No Strings Attached(21)

“I’d better get back to it. I won’t be at yoga this afternoon. I need a nap before the kids come home.” Micky inhaled deeply. When she walked to the counter, it was as though she could feel a tingle in all the places where Robin had touched her the night before.





CHAPTER NINE





“She didn’t come in for the rest of the week,” Micky said. She and Amber had only been at Kristin and Sheryl’s well-appointed apartment for ten minutes before the conversation had turned to Robin.

Josephine, with her big mouth, had told Kristin at the change of shift on Thursday. “Micky’s a bit upset because her girlfriend hasn’t come in today,” she’d said.

The worst part of it was that it was true. Micky was genuinely thrown by Robin’s absence. What was she meant to do now? Text Robin like she had said? And what would she say? I’m ready for some more of the benefits that come with our flimsy friendship? The more Micky had thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Maybe she wasn’t ready for a big romance, but well, maybe she was? Because what else was she going to do? Play the field?

“I’m sure she’ll come by tomorrow,” Kristin had said. But Robin hadn’t shown her face again. Micky had lingered after her shift, munching on a croissant at a table near the door, in case Robin’s work schedule had changed and she came in later.

Now it was Saturday evening, and they all sat gathered around Kristin and Sheryl’s table sipping excellent wine, and Micky didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want this dinner at her boss’s to be all about this, but truth be told, it was pretty much all Micky had been thinking about. Whether she wanted it to be or not, this was a huge deal for her.

“Why don’t you text her now?” Amber offered. “So we’ll all be here when she replies. You won’t be alone.”

Micky wanted to sink through the floor with embarrassment. But Kristin had been the one to ask her about it, and now here she sat, discussing Robin again.

“What would I say?” Micky looked up, straight into Sheryl’s face. Micky hadn’t spent a lot of time with Sheryl, and Kristin’s wife was still a bit of an enigma to her. They’d only exchanged pleasantries at The Pink Bean, but not much else. What must this woman think of her? This accomplished professor who sat there with one leg slung over the other, sipping her wine as though she knew all about wines and their grapes of origin.

Sheryl shot Micky an encouraging smile. “Why don’t you simply say hello,” she said.

“Look, ladies, I don’t want tonight to be all about me and this…” Micky had trouble qualifiying it. What was this anyway?

“Kristin and I have been together for a long time. Please, do us the favor of being able to live vicariously through you for a bit.” Sheryl took a sip of wine. “This is exciting.”

“Micky is quite new to this,” Amber said.

“Quite?” Micky repeated. “Until a year ago, I was married to a man.”

“All the more reason to enjoy this delicious time of discovery.” Sheryl’s voice was matter-of-fact.

Micky had had ample sleep since her night with Robin. Her life had returned to normal, almost as though Micky hadn’t, for the very first time, touched another woman like that. In a way, it was comforting to be able to slip into the routine of everyday life. To wear that coat of normalcy. But it had happened, and when Robin failed to show at her regular time at The Pink Bean twice, Micky had to draw the obvious conclusion. Robin had probably met another friend with benefits—because how many of those could one person realistically have?

“I like her,” Micky admitted. She might as well. It was not often that she found herself in the company of lesbians who understood what she was going through. “But we’re very incompatible. So why even bother?”

“Focus on the first thing you said,” Kristin said. “You like her.”

“I’m forty-four years old. I can’t go texting a woman I have a crush on like that. It feels so… incredibly immature.”

“That’s not how I see it,” Sheryl said. “You’re doing the very brave thing of coming out later in life. That’s not easy. You have a lot to take into consideration, but in the end, you’re doing it for yourself, for your happiness. If you think Robin can bring you some happiness, why not try?”

“Moreover, you haven’t experienced your lesbian puberty,” Kristin added. “This is perfectly normal behavior for someone in your situation.”

“Text her,” Amber urged. “What’s the worst that can happen?”