Page 50 of February

“It is, but I’ll walk it off,” Bridgette replied. “And I said strawberry and coconut. Fruit.” She held out her hands as if that should explain it.

“Right.” Monica laughed. “I just came in for some coffee.” She lied. “I liked it yesterday. Thought I’d get it again.”

Bridgette looked down at her table as if she were considering something.

“Do you want to join me? I just ordered. If you want something to eat, we could…”

“Eat together?” Monica finished.

“Yeah.”

Monica thought about it for a minute herself before she nodded and sat down in the chair across from Bridgette, placing her bag in the third chair at the table.

“You’ve got to stop bringing that thing everywhere,” Bridgette said with a chuckle.

“It has my laptop in it.”

“I guess for work, it makes sense.”

“I’m only here for work,” Monica replied.

“Right,” Bridgette said, repeating Monica’s word from earlier.

“What can I get you?” the waitress, wearing a burgundy half-apron, asked when she approached their table.

“Soy caramel latte,” Monica said. “And the French toast special that she’s having.” She pointed at Bridgette.

“I’ll be right back with your coffee,” the waitress replied.

“So, how was your night after I left you at the water?”

“I just went home and sketched,” Bridgette said. “You?”

“Walked around a little.”

“Really? Where?”

“Just around my hotel. It was dark, so I didn’t want to go too far, but I felt like I needed to be outdoors for some reason.”

“I would’ve walked with you,” Bridgette said before she lifted her mug to her lips as if to cover her reaction, which seemed surprised that she’d said that out loud.

“I didn’t plan it. I caught up on work after, but it was strange: I just didn’t want to go into my room yet. I knew it would feel claustrophobic.”

“Your presidential suite at the Four Seasons felt claustrophobic? How big is your apartment in New York?”

Monica smiled but didn’t answer the question.

“I never really want to be outdoors in New York. It was odd, so I just went with it.”

“Why? Not a lot of grass there, right?”

“You’ve never been?”

“No.” Bridgette shook her head.

“Oh, you have to go,” Monica said as she leaned forward.

“Because of all the nice things you say about it?” Bridgette replied sarcastically.

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