Page 71 of Flirting Lessons

Beth nodded.

“I did know that, just like I know you haven’t answered my question about why you’re in such a good mood.”

Avery shrugged.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I’m just…” Her voice trailed off as she looked at Beth’s face. Could she tell her?

“What are you doing after this?” she asked.

Beth’s eyes got big.

“Having drinks with you?”

“You sure are.”

The rest of their time at the garden, as they weeded and deadheaded and plucked hidden zucchini from underneath leaves and chatted with other gardeners, Avery had mingled excitement and anxiety dancing around her stomach. Should she really tell Beth about Friday night with Taylor? At this point, she’d committed, hadn’t she?

Well, she didn’thaveto tell her. If she changed her mind, she could tell Beth that she was sorry, she couldn’t get drinks after all, and leave quickly, and next week she could make up some story.

But she didn’t want to do that. Shewantedto tell Beth, even though she didn’t know her all that well, even though she wasnervous about telling her, even though she wasn’t in the habit of talking to anyone about stuff like this. She wanted to be different, remember? More open with people?

Beth had been so encouraging when she’d told her about the flirting lessons with Taylor, and she hadn’t acted like Avery was weird or her growth as a person was stunted for not knowing everything already. Maybe Beth would be weird about this, though? That was possible. But that’s what taking risks was, right? Learning how to deal with it if you weren’t completely sure of the outcome? God, that still sounded terrible. But maybe slightly less scary than it had?

After about forty-five minutes, Beth appeared at Avery’s shoulder as Avery was frowning over the stunted cilantro plant.

“What’s wrong?” she said when she saw Avery’s face.

“This cilantro! It doesn’t look like it’s supposed to. I don’t know what we did wrong.”

“It’s gone to seed,” James said as she walked by their plot. “It’s the heat. Cilantro is more of a fall plant here; it’s too hot and dry in our summers for it. You didn’t do anything wrong. Plant more in a month or so.”

“Thanks,” Avery said. James nodded briskly and kept walking.

“Forget about the cilantro!” Beth said. “We have more important things to discuss! I’m dying of curiosity here.”

Avery bit her lip. Okay. She was going to do this.

“I hope my story is worth all of this. But let’s go.”

Beth turned to Avery once they got into Beth’s car. Avery didn’t even wait for her to say anything.

“I slept with Taylor on Friday night.”

Beth squealed.

“AHHHHHHHH I KNEW IT!” Her face filled with glee, andshe clapped like a seal. “Wait, I need all the details. Where can we go?”

Avery thought for a minute. They couldn’t go anywhere she might run into anyone she’d known forever, nor could they go anywhere she might run into Taylor or any of her friends. Hmm.

“Okay, this is a little random, but there’s a champagne place about fifteen minutes away that I’ve been wanting to go to. And I don’t think I know anyone who works there.”

Beth started the car.

“Perfect, I love champagne. Just tell me how to get there. And don’t say anything else until we’re there, I need to concentrate on this story.”

Twenty minutes later, they were seated in the corner of the restaurant’s patio with a glass of champagne in front of each of them and a plate piled with thin, crisp, golden french fries in the middle of the table.

“To having that kind of smile on your face,” Beth said, and raised her glass.

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