We came across a photo of Finn on his first day of kindergarten, his shoelaces untied and his grin huge.

Gloria held on to it for a long time.

“She wasn’t always like this,” Gloria finally said.

“Yeah, I know.”

“I don’t want you to think that means you have to trust her now.”

I looked over at her.

Her words caught me off guard more than I expected.

She was Brandi’s mother.