The Soulmate Equation

Although Jess smiles through her interview, she wonders if River had anything to do with GeneticAlly’s deception. This thought prompts her to question her feelings. Once the interview is over, River—who has picked up on Jess’s shift in mood—asks if she’s angry with him. She tells him that she isn’t, but “Something happened” (291) and she needs to talk to him alone. River pulls Jess close, but she’s unable to reciprocate. Jess receives a frantic text from Fizzy and leaves.

Jess finds Fizzy on her living room couch, eyes red from crying. Fizzy tells Jess that her banker boyfriend, Rob, is actually married. She says he came to Twiggs to tell her, and she responded by throwing a pitcher of water in his face. She adds that they had just sent samples to GeneticAlly, but now, she doesn’t want to know the results. Jess comforts Fizzy, and they spend the afternoon together, watching a movie. Later that evening, Jess texts River to come over. She asks if he has a copy of their data and tells him to bring it.

River arrives and shows Jess their data in the form of a scatterplot, on which it would be difficult to discern similarities to Johan and Dotty Fuchs’s own. The ending run times—which were crucial to Jess’s revelation—are also absent. Jess feels some relief as River tells her that he usually uses scatterplots to examine data. He doesn’t print them out for every match, but he has theirs because he was skeptical, then amazed. Jess starts crying and hands River the pictures on her phone, holding him from behind as he examines them. He insists he had no idea, but doesn’t turn around to look at her. It dawns on Jess that River might not want her, with their match being a fraud.

Jess steps away from River, who berates himself for not having learned the truth sooner. He calls the situation catastrophic, but Jess focuses on it bringing them together. She tells River that she loves him, but he ignores her, insisting that he find David Morris. Jess gets ready to accompany him, but he stops her, insisting on seeing David alone. Jess watches River leave, the “familiar sight” of seeing a loved one “walk away” (306).

River doesn’t call Jess that night; by morning, her temper flares. She is short with Juno, then feels ashamed for taking her frustration out on her daughter—like her mother always did. She tries to repair the damage by hugging Juno and telling her that she loves her. Jess goes to Twiggs to meet Fizzy, who immediately recognizes something is wrong. Jess brushes it off, instead asking Fizzy if she’s heard from Rob. River comes in late and heads straight for their table. He hands Fizzy her DNADuo results and tells her that he banned Rob. Jess feels a “rough fissure” forming in her heart as River acts “like everything was normal,” but still doesn’t look at her (311). Fizzy tells River to destroy her test results, asking if he would want to know if he and Jess weren’t soulmates. He looks “visibly pained” (312) by the comment.

Jess asks River to speak in private, and they go outside. River tells her that he didn’t call because he’s still processing everything: David and Brandon both admitted to altering their data. He grows increasingly unhinged as he recounts the men insisting they didn’t tamper with any other data. Jess asks why she was picked for the false trial, and River explains it’s because David found her beautiful and knew he would feel the same. She reaches for his hand and attempts to pull him towards her, but he doesn’t move. River tells Jess that they’ll have a meeting and disregard the data from the last six months. He took himself off the platform and won’t run their score again. He kisses Jess on the cheek before leaving.

While loading grocery bags into her car with Juno, Jess gets a call from her drunk mother asking to pick her up because she’s in trouble with the police. Jess hesitates, but yields when Jamie threatens to drive herself. Jess drives over half an hour to Ann’s (Jamie’s friend) with Juno in tow. Inside, Jamie is seen holding a drink, and Jess observes her unconscious male companion. Jamie tries to hug Juno, but the latter steps back and grabs onto Jess. Jess tells Jamie that if she’s not in the car in a few minutes, she’s leaving. Jamie eventually comes to the car, barefoot, and Jess angrily drives them to the former’s apartment.

In the car, Jamie explains that she’s in trouble with Skin Glow, a company that offers in-home facials. Jamie sold products on their behalf and used the money to pay bills, instead of repaying the owner. Now, the owner wants to press charges and report the products as stolen; Jamie owes roughly $10,000. Jess furiously reminds her that she already has two felonies—if she gets one more, she goes to prison. Jamie asks Jess if she can borrow money. When Jess asks why her mother thinks she has that kind of money, the latter cites her “new boyfriend” (324) from the Today show. Jess feels like she’s been “punched in the chest” (324). Upon arriving at Jamie’s apartment, Jess tells her that she’ll give her money in exchange for never hearing from her again. Jamie agrees and exits the car.

