Sweet Temptation 1996

In Los Angeles, Jesse Larson is a divorcée who runs Boccone Dolce, an Italian catering company, with her sixteen-year-old daughter Jade Larson helping by making daily runs to local cafés, including one owned by her mother’s live-in boyfriend, Billy Stone. That evening, Jade and Billy roughhouse with each other in Jesse’s bed, and when Jesse enters, she dismisses Jade back to her room, disapproving of Jade’s sleepwear and a curious detail—Jesse learns Billy was naked the entire time Jade sat beside him. Billy proposes marriage to Jesse, but she declines, desiring her own sense of freedom and hoping to wait for a moment that feels right for Jade.

The following night, Jesse agrees to bring Jade along on a dinner date with Billy. They dine at an upscale restaurant where the Italian waiter Mario recognizes Jesse from Boccone Dolce. Jesse flirts with Mario, provoking Billy’s jealousy and a heated argument when they return home. Jade, clearly unhappy with how things have turned, heads to bed, and a tipsy Jesse muses that love can be fun, telling Jade she should meet more people to experience having a boyfriend of her own.

The next morning, as Jesse helps Jade tidy her room, she discovers a pack of cigarettes. Jade lies about them, and Jesse, hurt and worried, warns her to adjust her attitude. Jade experiences a flashback to her parents’ bitter divorce, realizing that her mother may not have cared as much as she should have. Feeling neglected, Jade runs to Horizon’s house for support, where Horizon—a close friend—tries to calm things down. Horizon witnesses Billy tugging Jade onto Horizon’s front lawn, then kisses Jade when Horizon retreats inside. Billy insists the police aren’t necessary, and he steers Jade back toward his car.

Jesse, initially forgiving Billy for disciplining Jade, is unaware that a kiss has occurred. After a long day at the beach, a tired Jesse falls asleep. She later wakes to find Billy and Jade watching a movie together; she tells Jade to remove her sheepdog Otis from her bed and to move the movie downstairs. Billy tries to sleep with Jesse, but when she rejects him, he goes downstairs to have sex with Jade, and Jesse remains oblivious to what is happening upstairs.

The next morning, Billy warns Jade not to tell Jesse, fearing she’ll never forgive them. Jade quits her job, and Billy allows her to work in the stockroom of his café, offering a cash bribe to keep quiet. Jesse returns home, questions Jade about her whereabouts, and Jade nearly reveals the truth before Billy intimidates her into silence. An ultimatum follows: either Jesse agrees to wed Billy or he will walk out of her life. Jesse reluctantly agrees, a decision that fuels Jade’s jealousy.

A few days later, Jade visits her father, Les Larson, and recounts the sexual encounter in a way that omits Billy’s identity, noting only that he has two children from a prior marriage and that she won’t press charges. When Jesse learns the truth, she slaps Jade and accuses her of lying, claiming Jade is jealous of her. Jade’s distress triggers an asthma attack and she’s rushed to the emergency room. Jade eventually moves in with Les and his wife Denise. As Jade settles into life with her father, Jesse breaks down, fearing she is a terrible mother. She warns Billy to stay away from them, ending the engagement and making it clear she will do anything to protect Jade.

Months pass, and Jade thrives in her new home in the San Fernando Valley, making more friends at her new school. Jesse continues to visit and they share long beach walks; Jade urges her mother to consider rekindling things with Billy, but Jesse insists there will be no reconciliation. They even discuss Denise’s belief in reincarnation, a topic that prompts a quiet kind of reflection. When Les arrives to pick up Jade, she darts back to her mother and, in a poignant moment, tells her that even if reincarnation exists, she would still want to be her mother’s daughter. Tearful, Jesse admits her love and sacrifice for Jade. As they walk along the shore with Otis, Jesse looks out at the blue expanse, stepping toward a future that feels newly hopeful and full of possibilities.