, softly at first, and then a little harder and further away from control.

     Marlo joined him in the laughter. "What?"

     Calvin could barely talk. His voice rose in pitch when he tried. "Genevieve. She... she hated being touched."

     "She did."

     Calvin laughed harder.

     Marlo tried to outdo Calvin in laughter and won. "One time, I stole a kiss right after I asked her to marry me, and she slapped my face so hard, I cried."

     Calvin muscles contracted as the humor became almost unbearable. He couldn't imagine anything similar happening to him.

     Lisa came out of the kitchen. "Isn't this nice? Two brothers sharing a laugh."

     The laughter wined down, each of the men wiped tears from under their eyes.

     Genevieve had personal space issues? Oh, Marlo. If only you knew.

     Maybe it's best if you don't.