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“What was he angry about, though?” asked Alli.

Izzy shrugged. “Not a clue. He didn’t say. I assume it was something someone told him on the phone, though. Probably his solicitor, since his kids are pretty young still. Haven’t seen him since either.”

“Huh.” Alli was about to say that it’d be good riddance if Charles had actually left, wet weekend that he was, but she was stopped in her tracks as Bea walked into the dining room.

In a moment she was short for breath, she was pulsing inside, and the room started to shrink and get awfully warm.

There was, she realized, a pull there, something that made her want to do the whole thing over again, even though she knew it was crazy and stupid.

Bea turned and saw her and gave a half-smile and Alli steeled herself, forced herself not to smile back.

Instead, she dumped the rest of her sandwich on her tray and got up, slamming her chair back to the table, and walking out without a word of goodbye to Izzy or anyone else.

Chapter Twenty One

Bea caught sight of Alli’s face, saw her green eyes flash and her mouth almost smile. Then she saw her wipe her face clear, put her sandwich down, and stalk out of the dining room.

No time like the present, Bea thought, taking a deep breath before she followed Alli out of the room.

Alli was striding along the corridor and Bea had to run a little to catch up with her. So her breath was coming a little faster and then she slid as she was approaching her and reached up and then… Then she was pushing Alli against a door and the door was opening and they were both tumbling inside.

Laying on top of Alli, there was clearly only one thing to do. Bea couldn’t help herself. She gave in to everything she wanted and tangled her fingers in Alli’s hair, pulling her closer until their lips were crushing together, until she felt Alli’s body relax into hers, until that breath-taking, heart-beating rush was upon her again.

Then Alli pulled back and cool green eyes were looking into Bea’s.

“I promised myself this wasn’t going to happen again,” Alli said, breath warm on Bea’s face.

“To be fair, last time you kissed me, this time it’s me kissingyou,” said Bea, staring down into Alli’s face in wonder.

“I’m not sure that was my point in not doing this again.”

“Hmm.” Bea gave this a second of thought. “Are you saying that you didn’t want to?”

“It seems inappropriate.”

“We are both adults.”

“Again, maybe not exactly what I was going for.”

Bea shifted minutely. “You’re very confusing, do you know that?”

“And you’re not?” Alli countered. “I mean, I blackmailed you, do you remember that part?”

“You also ran into my beautiful car, shouted at me, and refused to participate in my classes,” Bea said. “And I snapped at you and tried very hard to hate you. So why did you kiss me upstairs?”

Alli shrugged, biting her lip and looking anywhere but into Bea’s eyes.

“Was it because you wanted to?” Bea asked. “Was it because just in that moment it seemed like the only thing that you could do?”

“What would you know about it?” asked Alli.

Bea took a breath. “My best friend Liz says that opposites can attract. And there’s something about you. Something that makes me want to stand up for myself, that makes me somehow stronger and more confident and I don’t know what it is, but it makes me want more of you.”

Alli squinted. “What would you know about that?”

“I just kissed you, remember?”

Alli shifted and Bea sat up. “We have nothing in common.”