I watched a movie about female assassins last night. You would have hated it.
I’m sure I would have.
Natalie Keane is in it, though. It’s great to see a lesbian actress in such a prominent role.
Yes, although I preferred her in A Case for Love.
Somehow, it made Audrey swoon even harder to know that Michelle liked Natalie Keane too. They kept chatting until the pie came out of the oven. From there, Audrey got too busy to keep texting. She spent a wonderful whirlwind of a day with her family. It wasn’t until she was getting ready for bed that night that she checked her phone again.
There was an email waiting from Michelle. She’d sent Audrey a new chapter to read.
Chapter Sixteen
Michelle had never sent so many text messages in her life. She and Audrey texted back and forth all weekend, and it was the highlight of Michelle’s break. Well, she was pretty smitten with the new chapter she’d written too. The book was coming along nicely, if she did say so herself.
By Sunday, though, she was tired of her own company. She felt uncharacteristically lonely, and since she couldn’t call Audrey, she called Kate.
“This is a surprise,” her friend said in her ear.
“How so?” Michelle and Kate talked on the phone about once a month, so this was hardly out of the ordinary.
“You calledmefor once,” Kate said with a laugh. “Have you really never noticed that I’m usually the one who initiates our chats?”
Michelle considered that for a moment, dismayed to discover she couldn’t remember the last time she’d called Kate instead of the other way around. “I hadn’t realized. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. I’ve known you long enough not to take it personally. So what prompted you to pick up the phone today?”
“Oh, well ... I suppose I just wanted to hear your voice. It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in the States, so I’ve been stuck home alone for a few days.”
“And since when do you mind being stuck home alone?”
“I ... good question.” Michelle pressed a palm against her forehead. What in the world had gotten into her? She was acting completely unlike herself.
“Just going out on a limb here, but is there a certain someone you’re missing this weekend? Have you met someone new and not told me about it?”
“No. No one,” Michelle answered quickly. Too quickly, perhaps, because Kate inhaled audibly over the line.
“Oh, you naughty thing! Youhavemet someone. Who is she?”
“I’m not seeing anyone,” Michelle insisted, but even she could hear how defensive she sounded.
“But someone’s caught your eye? This is great news! I’ve been hoping and waiting for you to finally move on from Kelly. It’s time.”
“I’m over Kelly. The therapist you insisted I see helped me on that front, but ... I’m not interested in dating again. I’ve told you this.”
“And yet you didn’t deny that someone’s caught your eye, so I’ll ask again. Who is she?”
Michelle sighed, closing her eyes. She didn’t want to talk about Audrey, or did she? Because suddenly, the words were fairly bursting out of her. “She’s a colleague, a new professor in the department.”
“Ooh, a coworker. I’m intrigued.” Kate sounded delighted. “Tell me more.”
“She’s ...” Michelle had absolutely no idea what to say. Audrey waseverythingand yet also just a coworker. “We share a passion for women in art. She comes to my office for tea in the afternoons, and we talk for hours.”
“Oh, Michelle, I love her for you already. Do you know if she feels the same way?”
Michelle stared out the window, the trees bare and brown now that winter approached. “She’s on a provisional contract this year, so it wouldn’t be smart for her to get involved with a coworker right now.”
“Is that your excuse or hers? And what’s this woman’s name, by the way?”
