parents checked me in here. I never left. I started out as a resident, then a counselor. I got my master’s, and now I’m Reese’s research assistant.” There was more than a hint of pride in her voice.
“You seem to be doing really well,” I said.
She smiled. “Reese has designed a brilliant program. It works, if you use it like you’re supposed to.” The warmth and affection in her voice when she said her boss’s name were unmistakable.
“You were telling us about Chloe?” Al said in a gentler voice than I would have expected, given his feelings about drug users, even recovered ones.
Molly inhaled deeply, and shook her head. “Chloe pretty much took Jupiter over. He spent all his time with her. They were sleeping together. Rules or no rules. I had hoped that once he left, that would be the end of it, but of course it wasn’t. He even came up to get her, on her last day. Did you know that?” I nodded my head. “He picked her up and took her home with him. And the next thing we knew, the
L.A. Times
was reporting Polaris Jones’s wedding to Chloe Pakulski at the Hollywood Bowl. Ten thousand CCU members were there, and the mayor officiated, along with two CCU ministers. I felt so bad for Jupiter. He loved her so much. She didn’t deserve it for a minute, but he loved her.”
I wondered if Molly might have felt for Jupiter the same emotion he had wasted on Chloe.
“Was Jupiter the only person Chloe was sleeping with?” I asked.
Molly looked shocked. “Of course he was. Wasn’t that bad enough?” Then she looked at her watch and frowned. “I think I’d better see you out. I’ve got to get back to work.”
I fished around in my purse and found a card for her. “Call me if you remember anything, okay?” I said, giving her a meaningful look.
She nodded briskly, shoved the card into her pocket, and strode away across the patio, leaving us to follow her out.
Eight
M UCH to our mutual disappointment, Al and I didn’t have time to make it all the way up to La Superica in Santa Barbara. We grabbed a couple of inferior turkey sandwiches from an organic deli in Ojai and sped down the highway in a doomed attempt to make it back to Isaac’s preschool in time to pick him up. I did my best to keep nausea at bay with an extra-large bag of blue corn tortilla chips.
“Are you all right?” Al said.
“Mmm?” I mumbled, my mouth full of food.
“You’re looking a little green around the gills.”
I blushed. “I’m okay. I just need to eat something.” I put another handful of chips in my mouth.
He tossed his unfinished sandwich on the dashboard. “Eat? I would have thought eating this crap would make you feel worse.”
I took a long gulp of milk to wash down the chips.
“And what’s with the milk?”
I blushed again. “Nothing. Calcium. Every woman needs calcium. I don’t want to end up hunchbacked.”
He raised his eyebrows at me. He slowed down as the traffic thickened, and I felt my stomach rebel at the change in speed. I gobbled up another handful of chips.
“You do
not
look good. Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Of course I’m okay. I’m fine,” I snapped.
He raised one hand in surrender. “Bite my head off, why don’t you.”
“Sorry. I’m fine. Really. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Don’t ask
me
. You want me to pull over or something?”
“No, I do
not
want you to pull over. It’s just the traffic. All this stopping and starting is making me carsick. Your truck doesn’t have the smoothest ride in the world.”
“So it’s my fault?”
I laughed. “Yeah. It’s your fault, Al. Everything is your fault. Anyway, what did you make of all that back at the center?”
He shook his head. “That Molly had the hots for Jupiter, that’s for sure.”
I nodded. “Yup. Do you think she and Jupiter were sleeping together before Chloe showed up?”
Al wrinkled his brow and thought for a moment. Then he said slowly, “I don’t think so. She doesn’t seem like
“You seem to be doing really well,” I said.
She smiled. “Reese has designed a brilliant program. It works, if you use it like you’re supposed to.” The warmth and affection in her voice when she said her boss’s name were unmistakable.
“You were telling us about Chloe?” Al said in a gentler voice than I would have expected, given his feelings about drug users, even recovered ones.
Molly inhaled deeply, and shook her head. “Chloe pretty much took Jupiter over. He spent all his time with her. They were sleeping together. Rules or no rules. I had hoped that once he left, that would be the end of it, but of course it wasn’t. He even came up to get her, on her last day. Did you know that?” I nodded my head. “He picked her up and took her home with him. And the next thing we knew, the
L.A. Times
was reporting Polaris Jones’s wedding to Chloe Pakulski at the Hollywood Bowl. Ten thousand CCU members were there, and the mayor officiated, along with two CCU ministers. I felt so bad for Jupiter. He loved her so much. She didn’t deserve it for a minute, but he loved her.”
I wondered if Molly might have felt for Jupiter the same emotion he had wasted on Chloe.
“Was Jupiter the only person Chloe was sleeping with?” I asked.
Molly looked shocked. “Of course he was. Wasn’t that bad enough?” Then she looked at her watch and frowned. “I think I’d better see you out. I’ve got to get back to work.”
I fished around in my purse and found a card for her. “Call me if you remember anything, okay?” I said, giving her a meaningful look.
She nodded briskly, shoved the card into her pocket, and strode away across the patio, leaving us to follow her out.
Eight
M UCH to our mutual disappointment, Al and I didn’t have time to make it all the way up to La Superica in Santa Barbara. We grabbed a couple of inferior turkey sandwiches from an organic deli in Ojai and sped down the highway in a doomed attempt to make it back to Isaac’s preschool in time to pick him up. I did my best to keep nausea at bay with an extra-large bag of blue corn tortilla chips.
“Are you all right?” Al said.
“Mmm?” I mumbled, my mouth full of food.
“You’re looking a little green around the gills.”
I blushed. “I’m okay. I just need to eat something.” I put another handful of chips in my mouth.
He tossed his unfinished sandwich on the dashboard. “Eat? I would have thought eating this crap would make you feel worse.”
I took a long gulp of milk to wash down the chips.
“And what’s with the milk?”
I blushed again. “Nothing. Calcium. Every woman needs calcium. I don’t want to end up hunchbacked.”
He raised his eyebrows at me. He slowed down as the traffic thickened, and I felt my stomach rebel at the change in speed. I gobbled up another handful of chips.
“You do
not
look good. Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Of course I’m okay. I’m fine,” I snapped.
He raised one hand in surrender. “Bite my head off, why don’t you.”
“Sorry. I’m fine. Really. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Don’t ask
me
. You want me to pull over or something?”
“No, I do
not
want you to pull over. It’s just the traffic. All this stopping and starting is making me carsick. Your truck doesn’t have the smoothest ride in the world.”
“So it’s my fault?”
I laughed. “Yeah. It’s your fault, Al. Everything is your fault. Anyway, what did you make of all that back at the center?”
He shook his head. “That Molly had the hots for Jupiter, that’s for sure.”
I nodded. “Yup. Do you think she and Jupiter were sleeping together before Chloe showed up?”
Al wrinkled his brow and thought for a moment. Then he said slowly, “I don’t think so. She doesn’t seem like
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