I kissed him gently, marveling that I had brought a new boy home to meet my parents. Lo and behold, Mom and Daddy—who sighed and rolled their eyes and made considerable fuss about why I couldn’t find a nice Southern boy—really loved Harris. In fact, he kind of made Mom swoon, which was a real plus.

Daddy wasn’t a huge fan of the Summer Splash, and he wasn’t going, which I thought made him a bad sport, but I didn’t say so. Instead, I took Mom as my date. As she climbed in the passenger side, her yellow-and-white-striped shirtdress’s full skirt swishing around her calves, toned from her Pilates regimen, I said, “So, Mom, what do you think?”

She looked at me very seriously and said, “I was prepared to hate him. I wanted to hate him. But, darling girl, that man is a doll. He is perfection roaming the face of the earth.”

I was doing my best to back out of the very long driveway when she said, “And what’s more, he is madly in love with you.”

I glanced at her as I turned onto the road. “You think?”

She nodded and pursed her lips. “Anyone could see it, but he told me so himself.”

I laughed out loud. “Then why on earth hasn’t he told me?”

“He thinks he’ll scare you off. After the whole Thad debacle.” She paused and let out a low whistle.

“It will no longer be a debacle as of tomorrow,” I said.

“They get it done in Florida, don’t they? Time flies when you’re having fun.” She paused and winked. “With Harris.”

I laughed again. “I’ve already signed. I’m just glad it’s over.” I paused. “But, like, what do I do tomorrow?”

“Do about what, darling?”

“Well, I mean, do I call Thad? Do I text him?”

She gasped audibly. “Call that two-timing life destroyer? I very much think not. After what he did to you…” She trailed off, and I could tell she was trying to calm herself down. That woman could work herself into a frenzy.

“It’s just weird, you know. Like, he was my best friend, and now it’s all over.” I paused. “He and Chase are getting married. And adopting a child.”

When we entered downtown, I pulled into the first parking spot I saw on the side of the street. We would have to walk a couple of blocks, but I was surprised to find a spot at all. As I opened the door, I could already hear the band playing. It made me smile. The simplicity of it all.

“That is just the worst betrayal yet. How could he do this to you?” Mom said.

I shrugged. It was strange because I couldn’t even really work up to feeling mad. But that wasn’t fair because I had been mad. And devastated. And jealous. And insecure. All the things, I think, that are natural to feel when the person who is supposed to love you most betrays you. I’d had time to be all those things and let them pass, but this was brand-new for my mom. We walked down the sidewalk, making our way toward the party.