I rack my brain for the name of the woman. Merritt. He’s mentioned her before. She’s a professor at Loyola.

I park my car again, a few houses down in the opposite direction this time, so I have to turn in my seat if I want to watch them. I pull out my phone, search Loyola professor Merritt, and click on the top result. Merritt Reddy, associate professor of anthropology. The picture is definitely the same woman who just stuck her tongue down his throat.

Are they reuniting? I never got the impression it was a contentious separation, so I guess a reunion is possible, but this is the first time he’s been home since we broke up yesterday.

When I look toward George’s yard again, the three of them are headed back inside.

Someone knocks on my window, and I jump. A woman’s standing at my door, disapproval all over her face.

Shit. I roll down my window. “Hi.”

“Can I help you with something?”

“Oh, no. I’m fine.” I smile and reach for the window button again, but she shakes her head.

“I’m on the neighborhood watch, you see. So I need you to tell me why you’re here, or I’m going to call the police.”

Fabulous. My face heats, and I decide to use my embarrassment to my advantage. “I’m a student at Loyola and I was coming by to talk to Dr. Reddy about getting a reference letter for graduate school, but . . .” I duck my head. “Well, then I saw her with her child and realized I need to wait until her office hours.” I turn my phone to her so she can see that I have Merritt’s contact page pulled up on my phone. Her office hours are right beneath her photo.

“Well, she deserves time with her family like anyone. You were right to rethink your plan.”

I nod. “This works out, though, in a way. I was getting her a couple of theater tickets as a thank-you, but I think I should make sure it’s enough so she can take out her whole family. Do you think she’d want to bring her boyfriend and his child?”

The woman purses her lips. “You mean her husband and their child? Yes, I imagine she would. They’re both so busy. Don’t get enough time together as a family.”

Husband? My stomach is in a perpetual freefall. “I didn’t realize she was married. I thought she was . . . divorced for some reason.” I thought they just had a child together. I thought they were never very serious.

“Dear no. They’re an odd couple, but they moved in right after their wedding five years ago and have been living there together since.”