Chapter 8 Summary

After an uncomfortable, argumentative evening, Matt ends up in Lizabeth's bed in spite of her having told him she doesn't want him there; he tried sleeping in Jason's, but his weight broke it. After a bit more arguing, they end up making love ... but in the morning, Lizabeth comes to the conclusion that she's got to let him go (see "Quotes", p. 184). She's a mother first and foremost, she thinks, and she also wants to make an independent life for herself. If she married Matt, she theorizes, he'd get lost. Her reverie is interrupted by the smell of smoke and the arrival of firemen. She races downstairs only to discover that the well-intentioned but kitchen-challenged Matt started to make breakfast, but the grease of the bacon caught fire and set the entire kitchen ablaze. For a few moments Lizabeth is struck silent, but...