Page 38 of January

“None. I’ve made money, you bitch,” her sister told her, laughing. “I’m up a hundred bucks. Oh, hi, Melinda.”

Melinda laughed and said, “Hi, Jolie. Sounds like you’re having fun.”

“We are. If I break even, I’ll be happy, so I’m going to play a little longer. Want to join us?” Jolie looked at the table. “Oh, only one more seat.”

“It’s okay. I think I’ll just watch.”

“I’lljoin you,” Bridgette said, smiling at Jolie. “Hi. I’m Melinda’s friend, Bridgette.”

“Her girlfriend?” Jolie asked a little louder than was necessary.

“Uh, no,” Bridgette replied, laughing. “I’m single. She’s single. We’re just friends.”

“Oh, okay. Well, nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Bridgette said.

“She’s straight,” Kyle added to Bridgette. “Just in case you had any ideas.”

“Well, that’s a bummer, isn’t it?” Bridgette winked at Kyle.

Kyle lifted an eyebrow in her direction and replied, “Nope.”

Bridgette laughed and said, “I’m not going after your baby sister, Kyle. Her friends, though, are another story entirely.” Bridgette turned back to Jolie. “Can you introduce me to your friends?”

“She’s harmless,” Melinda noted, leaning over against Kyle. “She’s really more of a relationship person, but she got her heart broken about six months ago and is looking to rebound. She’d never do anything with your sister, though.”

“Well, Jolie’s about as hetero as they come, but are you sure? She seems like she’s on the prowl tonight.”

“She is,” Melinda said, laughing a little. “But she knows we’re friends, so she wouldn’t do anything to make Jolie uncomfortable.”

“And you two never…” Kyle asked, turning to Melinda to check her reaction.

“Bridgette and me? No way. We’re just friends. Always have been.”

“I thought I might have picked up on something back at the bar,” Kyle admitted.

“No. But can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Have you always known that I was gay?”

“I didn’t know you weregayuntil you said it just now,” she replied.

“Touché. But the attraction to women thing; did you know it from the start?”

“No,” Kyle replied honestly. “I had my suspicions, but at the bar earlier, Bridgette mentioned her ex-girlfriend and then something about an ex-girlfriendyouhad, too, so I guess I thought that there was a pretty good chance that you dated women.”

“I do. Exclusively. So, gay,” Melinda said.

Kyle laughed and said, “Me too. Gay.”

Melinda watched as the dealer dealt the cards, and Kyle turned to check on Jolie. Bridgette had taken a chair between Jolie and one of her new friends and was now leaning over, talking to the other woman.

“Do you want to go play some cheap slots or something?” Melinda asked. “This table is five dollars a hand.”

“Do you want to maybe skip the gambling part and sit over there instead?” Kyle suggested, nodding toward the bar that overlooked the casino. “We could pick up the conversation we were having earlier, before Bridgette showed up.”

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