Chase shook his head and followed. He actually found her insistence that she couldn't cook very funny. He had no doubt that she could learn to cook if she had the desire. Hell, she could be a gourmet chef, if she wanted to.

He had the sneaking suspicion she could cook just fine, but she didn't like to. It didn't matter to him; he liked cooking.

"Holy cow," Becky said as she opened the door. "Looks like you brought enough for an army." She took the brownies from him. "You were supposed to just bring yourselves. But I do appreciate the goodies."

Abby followed Becky into the kitchen, and Chase wandered through the small house to the sliding glass door that led to the back deck. Several people Chase knew sat in resin lawn chairs, drinking beer. Tommy was down on the lawn, getting a grill started. Kids ran around everywhere.

"Hey, Chase," Paul Cormier greeted, saluting him with his beer.

"Hi, Paul, it's good to see you," he said as he stepped outside.

The greetings kept coming until he reached Tommy.

"Glad you could make it." He thumped Chase on the back. "Did you get a beer?"

"No, where are they?"

Tommy gestured with a spatula to a cooler on the lawn near the deck steps. "Help yourself. I think I'm about to have a weenie bonfire here." He started scooping some rather charred-looking hot dogs onto a plate.

Chase went over to get a beer and chatted for a moment with Chad Moore, before returning to talk with Tommy.

"So, is the weenie roast under control?"

Tommy cast an uncertain look at the pile of blackened wieners sitting in the middle of the picnic table.

One of the kids dashing around the yard actually stopped and stared at the pile quizzically.

Chase chuckled. "I hope you've got more."

Tommy nodded. "Where's Abby? Did she come?"

"Becky whisked her away to the kitchen." Chase glanced at the sliding glass door.

"She's fine. Beck will take good care of her."

Chase didn't doubt that, but he was still worried. He knew Abby felt a little awkward coming here.

"You're really interested in her, huh?"

Chase looked back at Tommy. "Yeah, I'm crazy about her."

"I can tell. She turned out to be real pretty."

Chase nodded.

"I kinda forgot how we picked on her." Remorse filled Tommy's voice. "I didn't actually remember until

I happened to tell Billy Norris about the incident at the Parched Dolphin."

Chase looked surprised. "You talked with Billy?"

"Ayuh, down at the docks. He's still fishing out of Portland, but he drove his boat up here to visit his

folks."

"Well, I think Abby had a hard time with the teasing she took. But I do think she's starting to realize that we were all just stupid kids."

"That we were," Tommy agreed, taking a swig from his beer.

They fell silent. Tommy wrestled with his new batch of hot dogs, and Chase thought about being a stupid

kid.

He had been the stupidest of them all. Hell, even Tommy, who had barely passed general courses, could- "Why is it men love to grill things?" Becky's voice hauled him back from his thoughts. Becky and Abby approached them. Chase could tell from Abby's relaxed posture and her smile that she was having a nice time with Becky. "Try burn," Tommy said sheepishly, jerking his head toward tine picnic table. "Tommy," Becky said sternly, then giggled. "I like burnt hot dogs," Abby said politely. The four of them exchanged looks and began to laugh. Chase put an arm around Abby and pulled her close. He really believed she would eat those scorched dogs just to convince Tommy she was sorry for her behavior. "Well," Becky said, going to the table to pick the platter up. "I don't think anyone needs to eat these. We've got plenty more hot dogs and a ton of hamburger. These are going to the trash." "Do you need help?" Abby asked.

"No, you stay here." Becky headed inside.

There was lots of good-natured ribbing as Becky passed. The guests seemed to be having a great time.

In fact, Chase thought the party was going very well, and Abby was getting more and more comfortable

with all the guests, many of whom she had gone to school with. That is until Summer-Ann arrived.

She sashayed out back and waved to the crowd of people gathered around several picnic tables. "Hi, Tommy and Becky. Hi, everyone."

Chase could tell by Tommy's confused expression and Becky's anxious one that they hadn't invited her.

He looked beside him at Abby. Her face was calm, but her spine was as straight as a beanpole. He

placed a hand on her back.

She offered him a reassuring smile.

"Candy told me you were having this little shindig," Summer-Ann said as she advanced toward Becky,

which meant she was also advancing toward them. Becky and Tommy sat directly across the table.

