“Hey, I’m actually meeting a few friends for a drink on my way home,” Sophie said. “Want to join us? There’s a new gay bar on Seventh that we wanted to check out, if that’s your scene.”
“Dragonfly?” Jules asked hesitantly. She didn’t know much about gay bars, but she did know this one.
“That’s the place,” Sophie confirmed with a nod. “Have you been?”
“I have, although maybe not for the same reason as you. I adopted two kittens from the owner.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Josie runs a kitten rescue, in addition to owning the bar. And sure, I’ll join you guys for a drink,” Jules said, making a snap decision. Going out for a drink sounded like the perfect distraction while she waited for her phone to ring. Plus, it would be nice to see Josie and update her about the kittens.
They made a left onto Seventh and walked several blocks to Dragonfly, its lavender logo reflected on the wet sidewalk. Jules hadn’t been here in a few months. Hopefully, Josie was working tonight. She followed Sophie through the door, pausing just inside while Sophie looked for her friends. Soft jazz music played over the sound system, and the white fairy lights that usually spanned the ceiling had been accented tonight with purple and orange in honor of Halloween, which was just a few days away.
A pair of women waved from a table along the back wall, and Jules and Sophie made their way over to them.
“Hey, ladies,” Sophie said warmly, giving each of her friends a quick hug before turning toward Jules. “This is Jules. We met at the audition, and she stopped by for a drink. Jules, this is Gia and Kit.” She gestured across the table at her friends as she introduced them. They waved at Jules, their expressions open and friendly.
Jules dragged an empty stool to their table and sat beside Sophie. “Nice to meet you guys. Do you act as well?”
“Nope,” Gia told her. “I’m a financial analyst, but I love to live vicariously through Sophie.”
As it turned out, neither of Sophie’s friends were actors, which was somewhat unexpected. Not thatallof Jules’s friends were part of the theater world, but certainly most of them were. They both seemed nice, though, and Jules was glad she’d decided to come. The four of them chatted through a round of drinks, the alcohol helping to keep the conversation flowing.
“So, you guys auditioned for the same role today?” Kit asked, eyebrows lifted as she sipped from her drink.
“Yep,” Sophie told her.
“And, according to my agent, we should hear about callbacks tonight,” Jules added.
Sophie straightened on her stool. “Really?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Ooh,” Gia said, looking delighted. “This could get interesting.”
Jules glanced at Sophie. “Yes, it could.”
“Jules?”
She turned to see Josie standing beside their table. Tonight, Josie’s ever-changing hair was streaked with pink and purple, a perfect match for her personality. Jules beamed at her. “I was hoping to see you tonight.” She turned toward Sophie and her friends, remembering that this was their first time visiting Dragonfly. “This is Josie Swanson. She owns the bar and runs a kitten rescue in her spare time. I adopted two kittens from her this spring.”
“My theater kittens,” Josie said happily.
“Yes,” Jules confirmed. “I named them Phantom and Pippin.”
“The other two are Blanche and Hamilton,” Josie told them. “My girlfriend adopted them.”
“That’s freaking adorable,” Sophie said as awwws went around the table.
Jules pulled out her phone, scrolling through her photo roll until she found pictures of her cats.
“I assume Phantom is the black one?” Sophie asked, leaning in for a closer look.
“How did you guess?” Jules turned her head, and their eyes met. Sophie’s were warm and brown, crinkled with laughter. She smelled nice too, like spiced vanilla.
“They’ve gotten so big,” Josie said, looking over Jules’s shoulder at a photo of Pippin and Phantom curled up together in her bed.
“They sure have,” Jules agreed. “They look like cats now, but still act like kittens. Thank goodness they take most of it out on each other instead of me.”
