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“Alright,” said Jem slowly. “So, um, if you don’t mind me asking, why have you left him?”

“Because of you,” Rosie said, turning to her in surprise as though this should have been obvious. She turned back to her mother-in-law. “Is it alright if I take the blue room?”

“Of course,” said Jem’s mother and Rosie picked up her case and started up the stairs.

“Wait, because of me?” Jem asked.

Rosie turned back. “Obviously. I mean, what if our daughter is gay?” She put a protective hand on her stomach.

“It’s a girl?” asked Jem’s mother, smiling.

“It is. I haven’t told him yet,” grinned Rosie. “He’ll be furious.” She turned back and took her case up the stairs.

“Wait, what?” Jem said, looking at her mother.

“Are you a fool?” her mother asked. “Rosie left your brother to teach him a lesson because he’s being a terrible homophobe. Something that he learned at school, I’m sure, because he certainly didn’t learn it here.”

“Alright,” Jem said. She looked up the stairs. “And… um…”

“And Jasper will be lost without her and will come looking for her in a day or so just like he always does. He will learn some kind of lesson, or at least we hope he does. Hungry?”

“Um, yes,” said Jem, following her mother to the kitchen and trying to take all this in.

“Speaking of house guests,” her mother said as she opened the massive fridge. “It’s about time you stopped feeling sorry for yourself.”

“I’m sorry?” Jem said.

“You’ve had enough time to come to your senses,” said her mother. “And it’s time to get back out there. You can either continue with this farce or set things straight, I don’t particularly care which, though I think you’re too intelligent to let this nonsense go on much longer.”

“Nonsense,” Jem said weakly.

Her mother sighed, put a cold pork pie on a platter on the table and looked at her. “Have you not been thinking about things?”

Jem blew out a breath. Had she? Not really. Well, there was one exception.

“That’s what I thought,” her mother said. “Thinking about that gal. So, it’s time you did something about it.”

“Something about what?”

Her mother looked as though her patience were rapidly running out. “Well, do you love her or not?” She eyed her daughter up and down. “No, don’t analyze it, just answer.”

For once, Jem answered from her heart. “Yes.”

“Well then, you’d better find a way to repair the damage that you caused, hadn’t you?” said her mother. “There’s some fresh tomatoes by the sink, chop them up will you, there’s a good girl.”

She made it sound so simple.

Jem started to chop.

Except…

Maybe it was simple.

Maybe it was time that she stood up for something, that she became something, that she changed something.

Because her old life was gone, that was clear. Rolly hadn’t rung all week. Annabelle wanted to set her up with an old school friend. Her mother was suddenly far more perceptive and caring than Jem had thought she could be. Rosie apparently wore the trousers in her relationship with Jasper. Things weren’t at all as she’d always thought they were.

Which meant she might have made a mistake.