Steph pulled away first, her face flushed, her eyes panicked. The connection between us felt like a phantom limb. I was still reaching for her as she said, “Lisa—”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Lisa demanded again.

Steph jerked away from me. I snapped back into this world.

Lisa was standing ten feet away in her Safeway vest, one hand gripping her car keys, the other her phone. Her face was red, and it only grew redder as she looked from me to Steph.

“Joan died,” Steph said, and I knew as soon as she spoke that those words were the wrong ones.

“You were comforting her?” Lisa demanded.

“No, I—” Steph stepped between me and Lisa as if to defend me.

I saw the rage on Lisa’s face change into something much worse. Pain.

“I’m so sorry,” Steph said, reaching out to her.

Lisa stepped back, her bottom lip quivering. Fat tears began to leak out of her eyes. “Get away from me,” Lisa said. “Don’t touch me.”

“Please, let me explain.”

“What could you possibly explain? Are you sleeping with her?”

Steph didn’t answer, and Lisa’s face was beet red now.

“I can’t believe I trusted you. You said you were just friends.” Lisa looked beyond Steph at me. “Do you know what she told me? She said you were confused, that you needed some help dealing with coming out. I felt sorry for you! I guess she helped you.”

I still couldn’t seem to speak. In the background I saw some customers glancing in our direction.

Lisa suddenly advanced toward me. “You were in our house.” She looked at Steph. “Did you fuck her in our house?”

I flinched.

“No, no, we never—I would never do that,” Steph said.

Lisa came closer and Steph stopped her, grabbing her arms. “Let go of me!” Lisa screamed.

“Please, let’s go home. Let’s talk about it at home,” Steph pleaded. Lisa’s arms were flailing and Steph was flailing with her in a bizarre interpretation of patty-cake.

“Get the fuck away from my girlfriend,” Lisa snarled at me.

“Lisa,” Steph said. “Lisa, please.”

All of a sudden Lisa backed away, raising her hands as if she were surrendering. “Whatever,” she said. Tears were running freely down her face now. She turned around and stalked out of the garden center, leaving Steph and me behind.

I reached for Steph, but she rebuffed me. “We can’t do this now,” she said curtly. She went after Lisa, running through the garden center.