“Dr. Drayton said I should be able to express myself.”

“I. Don’t. Care. This is not Dr. Drayton’s house. Get rid of the shirt.”

She glared at him before turning and stomping back up the stairs.

“Katie,” he called after her, “if you slam the door, I’ll remove it permanently.”

Lina tried to show no visible reaction to Katie’s announcement that she was going out. Katie was still wearing the jean shorts from earlier but had changed from her T-shirt to a tank top and highlighted her delicate features with a touch of makeup. If it weren’t for the dour expression on her face, Lina knew she’d look cute. “Where are you going and when will you be back?”

“Dr. Drayton said you aren’t supposed to nag me.”

“I don’t recall him ever using that word, but in any case, this isn’t nagging. This is parenting. You can’t go out without telling me where you’re going and when you’ll be back.”

“I’m going to Emma’s to see her brother Ryan’s band play. I’ll be home by midnight.”

“Emma?” Lina repeated. Emma was a friend of several years who disappeared from their lives during Katie’s brief experimentation with drugs.

A soft knock on the mudroom door preceded the appearance of the most welcome visitor Lina could remember. “Hi, Ms. Lina.”

“Emma.” Lina hugged her tightly. “It’s so good to see you.” Looking at Emma reminded her of the old Katie, the Katie who laughed and sang and made silly faces at Logan, who always wanted to join Lina on trips to the grocery store so she could pick out her favorite desserts, and who spent hours following Lina around the back yard telling her funny stories while Lina tended to her garden. “You look wonderful.” With red hair, freckles and a shy smile, Emma looked like she belonged on a poster for Ireland tourism. “Did your mom drive you, or—”

“I drove. I have my license.”

“Right.” Lina nodded. “You’re all grown up. How are—”

“Mom,” Katie interrupted. “We’re already late.”

Phil tossed the lacrosse ball to Logan before jogging up towards the driveway “What’s going on?” His eyes were on Katie, who was walking towards Emma’s car.

“Phil, it’s fine.” Lina was beside him. “She’s already cleared it with me. She’s just going to Emma’s.”

“I want to talk to her.”

Lina laid a hand on his chest. “I already handled it. Just let her go.”

“Lina—”

“Please. Just trust me.”

He watched in silence, the side of his jaw clenching and unclenching, as Emma’s car slowly disappeared down the driveway.

“Thank—”

“That decision,” he bit out, his eyes intense, “was counter to every instinct I have as a father.” He crossed to the edge of the driveway, staring unfocused into the woods flanking one side of their yard as he continued to talk. “It’s the first time, Lina—the first time she’s going out in close to a year, and you don’t discuss it with me?”