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Fuck! When could she expect to close on the house? When could she expect to move in? When could she expect to start leaving bras on her nightstand and windowsill again?

Sighing, she said, “Who knows?”

“I’m sorry,” Alexa responded. “I don’t know that date. When should I remind you?”

“Aargh! Never mind!”

The doorbell rang.

Ainsley looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. Rachel was early. Traffic must not have been too bad.

She gave herself a quick once-over in her giant mirror. Gone was the Dad-sanctioned dress-like-you-can-afford-it outfit. Now, she was dressed in a tie-dye midi skirt and a black sleeveless top with gladiator strap sandals on her feet.

Deeming that everything about her outfit was in place, she hurried to the front door.

“Casey?” she asked when she opened it. “What the fuck?”

Her ex was outfitted in a blue bodycon dress that certainly put her ample curves on display and the stiletto pumps which used to drive Ainsley crazy.

The operative phrase being used to.

Nice try, bitch.

“I think four months is long enough, Ains,” Casey said. Without being invited and before Ainsley could move to stop her, she barged inside. “I gave you space. It’s time we tried talking again.”

“What part of ‘I never want to speak to you again’ did you fucking fail to understand?” Ainsley snapped, shutting the door. No need for the neighbors to listen to World War III. Again.

“Ains, please!” Casey said. “I think I deserve to—”

“You deserve?” Ainsley cut her off with a mocking laugh. “Do you want to know what I deserve, Casey? I deserve to not have to come home one day to find my girlfriend’s head between another woman’s legs!”

Even in her gladiator sandals, Ainsley was taller than Casey in heels. But Ainsley wished she still had on her Blahniks from earlier because she wanted to tower over Casey now.

Casey held out her hands in a placating gesture.

“Okay, I…” She stopped and sighed. “…deserve that. But, Ains, I’ve apologized a thousand times!”

“Apologize a thousand more!”

“Fine! If that’s what it will take!”

Before Ainsley could snap back with a response about where Casey could shove her thousand apologies, the doorbell rang again.

Rachel.

“Aargh!” she growled in frustration.

Despite the frustration, however, when she opened the door, Ainsley couldn’t help the feeling of just wanting to stand there staring at Rachel. Her new friend was dressed in cut-off denim shorts which showed her amazing thighs and a black cross-wrap crop tank which displayed the realtor’s belly button, making Ainsley lick her lips. On Rachel’s feet were cute flip-flops, giving Ainsley another look at those beautiful toes of hers.

“Hi!” Rachel said enthusiastically.

“Hi!” Ainsley returned, equally enthusiastically, momentarily forgetting Casey was in her house, momentarily forgetting what day of the week it was, momentarily forgetting her own middle name.

Celeste!

“Can I come in?” Rachel asked, smirking.

Momentarily forgetting my manners…