Page 36 of February

“How do you know I brought flats?”

“I saw them last night,” she said.

“I brought tennis shoes, too.”

“Those won’t go with your business suit.”

“Well, maybe I’ll change that, too, then,” Monica said.

“Fine by me,” Bridgette replied. “Do I need to drive us to the hotel, or can we walk there?”

“Why don’t you meet me at my favorite… what did you call it, crappy chain brand coffee place at the end of the block?” Monica joked.

???

“Just give me five minutes,” Monica said as she pushed open the door to her room.

Bridgette felt strange about following her inside, but waiting down in the lobby or back at the office felt stranger. Dan had been very interested in showing Monica around, given his expression, and Bridgette knew he was well-meaning, but she wanted him to end up with a job offer out of this, if he wanted, and didn’t want him to ruin his chances.

“Sure,” she replied, letting the door slam closed behind her. “Shit. Sorry. Heavy doors here. Likely to keep the riffraff out.”

Bridgette rolled her eyes at herself, not believing she’d just said that out loud.

“Well, they didn’t work: you’re already here,” Monica teased. “Make yourself at home, Bridgette. The view is nice, but you’d probably just find something wrong with it. I’ll be in the bathroom. I just need a minute.”

When Monica took what looked like a pile of clothes into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, Bridgette slowly made her way over to the window overlooking the river, noticing a red lace bra peeking out of the suitcase on the rack. She didn’t want to, but she thought about how good Monica would look in it and tried to focus on the view outside the window instead.

“So, what did you find?” Monica asked.

Bridgette turned around, startled a bit, and took Monica in.

“Huh?”

“What did you find wrong with my view? Is the window frame made of solid gold or something?”

Monica was wearing a lighter pair of jeans than the night before, and she’d put her hair back into a ponytail instead of in the clip it had been in for the day. She was wearing a blue cardigan over the white button-down she’d had on earlier, and she also had on a pair of white and black tennis shoes that looked like they’d cost more than Bridgette’s monthly rent. She looked comfortable in her elevated casual clothes.

“Nothing. It’s perfect, of course. Should we go?”

“Sure,” Monica said. “And if you want to just skip this and tell your parents that we did the walking around thing, we can. I can work from here for a few hours and go back to the office looking winded or something.”

“You should leave the big bag. Do you have a smaller purse or something?” Bridgette asked.

“I have a clutch, but that’s more for the evening.”

Bridgette laughed and told her, “No. At least you have pockets. Just bring your wallet, your phone, and your room key.”

“Why?”

“Parts of the city are crowded even during the day, so you’ll be bumping everyone with that thing. Besides, it’s easier for them to steal it. They can see that bag all the way from Baton Rouge,” she joked.

“I don’t usually leave my bag.”

“Well, it’s up to you.”

Monica looked down at it and removed a large wallet that wouldnotfit in a pocket. Bridgette watched as she pulled out a few credit cards, her ID, and some cash. She stuffed it into the front pocket of her jeans and placed her phone into her back pocket, along with her room key in the other one.

“Ready?” Bridgette asked.

---