Ben Haggerty is devastated when he returns home from work to discover his lover of eight years has gone off to complete his master's degree at another college -- and left no forwarding address. Not only has Ben chosen Rick over his beloved family, but he's supported his boyfriend both financially and emotionally the entire time. Unable to remain in their shared apartment, Ben moves and spends a miserable holiday season alone. With the New Year, however, he's determined to make a fresh start, so he manages to obtain Rick's address and sends him a card asking if Rick ever plans to return. Somehow, the card winds up in the wrong mailbox.<br><br>Jason Prescott is a genius, having obtained his first master's degree at twenty-one and now working on his second. When he receives a card in error, he returns both the card and a card of his own to be courteous, expressing his hopes Ben can get in touch with his boyfriend. This begins a correspondence that leads to friendship, and ... the start of something more? Jason introduces Ben to his family and reunites him with his own.<br><br>But will Jason, who's even smarter than Rick, be satisfied with someone as ordinary as blue-collar Ben feels himself to be? Or will Rick, realizing what he's let slip through his fingers, manage to persuade Ben to take him back?

Always, Ben

And you want to hear another funny thing? The person who got the card? He wrote back to me. He’s a nice person, Rick. I hate to say this, but he’s nicer than you, and I think he and I would get along together pretty well.


I think you’ll understand why I’m sending you a congratulations card. You’ve made your point—you don’t want me. It would have been nice if you’d told me to my face instead of ghosting me, but then you always tended to avoid confrontations, didn’t you? Anyway, this is the last time you’ll hear from me.


I’ll always remember the good times we had, Rick, and I hope you’ll find happiness wherever you go.


Well. It looked like there was such a thing as karma. Elspeth put the card back in its envelope and found a manila envelope into which to place them. She didn’t know who she felt sorrier for—that man Ben for loving someone like Richard Preston, or Preston for losing someone like that man Ben.


Chapter 23