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“You’ve never lived with someone,” Bridgette argued.

“No, but I got pretty close. When I was with Aggie, we were about there. I asked her to move in with me, and we’d been together for three months.”

“You did? I didn’t know that,” Bridgette replied.

“She said no, and it was embarrassing, so I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Why did she say no?” Jill asked.

“She wasn’t ready. And we broke up before she was,” Melinda replied.

They’d gone to lunch at a restaurant near the tour office, which Bridgette had recommended when she’d joined them at the last minute, and in hindsight, Melinda wasn’t sure she would’ve accepted this invitation had she known she’d be dealing with an interrogation about her new friendship.

“So, if she’d been ready, you really would have let her move in with you?” Jill asked.

“Yes, I was in love. I’ve gotten ahead of myself a few times in the past, and I’m just not going to do it anymore.”

“If that’s true, then that means you already know how you feel about Kyle, and you’re just not admitting it to yourself,” Bridgette reasoned.

“I like her, yes. It’s obvious. She’s beautiful, funny, and kind, and there are these moments when she’s vulnerable, but she’s so open with me. I’m not sure I’ve met anyone like her before, and it’s nice,” she admitted, smiling softly, mostly to herself. “But we’re friends. It’s not like she’s asked me out. And I haven’t askedherout, so we’re friends, and that’s good because she’s leaving.”

“That sounds sad to me,” Jill replied. “I mean, if you like someone, you should just tell them, right?”

“Yes,” Bridgette agreed.

“As if you two have always done that,” Melinda said.

“Do as we say, not as we do,” Bridgette replied.

“So, you still haven’t found anyone to hook up with?” Jill asked Bridgette.

“No, and I don’t think it’s going to happen, either. Last night, I tried with some of the friends in that booth, and one of them seemed like they might be into it. We were flirting a lot, but nothing happened. I think she just liked that I was flirting with her and wasn’t actually interested.” Bridgette sighed deeply. “I’m tired, you know? I have a broken heart,but sleeping with someone else isn’t going to help with that. And as much as I’d love to have sex again, it’s not like one night with someone is likely to give me explosive orgasms. I just miss having someone to touch, you know?”

“Yes,” Jill said. “Are you giving up your little mission, then?”

“It wasn’t a mission. I thought if I met someone and it was on, I’d enjoy myself, but I’ve tried. I couldn’t even talk to Kyle that night at the pub. And it turns out that when Mel walked past her, Kyle looked right up and even smiled at her, according to what Melinda here told me last night. If I can’t talk to a woman who I think is hot and then try to flirt with another woman who I think is cute and nothing comes of either event, maybe it’s just better for me to relax and hope I meet someone who I’m supposed to meet soon and have something real again. I want that.”

“Because you’re a romantic,” Melinda replied simply. “You always have been.”

“Blame the greeting card company upbringing, where you’re always talking about love,” Bridgette said. “Anyway, are you really not going to do anything about Kyle?”

“Why? Did you change your mind already? Thinking about seeing if she’d want something?”

“No,” Bridgette told her seriously. “You’re into her. I wouldn’t do that. Besides, it’s not like she looks at anyone else in the room when you’re there, anyway.”

“That’s not true,” she argued.

“Yeah, it is,” Bridgette replied. “She only had eyes for you last night. At the bar, and then, at the casino, eyes on you. When you were sitting right next to each other, she leaned over, and you leaned over, and I swear, the rest of us could’ve left that booth, and neither of you would’ve noticed.”

“Oh, I want that,” Jill said.

“Me too,” Bridgette replied.

“I don’t have it. There’s not anitto have,” she argued.

“When are you seeing her again?” Bridgette asked.

“She’ll come by the office between my afternoon tours.”