"We're probably lucky she hasn't tried already," Dan answers, "but you're right. As long as it's perpetual palm trees, say, over coconuts full of bee, I could definitely handle that. Maybe we'll get even luckier, and a tropical resort opens up in the winter."

Dan might not ordinarily joke so easily about the strangeness of Darrow, but right now, he feels so securely, perfectly anchored to this world and this man, that everything else feels light.

"All of it aside, it's been a perfect day. It was always going to be a perfect day."