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The nickname hit her harder than she thought it would. That was Eli’s name for her, and Eli was the only one Bridget had ever allowed to call her that. But it actually felt good, so she just shook her head. “I am not a prude.”

“Have you ever had sex in a car?”

“Yes.”

“Have you really?”

“Don’t sound so shocked. There’s not a whole lot of places to have sex when you’re a teenage lesbian in a town of fifteen hundred people. Neither of us were out. Where were we supposed to have sex?”

“In a car,” Jerica agreed. “I just didn’t peg you for being that wild.”

“I’m not wild,” Bridget countered. “Far from it. I’m too closeted to dare to have sex anywhere else.”

“And are you going to do something about that?”

Bridget pondered it for a moment. It was time. Jerica was wherever she needed to be, and she really wanted to talk about the upsetting conversation with her parents rather than the sex going on in the other room. “I tried today.”

“Did you? That surprises me.”

Bridget hummed. “My parents came up to check on me—without warning, mind you. Because God forbid they actually call ahead of time.”

“They sound like people who expect to get their way.”

“That’s an understatement. They were worried I was still ruining my career by not being back at work.”

“You’re not cleared.” Jerica reiterated Bridget’s argument from earlier.

Bridget nodded. “They don’t understand the process at all. KBI is finishing their investigation, and I should be able to take the psychological exam soon enough to at least go back to light office duty.”

“I bet that’ll be nice.”

“It will be. Something to do. Eli will have to drive me to town though, since my right side is severely handicapped.”

“I’m willing to bet she’ll be up for that.”

“Probably. I can always have whoever is on duty come get me too.”

“When do you think you’ll be able to stay on your own?”

Bridget sucked in a breath. As much as she wanted to be on her own again, she really was enjoying having people around her. Perhaps she had been isolated far too long. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe you could come stay here for a weekend. Give the lovers some time to themselves.”

“They’d probably like that, especially once they figure out I can hear everything.” Laughing at herself, Bridget shook her head. “But I did try to come out to my parents today. I couldn’t even get the words out.”

“It’s not easy,” Jerica re-confirmed.

“It’s not. I just wish…I didn’t have to try again.”

“Next time, why don’t you have someone with you who can help steer the conversation.”

“That’s a good idea.” Bridget fiddled with the edge of the blanket. “I did tell them about you. Though they think you’re a man.”

Jerica snorted. “Do they really?”

“Their assumption that I didn’t get around to correcting. Sorry for that.”

“It’s fine, Bridge. I don’t mind, really. So long as you know I’m a woman.”