Page 29 of February

“I’m sure you can find that,” Toya replied. “We can just still have sex while you look.”

“That’s not what I want,” Bridgette replied. “I thought it was, but yesterday, I realized that you and I are done. We were done months ago, I know. I just wasn’t ready to admit that, so I was hanging on to what you could offer. Yesterday, though, I figured out that I don’t…”

“Even want to have sex with me anymore?”

Bridgette shook her head.

“Do you regret it? The two times we–”

“No, I don’t think so. I don’t know what it does for you and me in the future – like, if a friendship could ever happen, or whether or not itshouldhappen – but I don’t regret being with you like that. I think I needed it to know that you and I aren’t meant for anything more than what we had and that I’m over you. Does that sound bad?”

“No, I get it. But I guess that’s that, huh?” Toya said. “I hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for, Bridge.”

“I hope you do, too,” Bridgette replied. “I want you to be happy.”

“Likewise,” Toya replied as she stood. “Well, I have to get those cherries and get back to the bar before some tourists start complaining about their cherryless drinks.”

“Yeah,” Bridgette said with a small smile as she stood up as well. “I’d say we could just be friends, but–”

“Not for a long time, probably, huh?” Toya interrupted.

“Probably.”

Toya leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before she turned to go and headed down the stairs. Bridgette let out another long sigh, and when she turned on her feet, she was surprised to see the one and only Monica Arnette sitting at the much smaller bar that was upstairs. The bar wasn’t busy, and Monica appeared to be alone. She had a drink in her hand and was staring at the screen behind the bar that showed the pianist playing. Why this woman wasn’t downstairs herself right now, just watching him about ten feet from her, was beyond Bridgette, but now she had a choice to make. She could walk back downstairs, enjoy her time with her friends, and leave probably without Monica even knowing she’d been here at all, or she could walk up and say hi.

“Hey.”

Bridgette turned around to see Melinda standing there.

“Oh, hey.”

“I came to check on you. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good. She’s gone.”

“What was that about?” Melinda asked.

“Long story,” Bridgette replied.

“She’s not trying to get back together with you, is she?”

“No, we’re okay. She saw me when she came here to grab some cherries. I guessherbar was out of them.”

“I always forget she works across the street. Should we stop coming here?”

Bridgette shook her head and replied, “No. Like I said, we’re fine. She just didn’t want to be rude if I noticed her and she left without saying anything.”

“Okay. Well, I have to pee. Will you wait for me, and we can go back down together? I’m trying to give Jill some space in casethe brunette sees that she’s by herself now and wants to talk or if Jill works up the courage to walk over tohertable.”

Bridgette chuckled and said, “Sure.”

Melinda squeezed her forearm and gave her a compassionate smile before walking off toward the bathroom. Bridgette turned quickly to see that Monica was still facing the screen and, most likely, hadn’t noticed her presence there at all. She’d just told a lie to her friend about how Toya had, supposedly, said hi so that Bridgette didn’t think of her as rude, and now, Bridgette was standing there, about ten feet away, and totally capable of just saying hello.

“Monica?”

Surprised to hear her name, Monica turned around and saw Bridgette.

“Bridgette?”

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