1: 1

My boyfriend was taking me home to meet his family for the first time.

I'd spent a few thousand on more than a dozen kinds of gifts, and the moment I walked in, his childhood sweetheart started picking them apart.

"Violet Winfield, honey, everything you bought is stuff his mom doesn't like."

Either the skincare made her look old, or the health tonics and supplements were useless.

Beside me, my boyfriend's mother's expression soured on the spot.

The girl smiled and smoothed it over.

"But it's okay. It's your first time, after all. You'll get the hang of it later."

"Next time you can let me be your advisor. I'll help you pick."

At dinner, she sat right beside my boyfriend.

My seat was off in the corner.

The two of them joked and teased the whole time.

And I sat there like an outsider who couldn't get a word in.

His mother even offered me a consoling word.

"Those two have been roughhousing since they were kids. Don't take it to heart."

I watched it all with a bitter taste in my mouth, and shook my head.

"I don't mind at all, ma'am."

After all, my best friend was right. A man with a childhood sweetheart really isn't worth keeping.

1

My boyfriend, Finn Sanchez, was taking me home for the first time.

By any measure, it was supposed to be an important day.

He'd told me days in advance that his family took this day seriously too, that they'd been getting ready for a while now.

But I never expected that the moment the door opened,

his childhood sweetheart, Mildred Hansen, would be there too.

She threw herself straight into his arms.

"You little brat, coming home this late?"

"You've got me stuck in the kitchen with your mom picking vegetables all this time. You're taking three penalty shots later!"

My smile vanished, my eyes fixed on the pair of legs she had wrapped around his waist.

Finn seemed to sense something was off too.

He patted her. "My girlfriend's right here. What's this supposed to look like? Get down."

It took a while before Mildred finally turned and noticed me.

She stopped smiling all at once, staring straight at me, then said with theatrical exaggeration,

"Oh my, such a gorgeous girl. You little brat, you never told me your girlfriend was this pretty."

She came over and cozied up to me.

"So when are you and this brat getting married?"

"Once you two tie the knot, I'll have one more pretty older sister."

She kept nuzzling up against me the whole time, so warm it made me uncomfortable.

We'd only just met for the first time.

Yet she acted like we'd known each other for eight hundred years.

I pulled my hand back. "Hi. I'm Violet."

Mildred ignored my outstretched hand, leaving me hanging there with a grin.

"Violet, honey, just make yourself at home. Don't stand around, come in and sit."

Her tone was as if she were the lady of this house.

"Wow, Violet, you bought all this?"

She lifted a box of the gourmet health tonic, turning it over for a look, then burst out laughing.

"Honey, his mom really doesn't eat this brand. Finn bought it once before, she said it smelled fishy, left it a whole year without opening it, and tossed the whole thing in the end."

My hands went still.

She picked up the set of high-end skincare next, studied it for a couple of seconds, and gave a slight frown.

"This set's too heavy. His mom's skin is on the oily side, this'll clog her pores and break her out. Wouldn't it have been better to just ask me before you bought it?"

She turned and stuck out her tongue at Finn, her voice slipping into a wheedling lilt.

"It's all your fault. You should've introduced me to her sooner. Now she's wasted all this money for nothing."

Finn smiled at her, indulgent, and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"No one's as clever as you."

"Mildred, all these years my mom's only ever liked you. You could hand her a twig and she'd probably think it was wonderful."

"Oh, stop exaggerating!"

Mildred stood up, brushed the dust off her hands, and smoothed things over with a grin.

"But it's okay. It's her first time. She'll get the hang of it later."

"Next time you want to buy something, honey, come to me first. I'll help you figure it out and make sure his mom likes it."

Every word out of her mouth looked innocent as could be.

But turn it over carefully, and it dripped with showing off.

"But all this stuff, what a shame…"

"Nothing to be a shame about."

Finn nudged the gifts with his foot and said, flat and final,

"When you leave later, take them for your mom to use."

"Violet probably put a lot of thought into picking these. They weren't cheap."

I jerked my head up in disbelief.

2: 2

2

Mildred lit up at once, hooking an arm around Finn's neck, their faces suddenly inches apart.

"Good boy. You actually know how to spoil your big sister."

"Let go. Look at you, not a bit ladylike. Keep it up and no one will marry you."

He said it, but the smile had already risen in his eyes.

The two of them traded one line after another.

I couldn't get a single word in.

I looked down at the pile of gifts I'd chosen so carefully, given away with one offhand line from Finn.

It struck me as almost funny.

A few thousand dollars, more than a dozen items, a whole week of research.

I'd asked the sales clerks, asked my friends, picked only the best-reviewed things on the market.

And here, not one had even been opened before it was sentenced to death.

"Violet."

Finn finally came over.

"Mildred's just blunt. Don't take it to heart."

"We grew up together since we were kids. My mom always wanted a daughter, so she's especially fond of her."

"Basically treats her like half a daughter, that's why she gets away with so much here. Don't mind it."

Before I could say anything, a voice came from behind me.

"Come on, dinner's ready."

