Page 70 of Just Trouble

Nothing about it says ‘my son is a rock star.’

“This is the house you bought your mom?”

“It’s the one she wanted.” I feel the weight of his gaze. “You look surprised, Daph.”

“I expected a mansion, some huge fancy place.”

Luke smiles and there’s affection in his expression and his tone. “Then you don’t know my mom very well.”

I don’t. She used to cut my mom’s hair. I would say they were acquaintances, not friends. Friendly. I haven’t seen Louise since my mom’s funeral, an unexpected realization that catches me a little.

“She wanted a place she could manage herself, that she could stay in for the duration. She wanted a garden and a spare bedroom and her dream kitchen.” Luke raises a hand. “This is it. She said she knew it when she saw it.”

“Impulse runs in the family then?”

“Or maybe I came honestly by my inclination to trust my gut. Are you coming in?” he asks. “I won’t be long, but she’ll give me hell if I leave you to wait in the car.”

I smile at the prospect of anyone chewing Luke out and turn off the engine. “Yes. I’d like that.”

I’m curious, naturally, but that’s about more than the house. I want to see Luke and his mom together.

And I’m not disappointed. Louise is clearly delighted to have a surprise visit and almost smothers Luke in hugs and kisses. He appears to tolerate her fussing, with some objections, even though he’s a good foot taller than her. I can see that he’s loving it. He protests that he was there a couple of days ago, but she ignores that. She tousles his hair and tells him he’s too thin, then welcomes me with a radiant smile.

She’s a very pretty woman and looks younger than she has to be. Perfectly turned out. Her hair is dark, too, though not as black as Luke’s. More of a deep brown, and there are a few silver hairs mixed in. Her eyes are thickly lashed like Luke’s and clear green. She’s also tall and slim, so the genetic legacy was consistent. She’s comes across as warm and kind, the kind of person whose presence makes you smile. I remember that my mom really liked her.

In no time, we’re seated in her kitchen—which is cozy and yellow, with wooden cabinets and counters of veined stone with metallic flicks in it. The sunlight streams through the window and there’s a line of herbs on the sill, all thriving and green.

“I suppose you’ve come for a reason,” she says to Luke, her tone teasing.

“Actually, I came to get my guitar,” he says and something in his tone catches my ear. “And to see you, of course. Daph was good enough to drive me.”

He doesn’t mention where he spent the last two nights so I won’t either.

Louise turns to look at him, bracing her hips against the counter and folding her arms across her chest. “Your guitar?”

“Yes.” Luke is obviously discomfited.

She doesn’t relent. “You’re taking it away.”

“Yes.” He’s practically fidgeting.

I’m officially and unofficially intrigued.

“After all this time, you suddenly want your guitar?”

“What difference does it make?” he asks her. “I thought you’d be glad to have it out of your way.”

Louise exhales, the kettle boils and she turns around to make the tea. “Where are you going to keep it?” she asks, then glances at me as if she knows the answer already.

Why does this matter?

My mom was a huge fan of Neil Simon’s work. We used to have movie marathons on Friday nights when my dad was working late.The Odd Couple. The Sunshine Boys. Sweet Charity. Barefoot in the Park. The Plaza Suite. The Heartbreak Kid.She loved them all, the dialogue and the characterizations, and I loved them because she loved them.

That’s when I have it.

The Goodbye Girl.In that movie, the heroine is finally convinced that the hero is coming back because he leaves his guitar at her Manhattan apartment when he accepts an acting job elsewhere. The last actor she loved never came back from a distant job, so she had issues.

“I’m not sure,” Luke says, avoiding her gaze. “I just want to have it.”

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