"And I had to come help you celebrate your great news," Summer-Ann said, a huge smile curling her lips. Becky smiled uneasily. "Thank you, Summer." Summer-Ann continued to smile until she noticed Chase and Abby on the other side of the table. Her smile curled into a sneer. "Hello, Chase." He nodded. "Well, this could be awkward," she declared. Chase couldn't agree more, but instead he caught Abby's hand and stood. "That's okay. We should probably be leaving." Abby didn't move. Chase frowned down at her. "This is a small town. We're going to run into each other. I'm not uncomfortable," she said softly. Chase wanted to argue, but thought Summer would enjoy that, so he nodded and sat down. "She's right," Summer-Ann agreed. "We can't avoid each other forever." Instead of walking away and joining the table where Candy sat as Chase thought she would, Summer-Ann sat down at the end of their table. She began talking with Nancy White.

"Are you sure?" Chase asked Abby.

Abby nodded and took a sip of her wine. "She'd love us to run and hide."

Tommy leaned forward and said quietly, "I'm sorry. We didn't invite her."

"I know," Chase said.

"So you've probably heard that Chase fired me." Summer-Ann's voice carried down the table, throughout the whole yard in fact.

A hush fell over the crowd.

"After nearly three years."

A few people at the other tables made forced conversation.

"And all because that ugly Stepp sister asked him to."

Chase jumped up. "I think you'd better watch yourself, Summer."

"It's the truth," she stated.

"That isn't the truth. Abby didn't ask me to fire you, that was solely my decision. And I should have done it sooner. Let's go." Chase grabbed Abby's arm, and this time she followed.

"Thank you," Abby murmured to Tommy and Becky.

As they stepped over the bench of the picnic table, Summer-Ann spoke again, this time to Abby. "How does it feel, Abby?"

Abby frowned at her. "What?"

"How does it feel to be so incredibly intelligent and be dating a guy who can't even write his own name?"

The air was crushed out of Chase's lungs. He tried to pull in a deep breath, but couldn't.

"What?"

He could hear Abby's voice, but it sounded like it was far, far away.

"That's right." Summer-Ann's voice filtered into his brain. "Chase can't write. He can't read. So tell me, what is a woman with a doctorate in biochemistry to do with some illiterate guy? I mean, alter the great sex has lost its appeal."

He dropped Abby's arm.

Tommy stood. "That's enough, Summer-Ann."

"That is just the truth, too," she said, looking innocently around at the stunned crowd. Looking as though she truly didn't realize she had just destroyed his world. Chase turned and began to leave, but Abby ran after him. She caught his arm, halting him. "Chase-" she started. But he couldn't let her finish. When he looked into her dark eyes all he could see was pity. Pity for the idiot who couldn't even read. He pulled his arm away. She tried to stop him again, but he shook her off. "Don't," he shouted, then lowered his voice. "I have to go."

Abby watched him, her heart breaking. She heard his car door slam and the engine start. Then she saw a flash of red as he tore down the wooded road. Tears filled her eyes, but she controlled them. She wasn't going to cry in front of Summer-Ann. She would enjoy it too much.

Instead she walked back to the table and glared at the blonde. "You should be ashamed."

Summer-Ann looked unimpressed.

"Chase helped you with Willy. He gave you a job so you could take better care of him. He forgave you

when you lied and told him Willy was his child. And you repay him like this? Humiliating him in front of

his friends." Summer-Ann cast a look around at the others. No one, even not Candy Moore, made eye contact with the blonde.

"You know," Abby said, anger churning through her. "I actually felt sorry for you. I was concerned when Chase told me he'd let you go. I was concerned for your little boy. I worried that you wouldn't make enough money to care for him and yourself. But now I realize my concern was misplaced. I should have been worrying about how someone so spiteful, so cruel could possibly raise a child."

Abby turned toward Tommy. "May I please have a ride home?"

He nodded. "Summer, I think you'd better go, too." But he didn't wait to see if she left.

When she and Tommy reached her house, she saw that Chase wasn't home. He had been shaken to the

core. He needed time alone to calm down. She just prayed that he was all right.

"I think Chase will need a while to cool off," Tommy said, as if he'd been reading her mind.

"Yes. That was the most hurtful thing Summer-Ann could have done to him."

Tommy nodded. "As far as I know, he hid it from everyone. I certainly never knew. That must have

been hard."

Abby knew it must have been. Much harder than anyone could probably ever know.

"Thanks for the ride."