Within two weeks, Gerald had all but moved into Joyce's house. He had yearned to get out of his cramped little apartment, especially since a lot of his stuff had to be placed in a storage unit. Joyce was secretly ecstatic at his arrival: she realized how much she missed having a man in her bed, and in the house generally. Both of them regarded the move as only temporary or tentative, but they were confident that it was likely to become permanent.

Hilary was also pleased at having a quasi-father figure in the house. She herself had been unaware how much she'd missed her father; and while there was...