Page 65 of April

“Yeah, that thing,” Linden echoed. “Do you want to go now since we’re done eating?” She nodded toward the door.

Asher turned to her with a lifted eyebrow, knowing her part in all of this but still wondering how they’d expected to get away with a bad lie like that.

“Go where?” Sophie asked.

“Linden and I are just going to run a quick errand. She asked me for my help,” Bryce said.

“Errand doing what?” Sophie asked.

“Soph, let’s just stay here and let them do their thing,” Asher spoke, trying to help.

“Um…” Sophie glared at Bryce playfully. “You’re being weird, but okay.”

“I love you.” Bryce smiled and leaned over to kiss her.

Asher turned to Linden as if expecting the same, and she couldn’t believe she’d nearly leaned over to kiss her, too.

“I’ll see you back at the office,” Linden said with a smile.

Her arm was still over the back of the booth, though, and her hand moved to Asher’s shoulder. Linden squeezed it, which felt nice, but it was also strange because they didn’t do things like that with each other. Then, Linden stood and dropped cash onto the table. Asher stared down at the bills for a few seconds, which was way too much money to cover just Linden’s burger.

“I’ve got yours, too,” Linden told her, answering her unspoken question. “Your small side salad, with nothing on it, was about two dollars, even in this economy, so it won’t break the bank.”

“You’re so very funny,” Asher replied sarcastically.

Linden smiled at her again, and shortly after, she and Bryce were gone.

“What are they up to? And why are you helping?” Sophie asked her the moment they were gone.

Asher laughed and said, “I actually don’t know. I was just told to distract you. How am I doing?”

“You don’t know, but you agreed?”

“It’s Linden.” Asher shrugged a shoulder. “She asked. I said yes.”

“You really like her, huh?” Sophie asked.

“I think so,” she admitted. “I just don’t know what to do about it. Every time I turn around, she or someone else is mentioning Jill, and I picture them on the dance floor, with Jill’s tongue down her throat, thinking that maybe they’re just waiting to finally go on a date for some reason.”

“What?” Sophie laughed. “You know Jill wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I know. I’m not saying it’s logical. And she’s also Linden: she’s getting messages every day from women who are asking for sex, or drinks and then sex. What doIhave to offer her? I’ve never even kissed another woman. I’m also her best friend, and we work together. Talk about complications.”

“You’d have a lot to offer her. Being her best friend is a positive: you two know each other so well already. Besides, I watched that little back-and-forth in your office.” Sophie winked.

“It might be a good thing if Linden was looking for a relationship, but it’s a negative if she’s looking to date as many women as possible.”

“Is that still what she wants?” Sophie asked.

“I don’t know. She was acting weird about it the other night, so maybe she’s moving out of that phase. She’s hard to read sometimes. She never used to be, though. It’s as if now that I’ve figured out that I have feelings for her, the way I used to just know what she was thinking is gone, and I can’t figure her out.”

“Are you going to tell her?”

“Not right now, no. Maybe never; I don’t know.” Asher covered her face with both hands. “I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve been on one date with a woman I wasn’t interested in, got stood up by another because she decided to get back with her ex, and just when I’m about to throw in the towel, a supermodel DMs me and wants to get together.”

“I’m sorry. What?” Sophie asked.

“Yeah…”

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