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“I’m glad you’re so secure in our relationship,” Melinda teased her.

“I seem to remember you two didn’t stop touching for like a week too there,” Bridgette added.

“We hardly stop touching each othernow,” Kyle said.

“Trust us; we know.”

“Monica just wrapped her arm around your shoulders,” Melinda countered. “And, if I’m not mistaken, your hand is on her thigh right now.”

“She’s hot,” Bridgette stated in response.

“Bridgette!” Monica laughed.

“What? My girlfriend is smoking,” Bridgette said before she leaned over and kissed Monica on the neck.

“Did you just say, ‘Smoking?’” Monica teased.

Sophie had nearly made it a full hour without thinking about Bryce. Seeing the kiss on the neck, though, brought everything to the forefront. Suddenly, she was right back in that bar with Bryce, holding her from behind as they danced together, away from the crowd. The song with that sexy bassbeat had Sophie’s hips moving in time with her partner’s and contemplating what it would be like to have Bryce move with her like this in other ways.

“So, Soph, Monica said she had good news for you,” Melinda began.

“Yeah,” Sophie replied as her mind refocused on her friends. “She got me an interview at Arnette. Well, I have to get it set up, but I’m on a list now, at least.”

“That’s great,” Kyle noted.

“Yeah. And it’s for a job you’d want?” Melinda asked.

“It’s a job I’ve had before. Well, it was the job I had when I first started there before I got promoted, but I loved it, yeah.”

“Then, thatisawesome,” Melinda said, smiling at her.

“I just hope I don’t screw up the interview. I’ve had so many, and I haven’t gotten a job.”

“What about this one in Atlanta coming up?” Bridgette asked, bringing their conversation back around to before Kyle and Melinda had arrived. “You’d move?”

“I don’t want to. Honestly, I’d forgotten I’d even applied for this one. I never heard back from them, so I assumed I didn’t get an interview. This morning, though, I had an email from their recruiter. The job sounds good, but I’ve never evenbeento Atlanta, so I don’t know.”

“You’d really move?” Kyle asked.

“I’m hoping I don’t have to. I don’t want to leave, but I can’t keep doing what I’m doing. I feel like I’m being taken advantage of most days and that I’m actually losing brain cells with the menial tasks they give me. They’ve made me let people go, and we haven’t hired replacements, but it’s not like their work just goes away, so someone has to do it. I miss being part of something bigger; solving problems and helping people on my team,” she explained, leaving out the fact that she didn’t want to leave New Orleans because if she left, Bryce would never know.

“Oh, my God!” Jill exclaimed as she ran over to the table.

And the woman actually ran. She ran past the podium, after practically knocking over people waiting in the lobby to get their table, and past a waiter who was carrying a heavy tray of food. Then, she stopped and placed her hands on the table, leaning over and breathing hard.

“Jill? What’s going on?” Melinda asked. “I left you at work. You have a tour in, like, thirty minutes.”

“I know. That’s… why… I… ran,” Jill managed to get out between breaths. “Sophie.”

“Yeah?” Sophie said as she stared at the sweat forming on Jill’s brow.

“Sophie,” the woman repeated and pointed at Sophie.

“Is here. Are you taking attendance?” Bridgette asked.

“Here. Sit down,” Monica offered as she scooted over, giving Jill space to sit down next to her.

“Jill, are you okay?” Kyle asked.