Another day, Scott asks Jess to meet him at his apartment before going out to dinner. A friend of Jess's mother, Stella Thompson, sees Jess enter his apartment. This becomes a subject of gossip among Jess's friends, including George's wife Riette, and eventually their children. Jess's mother, Mary, confronts Scott on Christmas Eve. All the while, however, Jess's relationship with Scott is platonic, though Jess has begun to return his affections, initially out of spite against the rumor mill. She later confronts it head-on at a New Year's Eve party. Behind closed doors and at Jess's insistence on knowing the source of the rumors, Riette expresses her disapproval of Jess's behavior. Jess tells her that she is doing nothing wrong and she will not be deterred by other people's opinions. She leaves the party with Scott, going to Chicago to ring in the new year.