Page 140 of February

“So, you and Bridgette are together now? How will that work when you go back home? Sorry. Is that too personal?” Kyle asked.

“No, it’s fine.” She shook her head. “I’m actually going to be here for a while. I need to find an apartment soon, I guess. I’ve basically been sleeping at Bridgette’s and charging the company for an expensive hotel.”

“You’re going to stay? Long enough to rent an apartment?” Jill asked.

“I’ve still got some fine-tuning to do on my long-term plan, but the short-term one is done. Yes, I’m going to rent a place, probably for a year or maybe a little longer, before I’ll find a house to buy. I haven’t decided if I’m keeping my place in Manhattan, but I don’t plan on moving back there full-time. I’d also like to take Bridgette there to see it before I sell, if I do endup selling, because it’s pretty stark but very fancy, and, honestly, it’s funny to me when she mocks me for being fancy.”

“Whenwhomocks you?” Bridgette asked as she and Melinda both approached the booth. “I’m the only one who gets to mock you, right?”

“Yes. And I was talking about you.”

“Oh, good,” Bridgette said before she sat down next to Monica.

Monica wrapped an arm around Bridgette’s shoulders and whispered, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’ll fill you in later,” Bridgette said softly to her as Melinda sat down next to Kyle.

“Monica is moving here,” Kyle said to her girlfriend.

“I heard. Bridge just told me. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Monica replied with a chuckle.

“It’s a whole thing. She’s got to transition from taking over this giant company and helping her dad before he retires, but she’s sticking around.” Bridgette smiled at her.

“The sex isthatgood?” Jill joked. “Maybe we should’ve hooked up, after all, so that I could’ve experienced it myself.”

“Hey!” Monica said with a laugh she only half-meant.

“And yes, it’s that good,” Bridgette added.

“Bridge!” Monica tapped her on the leg.

“Hi.”

Monica looked up and saw Sophie standing there.

“Oh, Sophie, hi,” she said. “Everyone, this is my friend, Sophie. She used to work with me at Arnette a long time ago, but she lives down here now, so I thought I’d invite her to join us, if that’s all right.”

“Thank God! I don’t have to be the fifth wheel now. Please, sit down,” Jill said.

Sophie sat down next to Kyle and Melinda in the six-seater booth, and when the group started in on some small talk, Monica turned to Bridgette.

“It’s really okay?”

“Babe, she just wanted to apologize to me,” Bridgette told her with a smile.

“Apologize?”

“Yes. She’s been distant since she met Kyle, and we’ve hardly had any time to hang out, just the two of us like we used to, so she was apologizing. I told her it’s not really a big deal because I’ve been doing the same thing because of you since you got here, and I don’t see that changing much anytime soon.”

“Bridge, I want you to spend time with your friends.”

“I will. I am. We’re with them now,” Bridgette replied. “We also set something up for just the two of us this weekend.”

“Yeah? Good,” Monica said.

“So, Sophie and Jill?”

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