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“I used the code,” Lulu said, and took a sip from a glass of water. She’d helped herself to the contents of the fridge.
“You know my gate code?” the doctor said, and turned and closed the mudroom door.
“Josh gave it to me. Your birthday, right?”
“He’s not supposed to give you that. He’s not supposed to—give anyone that.”
“I rang the bell,” Lulu said, eyes wide, feigning innocence. “From the front. Didn’t you hear me? Didn’t you hear me drive up? I’m in the circle.”
“No,” said the doctor, “I was out back. Down by the pool.”
“That’s what I thought. So I came around and the back door was open.”
“Fine, but please. Please. Call first next time. Where’s Bandit?”
“I wanted to say I’m sorry, though,” Lulu said. “For what I said and hanging up.”
“Have you seen the dog?”
Lulu didn’t seem to hear the doctor. “I know—I know we both love your son, and Josh loves us, too.”
The doctor nodded and rounded the girl, taking in her miniskirt, bracelets, boots, the choppy layers of platinum hair. Lulu had pierced her eyebrows and nose since the doctor last saw her, and tattooed one arm with a haloed cherub. The cherub held a submachine gun.
Lulu tucked her butt on a bar stool, as if she had sat there a hundred times, and felt at home, as if she were going to stay for dinner.
“Lulu,” said the doctor, “Josh ended this thing last year. No? I thought he ended this thing with you?”
“Thing?” Lulu seemed offended. She placed her water glass down on the island. “Do you mean relationship?”
“Yes,” said the doctor. “No? I mean, not your friendship, but—”
“He only told you that. We’re still together. We never broke up.”
“Okay, fine. So maybe he lied. But you need to know, we asked him to, and his doctor thought that it would be best, while he gets clean, that he not date. It’s not about you. It’s not personal. No one should date when they first begin a twelve-step program. So…”
“So what?”
“So. If you care about Josh, I hope you’ll try to give him space. And not take his calls. If he calls. Can I walk you out?”
But Lulu didn’t move. “He doesn’t need space from me. He needs space from you and Steven. From here.”
“Okay, fine. We’ll just agree to disagree, but then you’ll force us to step in.”
Lulu cocked her head right. “How?”
“I don’t know. Like something legal.”
“Legal? Like what?”
“I don’t know, like a restraining order or something,” the doctor said. “My son’s health has to come first.”
“Seriously?” Lulu said. “Because of last year?”
“Because Josh needs to stay focused.”
“You shouldn’t believe the things you hear. Like, people and gossip. I had nothing to do with that night.”
“I don’t care what happened last year. It’s not about that. I only care about my son.”