The next morning, Jess and Fizzy talk via Zoom as they no longer go to Twiggs. Although Fizzy complains about the new setup, Jess knows it’s necessary because she has too many River-related memories there. Twiggs is also where Fizzy found out that Rob was married, a place “tainted by the ghosts of their carefree former selves” (329). Jess is surprised by River knocking on her door. She wonders if he’s been able to turn off his feelings—because hers have only grown stronger. Jess’s grief has transformed into rage after eight days of River’s silence. She asks why he came, and he says he wants to talk. She reminds him that she’s been trying to communicate, but he ignored all her messages and texts. River insists he wasn’t ready, and that her subsequent silence made him think she wanted space. Jess acknowledges his burdens, but makes it clear that she needed him and he wasn’t present for her. He explains that he was broken by what his coworkers did and asks if she truly wants to break up. River says he loves her and Juno, reassuring her that he won’t disappear the next time life gets hard.

Jess admits she doesn’t want to break up. River tells her that the company will continue to move forward because their individual tests were the only ones altered. He ended up learning their real score, but Jess tells him that she doesn’t want to hear it—because it doesn’t change how she feels about him. River carries Jess to her bedroom where they make love. Afterwards, Jess asks about the company, and River tells her that David, Brandon, and an employee named Tiffany have been fired. She asks if they’re going to make a statement about their false match, and he says “no.” He knows she’s questioning the ethical implications, but since she doesn’t want to know their real score, she needs to “get over it.” As Jess wonders what he means, River asks if he can pick up Juno from school so he can “fix things with both of my girls today” (348).

This chapter takes place two months later, at Juno’s art-science fair. Fizzy hands Jess a USB drive with her latest novel—one about a scientist and single mother who find love through a DNA matchmaking service. River takes the drive, wanting to read it as “research.” They head over to Juno’s project, which she and River spent a month on: a large roller-coaster made of popsicle sticks. Brought to tears, Jess feels content that her family—Pops, Nana Jo, Juno, Fizzy, and River—now takes up a full row of chairs. She also knows her real score, a second Diamond Match with River (later revealed to be a 91), will further GeneticAlly’s success.

As they await the announcement of the fair’s winner, River casually says they need a house with enough space for Juno’s projects. He stops short and looks at Jess, as they have yet to discuss the future in this regard. He tells her that he’s ready to “take the next step” (354)—and that he wants her family in his life as well. As Jess silently appreciates GeneticAlly for bringing River into her life, Juno is announced the winner.

Two years later, River and Fizzy converse in a sandwich shop about the former buying an engagement ring for Jess. Fizzy caught River shopping in Cartier and insists that he consult her. River tells Fizzy that he’ll bring her with when he finally commits to buying a ring. As River gets ready to leave, Fizzy tells him that they need to discuss the actual proposal. He balks at Fizzy’s cliché suggestions—which she admits are jokes—but agrees to consult her in the future. River spends the rest of the day considering dozens of ideas. He exchanges texts with Fizzy for days, sharing different proposal ideas—all of which she rejects. Finally, he calls her and tells her that he’s buying the ring that afternoon. He picks her up, and they settle on a sapphire ring with a gold band. Later, River asks Jess if she’d approve of him formally adopting Juno. She tearfully kisses him but doesn’t answer. She agrees to talk about the adoption later.

The next day, Jess calls River to tell him that her car broke down on Shelter Island. When River arrives, he finds Jess and Juno dressed up on the beach. Juno tells him that he is her best friend, but she would also like to be related to him—and asks him to be her father. River hugs Juno, overcome with emotion. Jess and Juno hand River a box with a ring made from three metals. Jess puts the ring on River’s finger and asks him to be her husband. He tells Jess that he’s eager to get married and realizes that Fizzy was tasked with ensuring his girlfriend proposed first. He warms both Jess and Juno in his coat as the wind picks up, and Juno calls him “Dad.”