Page 18 of April

“I think so, yes.”

Linden nodded and said, “Okay. Can I ask what made you realize this?”

“You just realized it, too.”

“No, Irealizedit decades ago. I have known that I like women since I was fifteen and Daisy Colter smiled at me in the locker room before gym class. I didn’t have the courage totellanyone else until recently, though. Have you known for a while?”

“I don’t think so,” she replied.

“When?”

“It wasn’t just one moment. I didn’t have a Daisy Colter in the locker room.”

“Okay.”

Asher couldn’t just tell her best friend that her Daisy Colter moment might have been last night when she’d watched Linden with her tongue down Jill’s throat, because that was too much for her to handle at the moment.

“I just know it now. I think watching you explore this part of yourself made me think differently.”

“And is this why you ended things with Gavin?”

“Not only that, but yes. It’s onlyfine, like I said, and I don’t want fine.”

“Do you want to date women?”

Asher swallowed and nodded once.

“I want to maybe try.”

Linden nodded again and said, “Okay.”

“That’s it? Okay?”

Linden let go of her hands and said, “Yes, okay. I love you, Ash. If this is who you are, I’m happy you told me. If you want me to go to Gavin’s place and smack him while you ask a prettygirl out on a date for the first time, I’m good with that. I want you to be happy, Asher Hahn. That’s all that matters here.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Linden.” She covered her face with both hands.

“Well, it’s a good thing your best friend is a lesbian, then, huh? Oh, and we have about a million gay friends now, too. I think we can all help you out.”

“I don’t think I’m gay,” Asher said. “I like–”

“Men too. Yeah, I got it.” Linden winked at her. “Whatever you want, okay? I’m here. Whatever you need, Ash.”

Asher uncovered her face and looked up at her best friend, who was smiling warmly at her.

“Okay,” she said. “So, what do I do now, then?”

CHAPTER 6

She had expected to have to console Asher after her breakup. Even though it was her friend’s choice, breakups were never easy, and Linden hadn’t known breaking up with Gavin was even on Asher’s mind until she’d mentioned it at lunch. She had only met Gavin a few times. He had stopped by work to take Asher to lunch one day. It had been a surprise, and she and Asher had already had lunch plans, but Linden had understood. When someone got into a relationship, they had less time for friends. He’d seemed like a nice guy when she’d met the two of them for dinner one night. Gavin had been a little preoccupied with his phone for her liking, but his job was intense and seemed to keep him busy twenty-four seven. He’d also apologized for it, so Linden had let it go. He’d beenAsher’sboyfriend, after all, so ifshehadn’t had a problem with it, Linden hadn’t, either.

What Linden hadn’t been prepared for at all was Asher telling her that not only was she now not in a relationship with Gavin, but she was interested in datingwomenas well as men. She had never anticipated her friend of ten years to be anything other than straight. When they’d first met, Linden had developed an unrequited crush on Asher, and she had done her best to push it way down so it wouldn’t impact their growing friendship. Knowing she was gay and telling no one, Linden had forced herself to look away from her friend’s eyes back then.

They were this light-blue that sort of just welcomed her when they connected with her own. Linden wasn’t sure that was right, but Asher’s eyes had welcomed her in somehow, and Linden couldn’tnotlook at them back when they were at the desks on the floor, sitting across from one another. It was as if their boss had known that Linden had liked Asher right away and had wanted to torture her by sitting her right across from the woman so that she’d be forced to look away from her eyes.

Well, there was Asher’s face, too. She was a very beautiful woman and so put-together all the time. Even now, as they sat on her sofa after she’d just ended things with a boyfriend, Asher still looked put-together. She was wearing a nice pair of jeans, was barefoot, and had light-pink-painted toenails on her dainty size six-and-a-half feet. She was wearing an LSU gray T-shirt with the logo in their signature purple with gold outlines.

Linden smiled because that wasn’t Asher’s shirt. She’d gone to Georgia for school. It wasn’t her now ex-boyfriend’s shirt, either. He had graduated from Florida State. That shirt belonged to Linden. She’d left it there one night after staying over and had forgotten all about it. Asher looked good in it. In fact, Asher looked better in it than she did.

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