Who knew homemade grape jelly tasted so much better than the stuff from the grocery store? If Mrs. Holgate—it was going to take me awhile to feel comfortable enough to call her Geraldine—wanted to teach me, then I would be her willing student.

I picked up the empty salad bowl and the half-empty plate of lamb, trying to breathe through my mouth, and carried them into the kitchen. Mrs. Holgate had excused herself for a moment—to the bathroom, I guess, although she seemed the type to never admit to something as base as that—and when she returned, she scolded me for clearing the table.

“Rain. Sit! I insist. How about a nice cup of tea?” She began filling the teapot with water. “Herbal or decaf?”

“Decaf is fine, thank you.”

When Chase entered the kitchen with the rest of the dishes, I gave him a bright smile and a thumbs-up. He responded with a wink.

“Chase, why don’t you take Izzy and show her your room?” his mother said.

“You mean the shrine?”

She batted his arm lovingly. “My boys tease me because I’ve left their rooms the same as when they were here. All of Chase’s trophies and awards are in there, including his jersey and his state champion football medal.” Her eyes were a bit damp as she continued. “You’re a mother, dear. You’ll see.”

Chase ran a paper towel under the faucet and used it to gently clean Izzy’s face and hands. “C’mon, Iz. Let’s go see my shrine before my mother starts singing the Parkland alma mater.”

Izzy slipped her hand in his. “What’s a shrine?”

“It’s a tribute to my misspent youth.”

Shaking her head, Mrs. Holgate chuckled softly. “Misspent youth. Hardly.”

She carried two mugs of tea to the kitchen table, placed one before me, and sat. “Chase had a wonderful childhood, despite his father’s trying to tear our family apart.”

The way her eyes suddenly bore into me, it was like I’d had something to do with his father’s abandonment. Chase had never said much about his father, and I hadn’t pushed. I added a spoonful of sugar to my tea and stirred.

“And high school? Well, he was one of the most popular boys at Parkland. Always laughing. Always smiling. Even the teachers loved him. He was smart, respectful. All the girls adored him, but only one captured his heart.”

It was a little difficult to resolve the Chase I knew, who was reserved and serious, with the Chase his mother described. And I didn’t exactly care for her last comment.

“He could have dated anyone, but from freshman year through graduation, he only had eyes for Jennifer. Even though they went to different colleges, they were inseparable on vacations and breaks. Although I didn’t exactly approve, he would drive out to State College to spend weekends with her at Penn State. But what can I say? They were in love.”

Funny how a peanut butter and jelly sandwich could turn against me so quickly.

“Do you believe in soulmates, Rain?”

My body grew leaden. I couldn’t open my mouth or lift my cup. The best I could do was a slight shrug of my shoulders.

Mrs. Holgate’s smile from earlier had turned into more of a smirk. “Well, you would if you’d ever seen Chase and Jennifer together. I’ve never seen two people so in love. That doesn’t just go away, dear. They will find their way back to each other. I’ve no doubt about that.”

She dipped into her pocket and produced a wallet-sized photo of Chase and Jennifer, which was from the same shoot as the framed photo hanging in the hallway. Jennifer was beautiful, with long dark hair and bright-green eyes. Chase stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her shoulders, head tilted so that as Jennifer smiled at the camera, he smiled at her. And, yes, he looked like he loved her—very much.

“They make a beautiful couple,” she said, slipping the photo back into her pocket. “And they’ll make beautiful children someday.” She leaned forward and touched my leaden hand across the table. Her fingers were thin and cold, and I wanted to shake them off, but I still couldn’t move. “You need to face facts, dear. It’s inevitable. They’re soulmates. The longer the two of you stay together, the harder it’s going to be for you when he realizes what a mistake he’s made.”

Mistake? I wasn’t sure if she meant breaking up with Jennifer or being with me. Maybe both. I gave my head a shake, trying to clear away some of the hurt that had descended with her words.

“Mistake?” This time I said it out loud. “Do you think it’s a mistake to break your engagement when you find your fiancée in bed with your best friend? Is that the mistake you’re talking about, or am I the mistake?”

