Page 54 of See You Next Month

“Ithought we were going hiking,” Dana said, walking into Kelsey’s office.

“We are. I need to finish one more thing,” Kelsey said, staring at her computer screen and tapping the keyboard.

Emma walked in and picked up the framed picture sitting on Kelsey’s desk. “This is a good picture of you and Isabella.”

Kelsey gazed up at her and smiled. “That was a fun day.”

“Weren’t they all fun days?” Dana asked.

Kelsey tilted her head. “Yeah, they were.”

“And to think you didn’t want to go,” Emma said.

Kelsey closed her laptop and swung around in her chair. “The idea of having Christmas at the beach meant that you two were supposed to be with me.”

“I’ll go with you next year. I promise,” Dana said.

“You had a good time though,” Emma said. “And scored a sweet deal for the rest of the year. Then there’s Isabella.”

“Yeah, what about Isabella?” Dana asked.

Kelsey could see the curious amusement on both their faces. “Bella is my friend,” she stated calmly.

“Did you hear how she said, Bel-la?” Dana teased, drawing the word out.

“I did,” Emma replied. She widened her eyes. “She’s Isabella to us, but Bella to Mom.”

“Okay, you two, that’s enough. Bella and I will be doing this for a year. Anything more than friends would complicate things.”

“So you’re saying there might be a chance,” Dana said.

“I did not say that.”

“Come on, Mom,” Emma said. “You’ve been texting and talking to her every day since you’ve been home.”

“Yeah, and your face lights up when you talk to her. It doesn’t do that with other clients,” Dana added.

“She’s not a client. We’re collaborators,” Kelsey said.

“Maybe you should try to collaborate on something else,” Dana mumbled.

Kelsey smirked. “I heard that.”

“What other friends do you dance with?” Emma asked, raising her brows and staring at her mother.

“I should’ve never told you about that,” Kelsey said, shaking her head.

“I’m glad you did. The excitement on your face was adorable.”

“You’ll see in March when we go on the girls trip. We’re just two friends who have fun together,” Kelsey explained. “I will admit, I haven’t connected with another person as quickly as I did with Bella. It feels like we’ve been friends a long time.”

“Have a fling with her,” Dana said.

Kelsey scoffed. “I’m not having a fling with Bella. Why is this so important to you?” she asked, looking from Dana to Emma.

“It’s time you had a girlfriend. We’re not going to be around as much when we graduate. You sacrificed for us all these years. It’s your turn,” Emma said.

“I didn’t sacrifice anything,” Kelsey said, standing up. “I love our family. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

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