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Later, the women decided to move back inside once the sun went down because the air had gotten very chilly. They all spent about an hour chatting and noshing on hors d’oeuvres which Vanessa brought in from the kitchen. At no point did Morgan feel like she was being grilled. Her two hosts were funny and charming and made her feel relaxed, part of a family.

Eventually, Megan and Chloë ventured off together to parts unknown, leaving Morgan with Vanessa in the living room.

“So…Megan is younger than you, right?” Morgan asked from her seat on the butter-soft leather sofa. Vanessa got up from the loveseat she had been sharing with Megan and joined her, sitting right next to her as if they were old chums, and it made Morgan feel a little giddy with happiness. What was it about this woman that made her feel blessed just to be in her presence?

Vanessa nodded.

“Yeah, although I often forget it,” she said with a laugh. “She is a very mature twenty-eight-year-old.”

“I can see that,” Morgan replied. “And not that Chloë isn’t mature in her own way but I’m constantly reminded of how young she is.”

“Is that a problem?”

Shaking her head, Morgan said, “Not as such. In fact, it surprises me that I enjoy being with her so much despite the age difference. Well, that surprises me along with the fact that she’s a woman.”

“Yeah, so what happened there?” Vanessa asked. “I understand that you formerly batted for the other team.”

Morgan blushed. She wondered what else Chloë had told Vanessa about her. It didn’t upset her. She knew Chloë and Vanessa were old friends and old friends talk.

“I don’t know what happened,” Morgan replied truthfully. “One day I thought I knew everything about myself and knew who I was. And then the next day…” She looked in the direction where Chloë and Megan had disappeared, a hallway which led deeper into the house. “The next day—or night, rather—I saw Chloë and…it was like that scene in The Godfather.”

“Haven’t seen it,” Vanessa said.

Morgan looked back at her.

“Date just one man and, trust me, within a month you’ll see The Godfather. It’s a thing with them. Anyway, what I meant is, I saw Chloë and I felt the thunderbolt. I didn’t…I didn’t care that she was a woman, you know? I mean, it surprised me, and I was certain that I was either just horny or lonely or both but…I wanted her, Vanessa.”

Vanessa poured them both some more Champagne.

“I feel like I ought to give you the speech about how you’d better not hurt her,” she said once their flutes had been recharged.

Morgan chuckled.

“Go ahead. I’m sure my best friend Naomi is going to give Chloë the same speech one day soon. But just so you know, I feel like I’m the one who’s vulnerable to heartbreak here.”

“Why?”

Morgan watched the bubbles in her Champagne flute.

“Chloë is just so young and beautiful,” she said. “What if she wakes up one morning—what if she wakes up tomorrow!—and wonders why the hell she is with me?”

“Morgan, don’t be ridiculous!” Vanessa exclaimed. “To begin with, you’re yummy and if I was single and I saw you in a lesbian bar, I wouldn’t be able to send you over a drink fast enough.”

Morgan laughed and felt like she was floating.

Holy crap! Vanessa thinks I’m yummy!

It was silly and so middle school, she knew, but damn it…the Vanessa Effect was real.

“Now, if you’re worried about the age difference, stop,” Vanessa went on. “Please don’t be upset with Chloë, but she mentioned to me about how you are reluctant to identify as lesbian, bisexual or whatever.”

“That’s true,” Morgan confirmed. “I’m still trying to sort all this out.”

Despite the fact that I can literally spend hours eating Chloë out.

That thought made her cross her legs.

“And that’s fine,” Vanessa began. “Take the time to sort it out. But just like you’re wanting Chloë to trust that you want to be with her even without being willing to call yourself a lesbian, you need to trust that Chloë wants to be with you despite the age difference.”