Page 37 of Flirting Lessons

“Those sunflowers are enormous. And look at those strawberries.”

Beth bent over the strawberries and then took a step away.

“I can’t get too close, otherwise I’ll just start picking them and eating them, they look so good. We should definitely grow those next year.”

It felt nice, for Beth to say “we” like that, for her to assume that of course they would share a garden plot next year, too, that they were in this together. That’s how Avery felt. She was glad Beth felt the same way. She had a sudden impulse to acknowledge this somehow. Taylorhadtold her to put herself out there.

“Speaking of wanting to pick and eat those strawberries, I’m hungry,” Avery said. “What are you doing after this? Want to grab something to eat?” As soon as she said it, she questioned herself. Had she sounded as nervous as she felt? Maybe Beth just thought of Avery as a gardening buddy, but not an actual (or evenpotential) friend; a person she only ever wanted to see inside the walls of the community garden. Avery had had work friends like that, people whom she got along great with at work but where she was perfectly happy to leave that friendship at the office. She and those friends now wished one another happy birthday every year on Facebook but otherwise never interacted.

Maybe Beth would say no and roll her eyes and think it was weird for Avery to ask her to get food, and then things would be awkward between them at the garden from then on. Oh God, she never should have said anything.

“God yes, definitely,” Beth said. “I’m starving, and Greta is working late tonight, so I’m on my own for dinner. What do you want to eat?”

Avery held back her sigh of relief.

“I’ll eat anything—all I had today was the random snacks I had in my office. So long as it’s not a mini granola bar from an airplane, or a handful of candy from last Halloween, I’ll be happy.”

Beth laughed.

“How about pizza? Are there any places that you like around here that won’t care if we show up with dirt under our fingernails?” She looked at Avery’s gardening gloves and grinned. “Metaphorically speaking, I mean.”

Avery pulled off her gloves with a smile.

“Our main product here in Napa Valley is agriculture, after all.”

Fifteen minutes later, they were ensconced at a corner table in the back garden of one of Avery’s favorite places.

“I’ve been coming here since I was in high school,” Avery said. She looked around and then laughed. “And, unlike almost everywhere else I went in high school, this place is both still standing and also still good.”

Beth looked around, then gestured to the restaurant or the sky, Avery couldn’t tell which.

“If I grew up in a place like this, I’d never want to leave,” she said. “I couldn’t wait to get out of my hometown and never go back.”

Avery laughed.

“You’d be surprised at how many people feel like that about growing up here. Most people either never want to leave, or they leave and never come back.” She shrugged. “And then there are those of us who thought we’d be the latter and came back anyway.”

Beth picked up a piece of pizza and paused with it halfway to her mouth.

“Okay, look, I know there’s probably a better way to do this, but I’m just going to ask so I stop wondering: Youarequeer, aren’t you? Because I thought so, but Greta said no, that you were obviously straight, and I need to know which one of us is right, and we may have even bet about it…and I’m making a mess of this, aren’t I? Let me know if I need to get up and leave because I will, even without taking a bite of this pizza that looks and smells very delicious.”

Avery burst out laughing.

“This is definitely the first time that anyone has ever had a bet about my sexual orientation.”

Beth held up a finger.

“That you know of.”

Avery stopped to consider that.

“That I know of, yeah, I guess you’re right. And, um, you win the bet.”

It felt both weird and good to say that. Despite going out with Taylor once a week for the past month or so, she hadn’t really talked to many people about this, outside of the people she’d met around Taylor.

It also felt both weird and good that Beth had thought she was queer and cared enough to have a discussion and a bet with her fiancée about it.

A huge grin broke out across Beth’s face.

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