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does the
mean?” Jasmine knew she should let it go, but if her mother knew
something she didn’t, she wanted in on the secret.
    “I know Jill
and Glenn would love more grandbabies.” She took a pitcher of sweet
tea out of the stainless steel fridge and closed the door with her
hip. “Course, I told her she should be grateful she has two. I’m
beginning to think your daddy and I’ll never have the chance to
spoil any of our own.”
    Jasmine was
tired of having that conversation. She’d told her parents she’d
settle down when she found the right person, but they routinely
pushed her until she got frustrated and stormed out of the house.
“Mama, I don’t want to argue with you today. Please, can we just
have a nice dinner and--”
    “Who’s arguing?
I’m just trying to tell you that you missed your chance with Eli,
so you’d best be looking elsewhere.”
    Jasmine gripped
the edge of the counter. “You know Eli and I are just friends. If
he’s found someone who makes him happy, I’m happy for him.”
    “Girl, when are
you gonna get your head out of your--”
    “Mama! On
Sunday? Really?”
    Rita pursed her
lips as she set the table. “I’m just worried about you. Men like
Eli don’t come along very often, and when they do, smart girls
don’t waste any time snapping them up.” She pointed to the mashed
potatoes on the stovetop. “Dish those up, would ya?”
    Jasmine tried
to pretend spooning potatoes into a bowl required all of her
attention, but she knew she wasn’t fooling anyone. Her mother came
up beside Jasmine and stared at her intently.
    Rita brushed
her daughter’s hair over her shoulder and asked, “What’s wrong with
you, honey? You’ve wasted too much time loving a man who never
loved you half as much as Eli does. Can’t you see that?”
    Jasmine bit her
lip, determined not to cry. Ever since last night, she’d felt as
though she might break down if the wind blew the wrong way. “I see
a lot things more clearly now, but that doesn’t change
anything.”
    “Does that mean
you’re finally willing to admit you have feelings for Eli?”
    “I’ve never
denied that I love Eli, Mama.”
    “Don’t give me
that.” Rita reached for the bowl and set it aside so Jasmine
wouldn’t have an excuse not to look at her. “There’s a difference
between loving him as a friend and loving him the way he needs you
to. He’s been waiting for you for a long time, honey. You can’t
expect him to wait forever.”
    “I have a
feeling it may already be too late.” She lost her battle to
suppress the tears as one slid down her cheek. “I’m going to lose
him. Things must be getting serious with this woman if he brought
her home to meet his family. She’s not going to want him to
continue being friends with me, and could you blame her?”
    Rita grasped
her daughter’s hands and held tight. “You listen to me. You’re
gonna stop feeling sorry for yourself. You took a while to see what
the rest of us have seen for years, but that doesn’t mean it’s too
late. She doesn’t have his ring on her finger. Until she does, he’s
fair game.”
    Jasmine was
shocked by her mother’s advice. Rita’s old-fashioned values
dictated propriety and respect above all. She was the last person
Jasmine expected to advise her to try and lure Eli away from
Belinda. “I can’t believe you’re saying that.”
    Rita smiled and
brushed the back of her hand over Jasmine’s cheek. “You know what
they say, Jamie. All’s fair in love and war.”
    “I guess you’re
right,” Jasmine said, hugging her mother fiercely. “I just hope he
doesn’t wind up hating me for waiting so long to tell him how I
feel.”
     
    ***
     
    Eli felt
restless when he left his parents’ home. He didn’t feel like
returning to an empty house and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to
Belinda. He wanted to talk to Jamie, but she was probably still
wrung out after her drunken binge the night before.
    Eli was
standing at the bar at Jimmy’s,