Phil stopped short, his feet digging into the gravel parking lot, and slammed the car door closed again before getting inside.

“Why would Captain Mulcahy be at Mom’s?” Phil asked angrily.

“Come on, Philly, you know. Don’t make me say it. It’s gross. It’s Mom.”

“What do you mean? I don’t—I don’t get it.” Phil stammered, his stomach aching just as it had when he’d seen the text message from Hank after the Cal-Oregon game, the one that said, “I told you so.”

“He and Mom are dating, Phil. It’s a Saturday night. Why wouldn’t he be there? He practically lives there.”

Phil leaned over and rested his forehead against the cold window of his SUV. He stared at his steering wheel until his breath made the glass opaque.

“No,” Phil whispered. “They’re just friends, Mickey. She—she hasn’t dated anyone since Dad. She calls Captain Mulcahy her ‘good friend,’ like they’re old people keeping each other company. They’re companions.”

“Come on, Phil,” Mickey responded, aggravated. “I don’t have time for this. I have to help put the kids to bed. Angela gave them candy, and I can’t get them to sleep.”

“How long have you known?” Phil asked, standing upright again, his free hand on his forehead. “Did Mom tell you this herself?”

“Phil…,” Mickey continued.

Phil could hear his brother’s children screaming in the background. “Come on, kids, I’m on with Uncle Phil!” Mickey shouted. He lowered his voice, speaking again into the receiver. “Phil, Captain Mulcahy spent Christmas with us last year. And then Easter. And he came to Joey’s christening in August. What did you think was going on?”

“I don’t know, Mickey,” Phil admitted, shrugging as he paced around the front of his car. “I thought he was coming over to do odd jobs for her, like changing her lightbulbs and fixing her plumbing. I thought he felt bad for her, which is why he stuck around a lot.”

“He’s fixing her plumbing all right,” Mickey teased. “Look, buddy, I’ve got to go.” Mickey was now using the soothing voice he usually saved for his children. “We can talk about it tomorrow if you’re still upset. But we should be happy for Mom. It’s lonely for her down there. Captain Mulcahy is a great guy.”

“Okay,” Phil said, just before pressing “end.”

Phil slipped the phone into his pocket and walked slowly from the parking lot toward the clubhouse. He stopped in front of a large dogwood tree just outside the entrance. The lights from the reception seeped out of the billowing nylon that circled the party. As the band finished “We Are Family” and started a rendition of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” Phil punched the tree so hard that he immediately drew blood. He felt like an idiot. He sank to the ground and put his head between his knees.

Vicki

“Sorry. I can’t find the lights,” the faceless man said through the dark. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”

“You didn’t,” Vicki said, surprising herself by the way she overarticulated her t’s, as if she’d developed a slight British accent as soon as she’d entered the magic tower. “I don’t easily scare.”