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Erica nodded.

“Mm-hmm, and why does it matter to you?”

Taylor glared at her.

“Erica, is this some sort of bullshit Socratic method thing that you learned from your lawyer wife or your couples therapist or your tarot books or something?”

Erica just smiled at her.

“Answer the damn question, Taylor. Why does it matter to you?”

“Because I think I’m falling in love with her, that’s why! Is that what you wanted to hear? Fine, I said it, are you fucking happy now?” Taylor stood up; she didn’t know why. To leave, to go hide in shame, because it was easier to yell when she was standing up, maybe all of the above.

Erica’s smile got wider.

“Then why the fuck don’t you tell her that?”

“Because that sounds fucking scary!” Taylor fell back down into her chair. “And once I say how I feel and she says she doesn’t feel the same way, it’ll be out there, and I’ll know it and she’ll know it, and we won’t be able to go along as we have been, so we’ll have to break up, and I’ll be miserable, and fuck, this is bullshit, why does anyone do this?”

She and Erica both burst out laughing. Taylor let the tears she’d been holding back stream down her face, and Erica handed her tissues as they both laughed and cried.

“Maybe you should try telling her?” Erica said, in the don’t-scare-the-baby-animal voice.

Taylor shook her head.

“I fucking knew you were going to say that.” She crumpled up her tissues and dropped them onto the table. And then she stood up.

“Fine. I will.” She turned and walked out of the kitchen. Then she turned around, went to Erica, and pulled her into a very tight hug. “I love you so much, you know that, right?”

Erica kissed her cheek.

“Yeah, I do. I love you so much, too. And, Taylor, I’m so sorry. For the bet, and for being such a resentful little shit, and for not talking to you about what was going on with me, and for so many other things.”

“I’m so sorry for being a bitch,” Taylor said. “And for not listening to you, and not being the best possible friend I could be to you, and so many other things.”

Taylor took a step back, and then leaned forward and bent down to Erica’s belly.

“Sorry for yelling at your mom and for using all that bad language, I promise not to do it again.” She thought for a minute.“Well, the yelling, I definitely won’t do that again. The bad language, I can’t make any promises.”

Erica gave Taylor a hard hug, and then pushed her toward the door.

“Go, before you lose your nerve.”

Taylor glared at her.

“Okay, I’m going!” She turned to leave and then turned back around. “Wait, I have one more question. Who was the other person who bet on me and Avery?”

Erica laughed.

“Callie. Now I’ll owe her dinner, too. And, as we both know, she’ll make me pay.”

They grinned at each other, and then Erica took Taylor by the hand and pulled her to the front door.

“Now. Go.”

Eighteen

Avery felt at loose endson Wednesday afternoon. She hadn’t seen Taylor the night before, the first Tuesday since the winery party that she hadn’t, and the first Wednesday since the pottery class that she hadn’t woken up with her. She hadn’t even heard from Taylor since that terse text the day before saying she couldn’t go out that night. Taylor always texted like that, though. Avery shouldn’t make a big deal about this. She wasn’t going to make a big deal about this.