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“Hey, Chloë! I got your text earlier but figured it would be easier to call.”

“Cool.”

Earlier, Chloë had sent Lexx a message asking if they could meet up to talk about Chloë’s idea of someday opening a business in San Diego. She trusted Lexx to give her straight talk.

“How about I buy you coffee sometime this week?” Lexx offered. “I know a great shop about two blocks from my place. It’ll give you a chance to check out the competition,” she added.

“Perfect,” Chloë answered. “Is Tuesday too soon? I work the early shift at La Vida Mocha and can probably be in San Diego by two o’clock.”

Lexx told her that was perfect.

“And if you really want to put a smile on my face,” Lexx continued, “bring that dishy teacher who came with you when you got the tat.”

Chloë’s mouth dropped open and she felt her face getting warm.

“Um…well…the thing is, her and I are kind of…”

“Oh, shit! Sorry, Chloë! You and her have a thing going on, huh?”

Chloë didn’t know quite how to answer that.

Do we have a “thing” going on?

“Yeah…” she said, hoping the uncertainty she felt wasn’t obvious in her voice.

“So sorry,” Lexx repeated with a laugh. “No disrespect.”

“None taken,” Chloë assured her, trying to sound breezy and nonchalant.

“Anyway, lucky girl! So, Tuesday? Just text me when you’re on the way.”

The call over, Chloë remained in her car, her forehead resting on the steering wheel.

That certainly didn’t help!

Lexx was precisely the type of woman Chloë could imagine Morgan really wanting to be with, provided Morgan kept wanting to be with women. Lexx was older than Chloë, she had her own successful business, didn’t live in her parents’ backyard…

“Aargh!” Chloë groaned, getting out of the car.

***

She had a shower and as soon as she stepped out of the glass-enclosed stall she heard her phone ringing. And it was ringing with Morgan’s ringtone!

But where was the phone?

Dripping wet and completely nude, Chloë left the tiny bathroom which was towards the back of her tiny house and stood still in the kitchen, listening, ignoring the water pooling around her feet.

Living room!

She scurried into that room.

Couch! Wait…no! The stairs!

For some reason, she had left her Kate Spade purse at the foot of the stairs leading to the loft. Her phone was in the purse!

Leaving wet footprints on the hardwood floor in her wake, she sprinted for the bag and dug out her phone.

“Hey!”