May Sanchez came out carrying the dishes and called everyone to the table.

Mildred was the first to rush over, claimed a seat at the table, and patted the chair beside her.

"Finn! Sit here, quick, I saved you a spot!"

Finn paused, then turned and glanced back at me.

I looked at him too.

Before we came I'd said more than once that I'd be nervous, that I hoped he'd look out for me a little.

He'd clapped a hand to his chest and promised me, again and again.

"Relax, baby. At my place, you think I'd let anyone leave you out?"

"Besides, my mom's been dying for her son to bring a girl home."

"You show up, and my whole family treats you like a treasure. They'll be thrilled."

But now, with Mildred there keeping the mood lively,

I was like a stranger who'd wandered in by mistake, pushed into a corner as if I didn't matter.

Finn hesitated for two seconds, then walked over anyway and sat down beside Mildred.

"Violet, you sit over there."

May pointed to the seat at the very corner of the table, farthest from the head, nearly against the wall.

"That spot's cooler. You just got here, I know you don't like the heat."

I pressed my lips together, walked over, and sat down.

The bowl and chopsticks in front of me were new, but the cup had a cartoon cat printed on it, different from every other cup on the table.

Clearly something dug out at the last minute.

Then I saw the table crowded with dishes, and my face fell again.

Spicy braised ribs, spicy braised pork trotters, spicy Cajun boil, fiery hot-and-spicy braised pork...

Not one that wasn't loaded with heat.

"Finn, try this one. I helped your aunt mix the sauce, it's way better than what you had before."

Mildred set a rib in Finn's bowl.

Finn bent his head, took a bite, nodded. "Mm, not bad."

"Of course!"

Mildred's eyes curved into little crescents. "Auntie has me giving her tips when she cooks now. I'm practically half her daughter."

May, laughing, ladled more soup into Mildred's bowl. "You sweet-talking child. I'd love to have you here every day."

"Then I'll come mooch dinner off you every day, Auntie. No complaining that I'm a bother."

"No bother, no bother. Just one more pair of chopsticks."

The three of them talked away, laughter circling above the table.

I sat in the corner, and out of a whole table of food there wasn't a single bite I could eat.

All I could do was quietly ladle myself a bowl of soup.

"Sis, why are you only drinking soup? Eat something, quick."

Mildred propped her chin in both hands and tilted her head at me.

"Look how thin you are. Finn, don't you feel bad for her?"

Finn just smiled beside her. "She never eats much anyway."

"That won't do! Once she marries in, she'll have to get used to how much this family eats, or Auntie's cooking all goes to waste."

This family.

My brow tightened at once, but clearly no one but me thought anything was off.

Mildred slapped Finn on the thigh.

"You little brat, why aren't you getting food for your girlfriend?"

Finn looked down with a small laugh, picked up his chopsticks, and dropped a piece of spicy rib into my bowl.

I didn't move. "I told you, I don't eat spicy."

The air went strange and quiet in an instant.

Finn frowned.

"My mom worked so hard to make this whole table of food. Even just to be polite, you could eat a couple of bites."

I said it again. "Finn, you know I can't eat spicy."

Mildred stuck her tongue out playfully.

"I'm so sorry. Uncle and Auntie know I've loved spicy food since I was little. They probably made it all for me."

"Since Violet can't eat it, maybe I'll just order a few more dishes..."

She said it, but her body made no move to do anything.

"Millie, you don't need to order anything."

Finn's face darkened all at once, and he turned to look at me.

"Are you eating or not?"

I looked at him in silence, said nothing.

Finally, Finn dropped his chopsticks down hard.

"If you're not eating, leave it there. It wasn't made for you anyway."

I gave a small "oh" and turned to leave.

Finn's hand shot out and gripped my wrist.

"Where do you think you're going? Two words of criticism and you throw a tantrum?"

"What did you say before we came? You said you'd make a good impression on my parents."

I lifted my head and looked at him.

"From the moment we walked in, did you ever once remember I'm your girlfriend?"

"I put real thought into picking those gifts. Your family didn't like them."

"You asked me six times before this what I eat, whether I could handle spice."

"And in the end, of every dish on that table, not one wasn't spicy."

"Finn, the way things are going, I don't think we're right for each other."

"Let's just break up."

3: 3

3

I pushed the door open and walked out.

Behind me I heard Finn call my name, but he didn't come after me.

Then, from inside, I caught the sound of Finn and Mildred talking.

"Finn, your girlfriend just up and left like that. Is she upset or something?"

"No. She's just the introverted type."

"Oh. She walked out just like that and you're not going after her?"

Finn gave a cold snort.

"She's just being dramatic. If I indulge her now, she'll be walking all over me once she marries in."

He turned to look at Mildred.

"Since when do you worry this much about me?"

"I don't worry about you at all! I'm just afraid you'll set off your caveman streak and offend her. Don't come crying to me when she runs off."

Finn laughed.

"You think everyone's as hard to please as you?"

The two of them went back and forth, and somehow turned an awkward silence into an easy, lively little chat.

I let out a bitter laugh, pulled out my phone, and opened my chat with my best friend, Lucille Fox.

