It wasn’t until a hand on her shoulder did Bette tear her focus away from Angelica. “Kit?”

“It’ll be OK.”

She covered the hand on her shoulder with her own. “Thanks, Kit.”

“You’re doing the right thing, Bette. It’s for Angelica’s sake, right?”

The two Porters joined the rest of the group, enjoying the simple gathering for what it is. Laughter could be heard throughout the house, much to the amusement of Bette.

In another part of town, Shane was standing at the door, waiting for Tina to answer. She knocked on the door again, stepping to the side when she heard movement within the house.

“Tina?”

“Shane,” Tina breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God it’s you.”

“What’s going on?” Shane asked as Tina ushered her in.

“Have a seat. You want something to drink?”

“No, I’m good.”

Tina nodded. She formulated the words in her head, hoping it would calm her down.  “Henry proposed to me earlier.”

Shane kept quiet, though her widened eyes were enough indicator for Tina to continue.

“I turned him down,” Tina said quietly.

“Oh,” Shane was surprised. “Were you worried Henry would cause trouble?”

“No, he’s giving me a few days to think about it,” Tina answered. “I just don’t know how to make him understand.”

“Understand what?”

“That I won’t marry him. Or anyone else, for that matter.”

“Why not?” Shane fished for answers.

“I can’t… I can’t give myself that way to anyone,” Tina let the admission sink in.

“Because of Bette?” Shane prodded further.

“Because of the high standards she has set,” Tina corrected. “Even with her flaw, Bette is the closest thing to perfection. It’s hard to top that.”

“Then why did you? Try to replace her?”

“Because I was afraid of admitting I made a mistake when I took a year off for the pregnancy,” the blonde said softly. “That was the root of our problems.”

“And things piled up on top of that,” Shane observed.

Tina nodded. “I knew Bette would not say anything about the extra burden. That just made me feel worse. I didn’t know how to tell her I changed my mind about taking the year off.”

Shane let out a shaky breath. She resisted the urge to tell the woman just how much damage she had caused.

“I’m in way over my head; I don’t know how to back down. I tried talking to Henry, but he could never understand the whole thing.”

“Maybe you should talk to Bette about this,” Shane offered. “If nothing, get her professional advice.”

“No.”

“No?” Shane was confused by Tina’s answer. “Why the hell not?”