Derrick had started out the evening simply grateful to have somebody with him at his first post-Peter family Christmas. The sad-sack single dude treatment he had been dreading failed to find a foothold with Lee beside him, never mind that they barely knew each other—what Editta didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, and her rigid sense of decorum forbade her from waxing nostalgic for “poor, wonderful Peter” in front of what Derrick could only assume she thought of as his “replacement.” As the evening progressed, however, Derrick’s unexpected contentment stealthily shed any association with Peter and crept steadily towards the simple Joy of Lee. Derrick had seen him hit what must have been a pretty low point earlier in the day, and was charmed by his unforced confidence that somehow “it” would all