Her message from ten minutes ago was still sitting there.

"You there yet? How's it going, how's it going?"

"Is his family nice to you? What's his mom's attitude like?"

I stared at the screen for a long time.

In the end I typed: "That little childhood sweetheart of his is here too. I called it off."

The first time I found out Finn had a childhood sweetheart,

Lucille had warned me, dead serious.

"Violet, I'm telling you right now, a man with a childhood sweetheart is a man you don't touch!"

"That thing is like athlete's foot. You can treat the symptoms all you want, but you never cure it. Even if you peel off the skin, the smell stays."

Now I thought she'd had a point.

For three days straight, I didn't answer a single one of Finn's messages.

I certainly didn't move into his apartment.

On the fourth day, Finn finally couldn't sit still and came to my door to apologize.

"What happened that day really was my fault."

"You've always wanted to go camping, right?"

"Give me a chance. Let it make up for it, okay?"

Over those few days I hadn't been able to let go of what Finn and I had, either.

Apart from the childhood sweetheart, we got along well in every other way, and we were close to talking about marriage.

I wasn't willing to throw away six years over one Mildred Hansen.

So I agreed to go camping.

"I'll go pack my things."

"Be there on time to pick me up tomorrow."

Finn thumped his chest and swore he wouldn't be late.

But the next day, camping gear in my arms, I still ended up waiting downstairs for half an hour.

The second I rolled the window down, I saw Mildred sitting in the passenger seat with a bright smile.

She waved at me.

"Hey, sis! Get in quick, it's hot out there!"

I stood at the curb holding the camping case, staring at that beaming face in the passenger window, and slowly curled my fingers into my palm.

Finn frowned at me.

"Violet, what are you standing there for? Put the case in the trunk, let's get going."

"Finn," I looked at him, "why is she here?"

The smile on his face froze for a beat, then he explained it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Millie happened to be free. Said she was bored home alone and wanted to tag along. I figured the more the merrier..."

"The merrier?"

I lifted my eyes. "I agreed to come camping because you said it was to make things up to me."

"I know."

Finn went on, "But Millie said she wanted to spend more time with you, worried there was some rift between you two. She's the one making the effort to smooth things over, isn't she? See how considerate she is."

I glanced down at the neatly folded blanket and the snacks packed in my camping case, and felt like an idiot.

Because we were going camping, I'd made a special trip to the store to buy the beef jerky Finn loved.

I'd spent a whole night reading up on camping tips.

I'd booked a small tent, one for two people.

Somewhere in me there had still been a sliver of hope that this time we could finally talk things out properly.

And instead, there was Mildred sitting in the passenger seat.

"Sis!"

Mildred hopped down from the car too, blinking at me all innocent.

"Are you upset? I really just wanted to hang out with you two, I promise I won't get in the way!"

"If you think I'm a bother, I'll leave right now."

She turned as if to walk off.

Finn grabbed her arm at once. "Hey, don't go, you're already here."

He turned back to me, his eyes pleading.

"Violet, just let her come along. I won't feel right sending her home by herself."

With him saying all that, I gave a self-mocking little laugh.

"So can I even say no?"

"Let's go."

I was about to open the passenger door when Mildred suddenly stopped me.

"Sis, I get carsick easily, I can only sit up front."

She pointed at the seat cushion in the passenger seat.

"See, my cushion's already there and everything."

Finn spoke up. "It's just one seat. Finn, you take the back."

I pressed my lips together and obediently went to the back seat.

Once the car got moving, Mildred reclined the passenger seat a little.

She half-lay against the seatback, one foot tucked up under her, chatting on and off with Finn.

"Finn, remember? When we were kids and went camping, my dad put the tent poles in backwards and the whole thing collapsed in the middle of the night. The two of us squeezed into one sleeping bag until morning."

Finn laughed. "You've got some nerve bringing that up. You were so scared you cried, wiped your snot all over me."

"I did not wipe snot all over you! Stop making things up!"

"Ask your mom. When you got home and she washed your clothes, weren't they covered in snot stains?"

The two of them burst out laughing.

In the rearview mirror, Finn's eyes curved into little crescents, a kind of easy, wide-open joy I'd never seen before.

When we reached the site, I stayed put to pitch the tent while Finn and Mildred carried the gear from the car.

Then Mildred twisted her ankle by accident.

Finn rushed over at once, all worry. "Does it hurt a lot? Here, let me rub it."

I watched him gently ease off her shoe and set her foot carefully on his lap, kneading it.

I just stood there, watching with no expression at all.

"You two enjoy yourselves. I'm heading off."

"Violet, are you throwing a tantrum again?"

Finn's voice came, sharp with irritation.

I shrugged.

"With the two of you being so lovey-dovey, I'm the one who looks like a clueless third wheel."

"Maybe I should just go and leave the two of you to your little private world."

Finn's face went dark in an instant.

"Violet, that's enough! Why do you have to be so snide?"

"Millie twisted her ankle, she can't walk, all I did was help her up. Can you not be jealous over every little thing?"