She reared back as if I’d slapped her, and I had a sinking feeling she had no idea why Chase and Jennifer had broken up. Too bad, bitch. I probably shouldn’t have been the one to tell her, but I had every right to defend myself.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about or where you heard that, but it’s an ugly thing to say. That poor girl is heartbroken. She would’ve never done anything like that. Not all women have loose morals.” She dropped her voice and leaned forward again. “I think you may have gotten your stories confused. Isn’t it true that you’re the one who was sleeping with someone else’s fiancé? You think I don’t know women like you? Women who just take what they want, not caring who suffers? A woman just like you, all flash and no substance, stole my husband and destroyed my family, practically ruined my boys’ childhoods. If you think I’m going to let you destroy my son, think again. He’s been hurt enough. You will never be good enough for him. And don’t say I didn’t warn you. When he finally sees you for what you are, he and Jennifer will find each other again, and you’ll still be a two-bit whore looking for your next baby daddy.”

I stood so quickly the chair toppled over. “Chase!”

Mrs. Holgate stood as well. “Don’t be a fool.”

Chase appeared in the doorway holding Izzy. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry. Can we go? I’m not feeling well.”

“Yeah, sure.” He set Izzy down and picked up the chair. “Can you go get the coats, sweetheart?”

“Are you okay, Mommy?”

“I am, sweetie. I’m really tired, and something has upset my tummy.”

Chase put his hand on my arm and tried to lead me to sit down, but I shook him off. “Really, I just want to get home.” I turned to his mother. “Thank you again for the gifts and dinner.” It was all I could get out, and more than she deserved.

I met Izzy in the front hall, where she was holding up my leopard-print jacket—something a woman with no substance would wear. All flash. I bit back tears and was slipping it on when Mrs. Holgate emerged from the kitchen carrying a container of leftovers for Chase and a jar of homemade grape jelly for me and Izzy.

She leaned in to kiss my cheek, and I stiffened. “Remember what I said,” she whispered. “Leave, or you’ll be the one who gets hurt this time.”

My legs threatened to give out. Even the attack I’d suffered from Preston’s fiancée hadn’t thrown me like this. In her way, Suzanne had every reason to hate me. I’d have hated me too if the shoe had been on the other foot. But this? This made no sense. The woman was either psychotic, or Chase’s sister-in-law had really poisoned his mother against me.

Chase gave his mother a tight hug. “Thanks again for everything, Mom. I’m sorry we have to leave so abruptly, but we had a great time, right, Rain?”

My nod was met with another smirk over his shoulder.

“I hope you feel better, dear. Call me when you get home. You know I worry.”

* * *

The ride home was quiet. Izzy fell asleep, and I pretended to. I couldn’t talk to Chase about what had happened, not in the car, but I would as soon as we got home. His mother had no right to say the things she’d said to me, and I’d be a fool to tolerate it.

Before I could stop it, I burped. The damn grape jelly was burning a hole in my stomach.

“Excuse me.” I shifted, trying to get comfortable.

“You all right?”

I glanced at Izzy, who was out like a light.

“I’ll be fine. I need some Tums or something.”

“I hope that’s all it is.”

“Yeah, me too. Look, Chase—”

“I gotta tell you, babe, I don’t think I could be happier right now.” He grabbed my hand and pulled it to his lips. “You making the effort with my mom. It means the world to me. I don’t have much family left, just her and my brother, who’s being a dick right now. But we’ll work that shit out. Today was more than I could’ve hoped for. You and Izzy and my mom, you’re the people I love most in this world, and to have you at odds—to be honest, that was kinda killing me.”

I watched his face as he watched the road. He stole a quick glance, and when he saw me staring, he smiled. Scratch that. He was beaming. Fuck.

“If I haven’t said it yet today, I’ll say it now. I fucking love you, Rain. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me.”

Right. “I love you too, babe.”

And I did. So much. Which meant I would do everything I could to keep making him happy.