Noelle had asked about that. And she’d told Lila it was the way to shut Armie down. Technically HIPAA didn’t protect children under the age of eighteen from their parents asking for medical information, but Noelle should have someone she could talk to.

Armie winced but soldiered on. “No. I don’t think that’s what she meant. She talked about sex, Lila. I want to know what’s happening with my daughter. She’s sixteen years old. She’s not an adult and I have the right to know what’s happening.”

She squared off with him. “And she has the right to some privacy when it comes to her own body.”

The moment lengthened, silence between them.

“Don’t be mad at Lila,” Noelle said. “I asked her to do it, to order it for me.”

Armie’s jaw tightened. “Is this about that boy? Caleb Granger?”

“Not exactly.” Noelle had gone bright red. “Caleb is just a friend. It was about something else. I . . . I wanted to know if it worked. My female parts. I want to know if I can have sex.”

Armie’s eyes went wide. “No. No, you can’t have sex. You are sixteen and you are far too young and it’s not happening. Not on my watch. I swear I’m going to talk to that little shit. Sniffing around my daughter. He can spend some time in jail and then we’ll see if he tries to take advantage of my daughter again.”

“Dad!”

Lila had to step in front of him. “Stop right now. Cool down, Sheriff. She is a responsible young woman. She didn’t ask me for condoms, although you should know that if she had, I would have given them to her. She isn’t trying to have sex with some kid. She’s trying to experiment, and she has every right to do that. Just because she’s in a wheelchair doesn’t mean she can’t eventually enjoy sex, and that includes masturbation. And don’t you dare give me some moral lecture on the evils of masturbation. I bet you can’t tell me you didn’t do it when you were her age.”

He stopped, his whole body going still. “You talked to her about . . . that? You talked to her about how to do that? She’s not pregnant?”

“Dad, eww, no. I haven’t done anything that could get me pregnant. Why would your brain even go there? Why?” Noelle shuddered.

“Likely because he was doing far more than self-pleasure at your age.” She couldn’t imagine teenage Armie hadn’t been the local player.

“When she said you ordered something, I thought it might be a pregnancy test,” Armie said.

“I bought her a wand,” Lila admitted. “It’s for clitoral stimulation. I think she should start there.”

“I want to die.” Noelle picked up a pillow and muffled her scream into it.