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Had some really, really, really recessed gene been suddenly activated by Ainsley?

Rachel wished she had someone to talk to about this.

Amy was the obvious choice but Rachel didn’t want to talk to her. Not yet. What if all of this about Ainsley came to nothing? She still wasn’t convinced that her feelings for Ainsley weren’t just part of a silly crush that she’d get over given enough time.

No. She’d talk to Amy if she ever actually did anything with Ainsley. But do what? Was kis

sing Ainsley enough?

“Fuck,” she moaned as the thought of kissing Ainsley made her inner walls clench. She shook her head to refocus.

No. Kissing wasn’t enough. Amy would laugh at her! Amy would say something like, “Ooh, you kissed a girl! Congratulations! I’ll make sure you’re the grand marshal at the next Pride parade.”

No. Rachel decided she’d bring Amy into this only if she actually had sex with Ainsley.

“Fuuuuck,” she moaned again. The thought of kissing Ainsley had got her walls clenching. The thought of fucking Ainsley turned on the waterworks below her waist.

She continued reading. Most of the other stories in the Cosmo article were similar to Kira’s and Emma’s: basically, a straight and cis woman discovers one day that, out of the blue, she’s attracted to another woman. Bam! Just like that! Rachel thought it was interesting how widely diverse the ages of these women were when this happened to them. Most were in their twenties or early thirties, but several were in their fifties. One essay writer was even in her sixties!

Then, Rachel read something in an essay written by one of the forty-something women which gave her something else to think about.

And just like that, the woman, Marlene (44) wrote towards the end of her story, I went from being the gal who always dated the movie-star handsome guys to being a gal who is obsessive about keeping her fingernails short and trimmed.

Rachel gasped and looked at her own hands.

She had had them done recently at her favorite nail salon and they now sported a gorgeous French ombré paint job. The nails weren’t outrageously long but they were long nonetheless. Certainly longer than what she considered was lesbian length. And since she’d been reading and re-reading the Jillian Ashley books Sally wrote, Rachel knew that women who love women tend to keep their nails short for obvious reasons. She pictured Amy’s fingernails. Yep, short. Sally’s as well. Vanessa at La Vida Mocha? Also short. Ainsley? Ditto.

She bit her lip, considering.

It seemed silly to make a drastic decision about her fingernails simply because for the first time in her life she was hot for a woman and thought she might enjoy having sex with said woman. After all, sex with Ainsley may never transpire.

But what if…?

She shook her head. No, she liked her nails and was used to them being long. She’d keep them as is.

Then again…

Biting her lip once more, she thought about how she was playing volleyball again. Ainsley and her friends were now expecting Rachel to play with them every Sunday, whenever possible, and Rachel really wanted to keep doing that, provided she didn’t have any showings or other real estate business to tend to.

Her manicures were expensive. It hardly made sense to destroy the excellent work of her nail technician, which she paid a premium for, by putting her nails through the rigors of playing such an active sport. Really, what was the point of that?

So, there! She’d call the salon later today to book an appointment and get her nails cut short for the sake her volleyball playing. Nothing at all to do with Ainsley…

Her phone rang.

Speak of the devil!

“Hey, you!” Rachel greeted Ainsley.

“Hey!” Ainsley said. In the background, Rachel could hear hospital-type sounds like monitors beeping and numerous people moving about. “Sorry about not making the inspection.”

“My fault,” Rachel said, switching into professional mode. “I should have done a better job of scheduling it to accommodate you better.”

“Oh my god, you are so sweet! But really, it doesn’t matter! I completely trust you with handling that. How did it go?”

Rachel gave her an overview of Alfred’s report, telling her that the Havershams would take care of the roof and the thermostat.

“So, all in all, I picked a great house, huh?” Ainsley said.